IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

U£|Z8 12.5

|jo ■■■ ^™

Itt Uii |2.2

2f HA ■"
1^ 110 12.0

1.8

IL25 11.4 IIIIII.6

^;.

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MA'.N STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14910

(716)872-4503

,<i^

CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CIHM/ICIVIH
Collection de
microfiches.

Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques

. fc

T*chnical and Bibliographic Notaa/Notas tachniquaa at bibliographiqutss

rha Instituta has attamptad to obtain tha bast
original copy availabia for filming. Faaturas of this
copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua,
which may altar any of tha imagas in tha
raproduction, or which may significantly changa
tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow.

Colourad covars/
Couvartura da coulaur

I I Covars damagad/

Couvartura andommagAa

Covars rastorad and/or laminatad/
Couvartura rastaurte at/ou pallicuMa

I I Covar titia missing/

La titra da couvartura manqua

Colourad maps/

Cartas gAographiquas an coulaur

Colourad ink (i.a. othar than blua or black)/
Encra da coulaur (i.a. autra qua biauc ju noira)

I I Colourad platas and/or illustrations/

Planchas at/ou illustrations an coulaur

Bound with othar matarial/
RaliA avac d'autras documants

Tight binding may causa shadows or distortion
along intarior margin/

La raliura sarrie paut causar da I'ombra ou da li>
distortion la long da la marga intiriaura

Blank laavas addad during rastoration may
appaar within tha taxt. Whanavar possibla. thasa
hava baan omittad from filming/
II ca paut qua cartainas pagas blanchas ajoutAas
lors d'una rastauration apparaissant dans la taxta,
mais. iorsqua cala Atait possibia, cas pagas n'ont
pas «t« filmAas.

Additional commants:/
Commantairas supplAmantairas;

L'Inatitut a microfilm^ ia maillaur axamplaira
qu'il lui a At4 possibla da sa procurar. Las details
ds cat axamplaira qui sont paut-Atra uniquas du
point da vua bibliographiqua. qui pauvant modifiar
una imaga raproduita, ou qui pauvant axigar una
modification dans la mAthoda normala da filmaga
sont indiqute ci-dassous.

I I Colourad pagas/

D
D
D
D

Pagas da coulaur

Pagas damagad/
Pagas andommagias

Pagas rastorad and/or laminatad/
Pagas rastaurias at/ou pailiculAaa

Pagas discolourad, stainad or foxad/
Pagas dAcoior^s. ta^hatAas ou piquAas

Pagas datachad/
Pagas dAtachAas

Showthrough/
Transparanca

I I Quality of print varias/

QuaiitA inAgaia da i'imprassion

Includas supplamantary matarial/
Comprand du material supp?Amantaira

Only adition availabia/
Sauia Adition disponibia

b«

rll
ra
m

Pagas wholly or partially obscurad by arrata
slips, tissuas, etc.. hava baan rafilmad to
ansura tha bast possibla imaga/
Las pagas totaiamant ou partiallamant
obscurcias par un fauillat d'arrata, una palura,
ate. ont AtA filmAas A nouvaau da fa^on A
obtanir la maillaura imaga possibla.

This itam is filmad at tha reduction ratio chackad balow/

Ca documant est filmA au taux da rAduction indiquA ci-daaaous.

10X

14X

18X

22X

26X

aox

12X

16X

20X

24X

28X

32X

itails
s du
lodifiar
r une
Image

Th« copy filmad h«r« hat baan raproducad thank*
to tha ganaroaity of:

Library Division

Provincial Archivr t of British Columbia

Tha imagat appearing hara ara tha baat quality
poaaibia conaidaring tha condition and laglbillty
of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha
filming contract apacif icationa.

Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed
beginning with the front cover a.id ending on
the iaat page with a printed or illustrated impres-
sion, or the back cover when appropriate. Ail
other original copies are filmed beginning on the
first pege with a printed or illustrated impres-
sion, and ending on the last page with a printed
or illustrated impression.

The last recorded frame on each microfiche
shall contain the symbol -^> (meaning "CON-
TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"),
whichever applies.

Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at
different reduction ratios. Those too large to be
entirely inchided in one exposure are filmed
beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to
right and top to bottom, as many frames as
required. The following diagrams illustrate the
method:

L'eKemplaire film* fut reproduit grice * la
gAnArosit* da:

Library Division

Provincial Archives of British Columbia

Lea images suiventes ont At* reproduites evec le
plus grand soin. compta tenu de la condition at
de la nattet* da I'axemplaira film*, et en
conformity evec ies conditions du contrat da
filmage.

Les exempiaires originaux dont la couvarture en
papier est imprimAe sont filmte en commen9ant
par le premier piat et en terminant soit par la
darnlAre page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par la second
plat, salon le cas. Tous las autres exempiaires
originaux sont fiimAs en commen^ant par la
premiere page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par
la derniAre page qui comporte unr telle
empreinte.

Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la
derniAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le
cas: le symbols — <► signifie "A SUIVRE", le
symbols V signifie "FIN".

Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre
filmte A des taux de r«duction diffArents.
Lorsque le document est trop grand pour itre
reproduit en un seul clichA, il est film« A pertir
de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite,
et de haut en bas. 9n prenant la nombre
d'images nAcessaire. Las diagrammas suivants
illustrent la mAthode.

rrata
to

pelure,
lA

32X

47TII roNOBKSS, )

1«^ Session,

SENATE.

Ex. Doo.
No. 180.

R E V O K T

AN EXAMINATION

OR TUB

UPPER COLUMBIA RIVKR

AND

THE TERRITORY IN ITS VICINITY

SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, 1881,

TO DETEKMrNE ITS NAVIGABILITY, AND ADAPTABILITY TO STEAMBOAT

TBANSI'OHTATION.

MADR BY DIKECTION OF THE

GOMMANDINe GINKBAl OF THE DKPAKTMENT OF THK COLUMBIA,

Lieut THOMAS W. SYMONS,

COHI-H nt KNOINI'KRa, U. B. AHHY,

CHIEF ENQINKKK OK THE DEPARTMENT OF THK COLUMBIA.

WASHINGTON:

OOVEBNSIENT PBINTINa OFPIOB.

1882.

William IT. Floy

COLLECTION.

NO.

47th Conobess,
l»t Semion.

SENATE.

i Kx. I )(>().
) No. im.

LETTER

PKOM

THE SECRETARY OF WAR,

TRAN8MITTINO

In regponne to Nenale Re»olHtum of April 5, 1882, a letter from the Vhivf
of KnginefTH of tjenterday'H date, and the aaxmpanifing oopi/ of a report
from lAcut. T. W. Wy;»«»j», Corpn of Engincern, emhracing'nlf the infor-
mation in thin Department respecting the narigablc waterit of the Upper
Columbia River and it» trihutaricH, and of the country adjacent thereto.

Ai-KIL ai, 188!i.— Kufemxl to tlio Committee on Printing.

WAB DBPAltTMBNT,
Washington City, April a I, 1882.
Tlio 8«crotJtry of War hivs tlio honor to transmit to tlie Unittnl SttitoM
8cn»t«, in rosiwiiHe to tho rosolution of that boily of the 5th iimfant,
calling for information on tho Hubjcct, a letter from the Chief of Engi-
neers of yest^nlay's date, and the accompanying copy of a report from
Lieut. T. W. Symons, Cori)s of Engineers, enibrm-ing all the informa-
tion in this departmei't respecting the navigable waters of the Up; or
Oohimbia River and its tributaries, and of the resources of tlie country
aiya«ent thereto.

RQBEKT T. LINCOLN,

SecreUtry of War.
Tlie President pro tern.

of the United Htate» Senate.

Office of the Chief op Enoiisbkbs,

United States Army,
Washington, J). C, April 'M, 1882.
Sib: I have tho honor to return herewith the rosolution of the Senate
of the Rth April, 1882, directing the Secretary of War to report to tlie
Senate of the United States —

Any and all infunnatiuu in his poBiiowiiiin respoctiuK tho navigable waters ef tJie
Upper Columbia Kivcr and its tributaries, and the resources of the country through

37610

S CULUMlilA RIVEU.

which inch navigable wntuni l>um, anil the nhnraotvr and o<wt of iniprovomfsnU ro-
iliiirral to rnniler Milil Upticr Coliimbiu and ita trilmtarit'H availnbin for piirpoiioii of
traiMiMirtalion; . ;d, partlvnlarly, snch information and data tu* haii liiwn rollecUid
niMin Mid iiibjevtit by LloDt. T. W. 8ynionH, Chief Engineer of the l^upartuiout of the
Colniubl*.

And in nwponso to transmit a copy of the report of Lient. T. W.
SymonH, Gorjts of BiiKin«orH, wliidi oiiibnu'«s itH the inforrautiou in tliia
otUcc reHi)octing the niivigiilde waterH of tlic Up]H*r Ooiunibia Kivorand
Hh tributaries, and of the roHoiirccH of tliu country adjacent thereto.

The examination by Lieutenant Synions was nia<le by direction and
under tlio instructionH of the coninianding general, Department of the
Columbia.

Very rosiMSctftally, your ol)edient servant,

II. O. WHKIIIT,
Chief of Engineers^ Brig, and Bvt. Mnj. (len.
Hon. ItoBKUT T. Lincoln,

tkcniary of War.

Washington, D. (3., April 3, 1883.

Hiu: During tlie months of Septemlwr and October, 1881, in compli-
an«;e with orderafrom Hrig. Gen. Nelson A. Miles, commanding Depart-
ment of the (Columbia, I made an examination of the Columbia River,
to determine its navigability and the advisability of putting steam-
boats on it to lie used in the transportation of troops, storeH, supplies,
&c.

In the prosecution of this duty I examined the river at the Little Dalles,
Kettle Falls, and Grand Rapids, and traversed the river in a small boat
from the last-named rapids, near the mouth of the Colvillo River, to the
mouth of the Snake River, making its careful a survey tw possible with
the time and means at my disposal.

1 have the honor to transmit herewith a report on the examination
ma«le, with a map of the river on a scale of 1 inch to 2 miles, and maps
on a larger scale of several of the obstructions in the river.

The report embraces a description of the portion of the river exam-
ined and the lands in its vicinity, and also of the other portions of the
Uppi^r Columbia ami the country drained by it and its tributaries, de-
rived from my observations and travels during the past four years, and
from a careful study of the reports and writings of others.

1 have sought to show the economical relations of the Colundiia to
the surrounding country, and the imiiortaucc of making that itortion of
it lying within the territory of the United States navigable as far as
practicable, and have suggested a plan for so doing.

I have atlded to this a historical and geological arjcowni of the Colum-
bia, and have endeavored to give a clear idea of the fertile and extensive

COMIMIMA RIVEB. 3

Oreat Plain oomposinp tho iiorfhorii portion of tJio interior bnain of ilie
Colunibin.

It is believed tliat the niapH and information containe<l in this ren<irt
will lH5 of valne in tlie navigation of the Columbia, in any qut^tions
which may arise in connection with the imnrovcment of the river to all
persons who take an interest in the development and prosjierity of tho
Northwest, and to all the civil ami military agents of the government
whose duties require of them a knowledge of the (country embraced.

With the ai)proval of General Miles I submit this rciwt to yon, with
the request that it be publishe*!, and that 300 c«.pies may l)c t^imishwl
for use in the Department of tlie Columbia.

Very i-espectAilly, your obedient servant,

THOMAS W. 8YM0N8,
First Lieutenant Corp» of Kngineerx.
Bng. Gen. H. G. Wrioht,

Chief of Engineers, U. 8. Army, }Vashington, I), (l

THE UPPER COLUMHIA RIVER,

AND TIIK

GREAT PLAIN OF THE COLUMHIA.

CONTli^NTH.

ClIAITKh I.

TUB ITITKH COM MIIIA idVKII ABOV* UlUXIi IUnil«.

KM'l«i.»l4.ry-TI.« Littl.. l),,ll,.»_Ht, an.or " 41>"- I,„,,n>ve ,.rnl of l.iitl.- I».ll. ,-K„«,|

fnun Clvill.. U. I,it»l« IMIl.MK-Almv, Uttl- l»»ll«->f.»iK«l.l h-.U, R«,.i.U_

(•|ianicJ.T of louiitry nluiiK rlvor— IVnd .rOr»ni« Hirer .-, 'l.rk.V Kurk-l'riHl
«rOn5ilI« L»ke-I)r. HiickU-y-n Jo.irimy in IK\% fnmi Fort Oirrn l« V«i«y,nv..r-
N.vijpil.iiity of Clnrko's Kork-Mi««..l» B«.i„-niuer l£.«,t ll.mi.uin, .ml Kivrr-
Klk City trail-Bitter R.H.t V«lley-Mi«o,.l« Riv,r-Hrll (iuU^li^t IxmIk*-!.!-
Jlarkfoot-Llttlo Hlaokfoot-KUthea.l Rivrr-C„ri.e«n l>rm.-J.K:koKiver-IU*
Iu«4l Idike-Hot 8|iriiiK Crrok-NavignWIily of n«tb<«<l Hivrr and Ijik.— KIk
C.ly tniil-Ix.u Ixju trail-Ska-ka lio i,am-AUvtu I A If or p,m,-CUik„» Fork i.*—
»j.liiiiatc of iirairiolnnU in Mimxila IlaiiiD-K.H.Ifiiaj nw.r-H.-t««!i, I.itll..I>all,«
an.l (tiau.l IU,.i,l»-M„,l«)i. H,y Fort-Briti«li Fort <;olville-<«,lviil,. liHlian K.« r-

v«li„n-C«lvlll«ValK.y-KortColviiI,.-Komli»-KeitleF.II.-<ir.i«lK,pid»-K.-tlto
Klvvr.

ClIAPTKH II.

GRAND RAPIDS TO TUB HrOKAXR RIVKR.

PrcpM«tloii8forthp jonnicy-.Iolin Ritkoy-Ol.l Pierrr-Cr,»-Mr. noKi.li.K-M.tlio.1
of iiiakiiiK Btirvey— EstiinatiiiK <lljt«iice»-I^avcRic-kev'. liiii.lii.K-llrift w.»«| 1{4« k
l«l«nil-Saii» I'oil Indian settlunu-nt and River Bar-Tartle Ra|.id»-R„Ker> Bar-
EllH.w-Bcnd-Mitr« Rock-Spokane Rai-ida-Kaay improvement of 8,M.kai.,- Rai.i.U-
Conutry alongthe Colnnil.ia— Ueantiful country— Cliinei» minen-Spokaiie River—
CaiDp 8iK,kaufr-8,K.k«ne Falls-Bridge over 8i»k«ne River-Ferry overCoIumbia.

ClIArTKH III.
COLUMBIA HIVRR KROM TUB SI-OKAXK RIVBR TO LAKB fllBLAN.

Leave 8|mkane River-Hawk Creek-" Vi>,^Dia Bill "-R«m1 fn.m IIh- <!n-at I'lain l»
the Colnmbia-Weleh Creok-Wliitestone-Legend aUmt the WI,it«tom— White-
.toneCreek-Fri..dland«r'»-HellGate-8an« Foil River- JIa.n.notl. 8,.ring-(Jr»„d
Coul«te-Moii8ghan'« Rapid»-Ice-transiK)rte<l bonldri»-t>,„iliI,rinm Rapid»-N,»-
pilem River-Cannon or Maii-kin i<ai .i!»-Kalirhen FalU and Whirlpool Rapids-
Excitement of itliooting the R»pid8-Fo»ter Creek R3pid»-Fo»lerCrwk-Okiuakan.-
River-Okinakane Indians-RonH Cox-De«;ription of old Fort Okinakan.— 1»„«
cure of con«umption-McClcllan'» explorations-Importance of position at month
of Okinakane-Methow River-Methow Rapid»-McClellan-«ie,«rt on the Methow
coDDtry- Lake Chelan— Chelan Indiana— Hien«lyphic»— Camp Chelan.

COLUMBIA BIVKB.

Chaptkr IV.

LAKK CIIKLAN TO 8KAKK RIVBR.

Cbolaii CnMjk— Dowiiiiin'N Rapids— Kililion BlnfT— Eiitiatqiia Rivor— Entii»t<iua Bar —
Loii((viow INiiiit— WnintcheeRlvor — Wouatchoe Bar — Rock Islanil RapiiU— Cnbinot
RitpidH — Victoria Rock — Biwaltic BIiiAm — I>o<lge Stick Bluff— Cor.lrtn iiioiitliH— Uiial-
qiiil RiipidH — iHland Ra{iiilH — Crab Croek CoiiWo — Sontinel Bliiftti — Pri«Ht Rapidx —
Wliito Bliifl'M— Wliitc BliitVo Dnpot — Yakima Rivor and Valloy-Naclioso River and
Valley — Ataliiiaiii C'reok — I'iHko Croek — Liimboriiig on the Yakima — Snako Rivor —
Ainawoi'th — Character of Indian crew — Arrive at Vancoiiver.

CUAPTRR V.
' ' TABLE OK PI8TANCR8 OX TlfR COLUMHIA RIVKR.

Chaptkr VI.

NAVIGATION OF THE COI.l'MnlA HIVER.

Willamette to the 8ca — CaHcades to the Willamette — The Dalloo — PortioiiB of river at
prt'wtiit iiavi(;atcd — Couutry bendited by iiiiprovunient8 at the CaHcaden; at the
DallcH; at PricHt Rapids; at Cabinet and Rock Island Rapids— Bars — BoneHts from
impi-ovinK the Nnspileni Rapids ; Hell Gate ; S|iokaue Rapids — General considera-
tioim on the improvement of the river — Improvement at Priest Rapids — Boat rail-
way iwlvocated — Facilities fnniished by railway — Tyi>e of boats to use — Rise and
fall of the rivor — Improvement of Cabinet and Rock Island Rapids — Improvenioiit
of the Nf spilem Rapids— Summary of improvements advocated— Cost of inipi-ove-
inunts — Other possible uiethoils of improvement — Grand Rapids, Kettle Falls, and
Little Dalles — Portage about these rapids — Portage system on the Columbia — Cap-
tain Piugstoue's report on the Upper Columbia.

Chapter VII.

OENBKAI. DK8CRIPTON OK TUB COLUMBIA AND ITS TRIBUTARIES.

Importance of internal water communication — Drainage areas — The Snake Rivor —
Lake Bonneville— FallH— Tributaries of Snake River- Salmon River — Clearwater
River — Palonso River — Upper Columbia — Canoe River — Portage River — Commit-
tee's Punch-bowl — Athabasca Pass — Journey across the Athabasca Pass — Boat oii-
uainpmeut — Beautiful Cataract — Selkirk and Gold Ranges — Dalles des mort« — City
of Ro<:ks — Little Narrows— Terrible story of hardship — Arrow Lakes — Kootoaay
River — Clarke's Fork — Fliilhead Rivor and Lake -Pend d'Oreille Lake — Spokane
Klver — Okinakane River — Lower tributaries.

Chapter VIII.

III8TORV OK the KI8COVERY AND EXPLORATION OK THE COLU-MBIA RIVER.

Pope Alexander VI— Treaty of Partition of the Ocean — Search for passage to India —
Spanish colonies and explorations — Discovery of Pacific Ocean — Straits of >nian —
Straits of Magellan — Coni|uest of Mexico— Explorations along North American
coasts — Proposed Isthmian Canal — Russian dihcoviirios — llecata's discovery of the
Columbia — Explorations into the interior ironi the East — Captain Jonathan C.trvor
— Oregon Rivor— Meaning of Oregon — Fur trailo with China — Mearo's discovery —
Discoveries and voyages of Gray and Kcndrick — Gray's Harbor — Discovery of the
Columbia River by Gray— Broughton's examination— Expedition of Levis and
Clarke — Aster's Pacific Fur Company — Tominin — Hunt's Land Exi>cdition— North-
west For Company — Thompson's voyage down the Columbia— Fort Okinakane —
Spokane House — Explorations of the I<'ur Traders — Astoria transferred to North-
west Fur Company — Fort Ne« Perci5 or Walla Walla -Consolidation of Northwest
and Hudson Bay FurCompanies — Fort Vancouver — Captain Bonneville — Captain
Wilkes — Lieutenant Johnson — Captain Fremont — Title of Oregon confirmed to

COLUMBIA RIVER.

United SUUiH— OrKiiiiijiiition of Orogoii Territory— DiHCOvnry of gold in Ciilifoniiu
— I'licilic, Rnilroad SiirvoyH— Warron's Map of tli«' United StiT h— Mllilary Map of
Dupartnitint of tliu Coliimliia— Need of further HiirvojH in nepartniciit of Mio O'o-
liiinttia.

ClIAPTKIi IX. , ;

TIIK flKOLOOICAL 1II8TOI1Y OK TIIK CASCAIIK MOUNTAINS AND TIIK COt.lTMIlIA UIVRIt.

Paloo/.oin Era— Rocky Mountain cliain- Sierra Nevada and CaHoadi' Han){cs— Oorjje
of Columbia throuRli CiwcadeN— Upheaval of CoaHt KauRe— Fitwurc Kruptiotis friini
the Cascades— Great hiva How— Fissure eruptionH cliaiiKed to eratcr eruptiorm—
Mount Pitt— Mount Scott— Union Peak— Crater Lake- Klamath Hiwin and LakeH ■
Elevated Region- Diamond Peak— Odell Lake— UeHcliutes River— UaviH' Lake-
Throe Hinters- Mount Jortoraon— Monnt Hood— Mount Adanm— Saint IleleuH—
Ranier or Taconia— Recent eruptions of Mount Saint Helens- Voloanie activity
of Mount Hood— NachesH Pass— Yakima Valley— Sentinel Blutrs— Yakima Pam—
Wenatoheo MonntniuH- Si«ikaue River— Limestone and granite- Oreat Masin-
Tertiary Uplieaval— Post Tertiary Oscillationg- Olaeial Epoch— Pend d'Oreille
Tertiary Heds— Glacier- Spokane Plains— (ilacier l.-ikes- ^/iciciif /.ah: Uwiii—
Charaplain and Terrace Epoch- Puget Sound— I'onnation of River Canons.

ClIAPTKU X.
THK QRKAT PLAIN OF TIIK COLUMUIA.

Area— Bunch-grass— Soil— Production— Test of soil— Drawbacks- Sag.i-hrush lands-
Combat of sage-brush and bunch-grass— Statististics of prodnetl venoss— Di viNion of
the Great Plain— Pai.ou.sk skction— Scab Itud— Steptoo Hutte— l»arallelism of
streams— Paloiise Falls— Legeud—SPOKANK Skction— General features— Divide
botwt^en Crab Creek and the Spokane River— Railroads— Siiokane Piiiins— Spokane
Falls— Cceur d'Alfine Lake— Medical Lakes— Chah Cuiskk ani> Gkand Coi!i,i;;i.:
Skction— Inhabitants— Camp Chelan— Ritzville to Camp Chelan- Grand Conli^e-
Middle Pass of Grand Couldo— Moses Coul(5e— FoMt<T Creek— Badger Mountain-
Railroads— Commercial centers— M08B.S' Lake or Dkmkut Skction— A'leient Lake
—Crab Creek— Moses' Lake— Account of jonrnny across Moses' Lake and Grand
Conl6e Sections— Lack of water- Black Rock Si>ring— Crab Creek— Pilot Roek
and Grand Coul<5o— Lake Chelan— Walla Walla Section— Yakima Skctkin—
Lkwiston ani> Mount Idaho SKCTio.v-Craig's Mountains— Great duiudalion—
Camas prairies.

ClIAPTKK XI.

OEOORAPIIICAL NOMENCLATUllK OF TIIK COLU.MBIA UIVEU IIKOION.

Origin of names— Cmur d'Aldno— Palonse- Spokaiu>— Okiimkano— Nez Perc<^— Flat-
head— Columbia River— Snake River- Yakinui—DesClmtes—Unmtilla—Hangniiin's
Creek— Rock Creek— Union Flat Creek— Pine Creek— Steptoe Bntlj!— Wenatehee—
Methow— Lawyer's Creek — Tacoma. ,'

Map Illustrations. >

Little Dalles.
Kettle Falls.

Grand Rapids. -v r

Spokane Kapids and vicinity. '■,:••

Rock Island Rapids. » <

Victoria Rock.

Glimitse of the Grand Coulee.

Map of Columbia River from the boundary to Snake River— 3.1 Hlieel*4.
Skeleton map of the Upper Columbia from Department map, showing location of
river shoetu and ancient Lake J^wis.
S Kx. ISfi 2

:ifA- ,

CIIAPTKK I.

THIS DPl'JSU VOLUMUIA KIVKll ABOVE OKANl) UAl'lUS.
EXPLANATORY.

During,' the, nioiillisof SeptenibenuKlOLtolHirof theyoar 1881 I miul«
a voyage iii a bateau down the Columbia Kiver from theColvillo VaJloy
to Aiiisworth, at the iiioutL of the Siiakc Kiver, making as (;i>rerul ii
Hurvey of tbc river and examination of the rapids as the time ai- \ means
at my disposal would permit. I also, while performing the dtai.-s re-
quired of me in the Colville Valley, made au examination of the Little
Dalles, and of a portion of the river between the Little Dalles and
Kettle Falls.

The country about the Columbia and its tributary streams is rapi<lly
liliing np with settlers and attaining an importance which it hm never
before had, and this influx of people is certain to continue for a long
time Xb come, while there are large tracts of flue land available lor set-
tlement.

The time is not far distant when the question of water transportation
on these upper portions of the river will demand the attention of the
government. I therefore propose to make as careful and as full a roi)ort
concerning this river, its navigability, and economic relations, and con-
cerning the country adjoining it, as I am able to do, giving also maps <»f
the river showing the obstructions, rocks, rapids, bars, &c., on a stiale of
two miles to the inch, with nnvps on a larger scale of some of the prin-
cipal obstructions.

THE LITTLE DALLES.

The Little Dalles is situated by river fifteen miles south of the point
where the Columbia crosses the British line, and about twewtysix miles
above Kettle Falls.

The canon of the Columbia is hero deep and narrow, and no bottom
lauds lie along the river. The 1 )alles are caused by a contraction of the
channel, the limestone blutts which form the banks of the river proji-ct-
ing into the stream, and damming back the water into a deep, cjuiet
stretch above. The fall here is inconsiderable, and I believe the plaeo
could be improved for navigation .hiring low and modiutn sttiges of the ;
river by clearing away some of bhe projecting iwints of the blutts and
the small rock islands in the stream. Years ago, when the excitement .
about the gold mines on the upper waters of the Columbia and Fraser

COI.IJMHIA UIVKU.

I'ivorH wiiH at itH lieiglit, a Htvamer was built Lore nud ran fruni tlio
Little J)alleH up tliu river for a distance of about 225 miles to Death
Itai'ids, traim|tortiiig supjdies and carrying passengers. This stininier,
the "49," during the low st^iges of the water, used at times to be taken
down to Kettle Falls, going through the Little Dalles, and being lined
biu^k over them. The tree was pointed out to which she used to nniku
fiuit in ascending the rapids.

1 estimate that the removal of -tOjOOO cubic yards of rock, limestone,
would make a good, clear channel through which steamers could pass up
ami down at all stages of water. The limestone rock would bo very
easily worked, and could Ik; rciwlily disposed of.

A good portage wagon n»ad exists now around these Little Dalles.

The iom\ to the Little Dalles leaves Fort (Jolville and follows down
the valley of Mill Creek to its junction with Echo Valley, up which it
goes as far as Bruce's ranch. From this latter point it bears westwanl
through a gap in the hills aud reaches the Columbia Klver by an easy
descent, and follows along ita left bank to the rapids. During the old
mining excitement quit a town was started here, which has been
almost completely destroyed by Are, the principal vestige of its former
grandeur being the numerous signs still remaining along the road
telling travelers where to buy their merchandise.

The road is very good all the way, the principal travelers over it
being the Chinamen who are eugage<l iu mining on the upper river aud
who go to Colville for their supplies.

COLUMBIA BIVEB ABOVE TUB LITTLE DALLES.

Captain Pingstone, of the Oregon llailway and Navigation Company,
states that above the Little Dalles the Columbia is navigable for 280
miles to Death llapids, and that he himself has navigated it on the
steamer "49" to this point. This distance I believe to be considerably
overestimated, and that it is really about 225 miles. This is the dis-
tance given by the voyageurs of the Iludson Bay Fur Company who
navigated the river in their bateaux.

The country through which this navigable portion flows is mountain-
ous as a general thing. There are, however, large areas of rather level
ground, especially alon a; the enlargements of the river known as the
Arrow Ijakes. I have l)een informed that along these Arrow Lakes lies
one of the finest l^lts of timber known to man — oedar, white pine, and flr
of large size and of the most excellent quality t,'i-owing in great abun-
dance. Upon those portions of the river beyond the navigable limit
there is also a vast quantity of tine timber which will at some time in
the future become very valuable and be brought to market on ami in
the waters of the Colunjbia.

Concerning the interior of the country away from the river in this
extreme upi)er portion very little is known. From all that I can learn
respecting it, it would seem certain that it is largely composed of tim-

COLUMHU HIVEK.

boi-uil (Mill barruii iiiouiitniiiH, with horu und there hoiuu tliiu viilluyH tiiid
many uxtuiisive tniota of hilly country voverotl with buiiuh-KriMH, ami it
is my belief tliat the climate in not so rigorouH, but that it will moiuu
day be very extensively used for pastoral pur[>o8us, as well as largely
brought under cultivation and made to uiinister to the wautM of man.

It is certtkir. that upon the upper waters of the Okinakane, from lifty
to seventy-five miles to the west of the Columbia, much Hue land exists,
and there settlers have alrettdy found homes.

I'BND D'OUEILLK KIVER OR CLAUKE'S FOUK.

Just north of the boundary line the Columbia receives from the oast
the waters of the Pond d'Ureille Uiveror Clarke's Fork of the Columbia,
which is described in the lower portion of its course as being a tem-
])estuous unnavigable stream, full of rocks, rapids, and falls, flowing
through a deep and rugged caiion, discluvrging its waters into the Co-
lumbia witli a great roar over a fall flfteen feet in height. About the
headwaters of this river and Pond d'Oreille Lake immense bodies of line
timber are known to exist; many rich mines have been discovered, »»
well as a quarry of the finest marble. Pend d'Ort'Ue Lake is naviga-
ble nearly throughout its entire extent and the river below the lake is
reported by Dr. Suckley, in 1853, to be navigable for thirty miles, when
a fall of six and a half fetit is met with. Dr. Suckley, while connected
with the Pacific Ilailroad surveys, started October 15, 1853, froui Fort
Owen on the Bitter Eoot Hiver in a canoe made from three bullocks'
hides, and a crew of two white men and an Indian. No one knew any-
thing of the character of the river ahead of them, and it was, therefore,
necessary to proceed with great caution. The Bitter Boot was found
quite shallow in many places, and the canoe, which, when loaded, drew
only ton inches, had frequently to be lightened until he passed the Hell
Gate River. About sixty miles below the mouth of the Hell Gate, the
mountains crowd clof»e upon the river, making it very rapid, but further
down it is straighter, deeper, and more sluggish, with large flats on one
or both sides.

The Horse Plains are Just below the junction of the Flathead Itiver
with Clarke's Fork, and from this point to Saint Ignatius Mission ho
proceeded, passing through the lake and making two portages. He
says that the Hudson Bay Company were formerly in the habit of carry-
ing up their goods'from the foot of Pent! d'Oreille Lake to Horse Plains
in. largo boats, making two portages on the way — one probably at a
point nine miles above the lake, and one at the Cal)inet, fifteen miles
above the lake.

Below the lake there is no obstruction to navigation for about thirty
miles, when a fall of six and a half feet is met with. From this fall to
the point uino miles above the lake, he thinks that steamers drawing
from twenty to twenty-four inches could easily ascend, and in high
water the distance might be increased from sixty to one hundre«l miles,

COLUMUIA KIVER.

ur from a itoint iilMHit ton iiiiloa l>olow thit initwioii to tliu Oul)iii«>t, fitlvuu
miles nlwve thu litke. Ho 8»yH that at the fallfl a lock might easily be
uuiiHtruvtctl HO as to admit of navigation at all HoaHous.

At the Cabinet the river is compresHud between rocks about one hun.
dro«l feet in height, and becomes very rapid and narrow, so that thu
poHHibility of passing through with steamboats is uncertain.

At the mission the Fathers being deeply impressed with the unnavi-
gability luid dangers of the river below, and having an eye to his safety,
refnse<l to let Dr. Huckley have a canoe or an Indian guide, and so he
did not examine the river fVoni this point to its junction with the Colum-
bia. He says, however, that from wliat information he could gather, he
might have descended the river, proceeding ciuitiously and nniking jrart-
ag«)s, though the Indians were not in the habit of going by that route.
Tliis is i»robably the worst portion of the river for purposes of nuvi
gation.

The doctor proceeded overland to Fort Colville and embarke<l on the
Columbia below the falls, and on the (itlidayof December retuihed Van-
couver, having gone all the way by water except such portages as were
necessary.

I have never seen Dr. Suckley's narrative of his trij) ; it is condense«l
almut as above in Governor Stovcns' Paciflc Kailroad reiwrt.

C'larke's Fork in its upper [wrtions drains a very beautiful and renuirk-
able country — that lying Iwtween the Uocky Mountains pr()i)er and the
spur known iw the Bitter lioot and C(eurd'AICuie Mountains. This great
bitsin for which I would suggest the name of ^^ Missoula Basin," is luoba-
bly formed almost entirely by the erosion of the Croat liocky Mountain
I'hiteau. The liocky Mountain chain, extonding to Mie northwestwartl
thivugh Wyoming, branches in the latitude of about 45° Sty ; one branch
extonding to the east and northetist for about <J0 miles ; the tttber branch
sti'etches to the west aud northwest about H5 miles; the two branches
then continue in about the same general direction to the northwest until
beyond the boundary line, where they are about 13o miles apart. At
about the 53il degree of latitude they come together again iu the region
separating the waters of the Columbia aud Fruser liivers. The western
backb<me of the liocky Mountains is known by different names iudi Iter-
ent parts of its extent. The southern x)ortiou is called the Bitter Itoot
Mountains ; then .jomes the Ciuur d'Alune Mountains in the vicinity of
Clarke's Fork, and the Cabinet Mountains forming tfie dividing ridge
Iwtweon this river and the Koot^snay. Still further north it is the Sel-
kirk Range separating the Kootonay from the Columbia, and extending
along the Columbia and Canoe rivers until, at the headwaters of the
latter, it merges with the main backbone.

The main range of the liocky Mountains, which, between the sources
of Snake River and the Three Porks of the Missouri, has a high alti-
tude, aud continues to be elevated along the region where the Jcflersou
Fork has its source, begins to fall soon after it branciies to the emt.

COLUMIilA RIVKR.

The (lividci, from tliJH p«»iiit, iniikcH n Kr«'nt iNMid to tlio onflt luul tlien ii
rt^tiirn Im-imI to tlio wo«t, forming nearly n Hoinicirclo, fVoiii wliicli flow
fltroiiiiiH to CliU'knV Fork. The »<eini«'irclti eoiiiinenceH nt tlio Hig IIolu
Priiirio, where yoii jtatw from the Bitter lloot Uiver to the tipiM^r trihn-
tarieH of Wiwhiiii Uiver, ami inuy Im» Haiti t« end at the gates of Hun
Hiver. I\n nuliuH Ih eighty niih'« anil it« |»erii»hery one hnnilriMl inile.s,
tlie eent«r btnng near the junetion of Hell Oat«' and hi'*er INwit rivers.
Tlirongli this entin> distanci* the whole chain is brokcii down, att'onl-
ing great nninl>ers of p)VHh4eH, all of them having an altituile not far from
(>,(HH) feet almve the sea. (l^oing north from the gates of 8iin Uiver
the mountains rise in elevation, so that when we come to our iMiundary
]>arallel the heights of the passes exMH;d 7,4MN) feet almve the sea.

The country lying lu'tween the tw«» great Iwu-klwims of the Umsky
Mountains, and esiHH;ially that lM>,autiful region whose stn'ams, tlowing
fi-om the great mouulainons semicircle altove mentioiie<l, pass thningh
a delightful gnizing and arable imintry and And their cxinttuence in the
Hitter Itoot or Missoula Uiver, has Ikhmi ably descrilieil in the Piusifit;
Uailroiul reiM>rt8 of (Jovemor Stevens. As these reports are out of
print and very difHcult to be jirocunMl, I gi\ the description of the
country as pnblisheil in these rcitorts, only leaving out some unini))or-
taut details of the surveys and making some slight changes and luldi-
tioiiH. From the Big Hole Prairie on the south the Bitter Uoot Uiver
flows due north ; it has a branch from the southwest known as Nez Pen>d
(.'reek, up which go<;s a trail much useil by Indians and voyngeurn pass-
ing to the Nez Perc<5 country and Walla Walla. This is now known as
the KIk City trail. The Bitter Itoot Valley above Hell (iate Uiver is
al)out eighty miles long and from three to t«Mi in width, having a dire<?-
tion north and south from the sonrc^^sof Bitter lioot Uiver to it^ junc-
tion with the Hell Oate. Besides the outlet alravo mentioned to the
Clearwater and Walla Walla countries, which is the most diflicult, it
has an excellent natural wagon-road communication at itA .lead by the
Big Hole Pass to Jetferson Fork, Fort Hall, and other i»oints soiith-
wartl, as well as by the Hell Gate routes to the eastward. From the
lower end of the valley it is believe«l tl»at the river is, or can be miule,"
navigable for small steamers, for long distances at lea^t, thus affording
an easy outlet for its products in the natural direction. This refers to
that portion of the river now called the Missoula. Hell Gate is the
delmuchS of all the consiilerable streams which unit* with the Bitter
Root eighty-five miles below its source at the Big Hole divide. The
distance from Hell Gate to its junction with the Bitter Root is fifteen
miles. It must not be understood by the term Hell Gate that here
is a narrow passage, with jteriMMidicnlar bluffs; on the contrary, it is
a wide, open, and easy piuw, in no case being less than a half mile wide,
and the banks not subject to overflow at all. Here the Big Bhuikfoot
joins the Hell Gate River.

The Hell Gate itself drains the semicircle of the Rocky Monntains

COKUMBIA RIVER.

from piu-iillol 45^ 45' U> parnllol 4<P 30', a diHtiiiico on tlio iliviile of oiKlity
iiiilcH, TIk! main tributary Htnuun of tlio Hell Gate imiihiich nearly a
nortlierly conrae for Hixty-Hvc inileH, then rce^iivPH llio waiters of the
Little Blackfoot Uiver, and continnint; the general direction north
llfty (hfgrees west for forty-eiKlit Hiiles, receivea the waterH of the
lUg lilaekfoot. The upper waters of thiH river, now known as Deer
Lod^'e Uivor, ex)nneot with the Wisdom Kiver over a low and easy
divide, over wliieli the Northern Pacitic Uailroiul is now iHMug built.
Moving down this valley forrtfteen miles, we come to a most beautiful
l)rairie, known as the Deer L«)dge, a great resort for game and a favorite
resting-place for the Indians ; mild through the wint<tr an«l aftbrding in-
exhaustablo grass the year round. The remarkable Boiling Springs are
in this ]>rairie, which is watered by many streams, those coming from
the east having their sources in the Uo<!ky Mountain divide, and those
coming from the west in the low, rolling, open country between the
Deer Lodge and Hitter lloot rivers.

The Little Blackfoot is one of the most impo''<ant streams in the line
of communication through this whole mountain region ; it has an open,
well grassiMi, and arable valley, with sweet cottonwood on the stream
and pine generally on the slopes of the hills; but the forests are quite
open, and both on the northern and southern sides there is much jirai-
rie country. The divides between the Little and Big Blackfoot, as well
ns between the former and the tributaries to the south, are low, grassed,
and much of them arable. The Little Blackfoot lliver furnishes two
outlets to the country to the east, by the southern and middle branches
of Prickly Pear Creek. There is another tributary of the Little Black-
foot which may furnish a good pass to the plains of the Missouri ; it
comes in a little way above its junction with the Hell Gate. Passing
down Ilell (rate River from its junction with the Little Bljujkfoot, we
conic to several streams flowing in from the south, the principal ones
I)eing Flint and Stony Creeks. On these are prairie8 as large as the
Deer Lodge prairie, and, in fact, the whole country between t le Deer
Lodge and Bitter Root consists much more of prairie than of forest
laud.

The Hell Gate River is thus seen to be one hundred and thirty miles
long, draining the broad and fertile Deer Lodge prairie, which is esti-
mated to contain eight hundred s(iuare miles of arable land. Then,
taking a direction more transverse to the mountains, its valley contin-
ues from two to five miles wide until its junction with the Big Bhvckfoot
at Hell Gate, after which it widens out to unite with the valley of the
Bitter lioot. On this part of it there are at least oni hundred and fifty
square miles of fine arable laml in the valley, and much grazing prairie
on the adjoining hills. Around the Little Blackfoot most of the country
is a hilly prairie, suit^ible for grazing, while in the immediate valley is
suftl(;ient arable land for the subsistence of a (lopulation engage«l in
l>astoral jiursuits.

COLU^tDIA RIVER.

TIio Big Bluokfoot draiiiH tho Heniioirclo from tlio Hull Oato Puhh to
Hoinuwhtit north of the Gntc of Sun Kiver, the main Htroam tiowinf;
from tho mountains at Ciulotte's antl liewix and ClarliuV I'aHHCN. Tliit4
stream f\irniH)icH at least four passos to the MiHsouri, two of wliit-h weru
carefully examined in the oourHo of the oxploratiouH. TIio rivrr lius a
general course a little south of west, winding considerably in some
parts, but the length of its valley is alxtut «<«venty Ave miles and vary-
ing from half a mile to twelve miles in width. Neither this nor t\w Hell
Gate c^n be considered navigable alnive their Junction. Its greatest rise
and fall is six feet On the 18th of July, lH5;"i, its water-level was from
eight to twelve inches above low-water mark ami live feet below high-
water mark. All these streams, together with the Bitter Hoot Itiver,
constitute a system of waters flowing from the semicircle, uniting oppo-
site Hell Qatc, and pursuing a genenil northwest course to their junc-
tion with tho Flatheml lliver, forming Clarke's Fork. Thiit portion of
tho river from tho junction of tho Bitter Root and Hell Gate rivers to
tho junction with the Flatheiul is now generally known as the Missoula
Kiver. The Flathead, coming in from the north, drains nearly as large
an extent and as fine a country as tho Missoula. The^c two systems of
waters are separated by a low mountain-spur, which is generally well
timbei-ed and well watered and a large jMrtion of the land arabel.

Passing from the Missoula to the Flathewl River, we cross ovov this
spur by a low divide, going through the Coriacan deflle and coming on
the waters of Jocko River. The height of this divide above the Hell
Gate is 560 feet, aiul above the Flathead River at tho mouth of tho
Jocko is 650 feet. From this divide a view of surjtassing beauty is pre-
sented to the beholder as he looks to the northward. lie sees before
him an extraordinarily well-grassed, well-water', Jid inviting country.
On the east are the divides, clothed with ])ine, separating tho Jocko and
its tribnt^iries from the streams flowing into the Big lihickfoot and into
Flathead Lake. To the north the Flatliea«l Lake, tweuty-flve miles long
and six miles wide, is sprea<l out, with extensive prairies iMtyonil, and
on the west, sloping back from the banks of the Flathead River, a
min jlcd prairie and forest couutry is seen. Here, in a compact body, is
one of the most promising countries in this whole region, having at
least 2,000 squai'e miles of arable laud. It is now the Flathead Indian
Reservation. Above the lake the Flathead River is formed by th(»
waters of three streams. Below the lake the river follows its windings
some fifty miles to its junction with the Missoula, where the united
streams assume the name of Clivrkc's Fork. It is from 100 to 200 yards
wide and no deep as to be fordable with difficulty at low-water, its
depth being three feet ^t tho shallowest places. Its current is rapid,
and there is a fall of flfteeu feet five miles below the lake. About
eighteen miles below the lake It receives a considerable stream from the
northwest, called Hot Spring Creek, in the valley oi' which there is a
large extent of fine land. Sixteen miles further to the south it receives
S. Ex. 186 3

COLUMBIA RIVKR.

J(M!ko Uiv»i- fi-()ii) tlio mxitluMiHt, wlioii it tiiniH aliniptly to tli«> iiorMiwi'Nt
uiiil ill iiiiiuU-uii iiiiloH joiiiN witli tliu MiHfMiiilu. Tliu FlutliiMid UivtT, liy
|»MNitiK tlio rapitlH ittiil failH Imlow tliu lako with » fthort canal, ffivim a
iiavi^ablo HtroUsli of at luaat Mttvunty-Hvw iiiileM tu the bend of FiathviMl
Lake.

Thu Iuw«r portioiiH uf ('larkuV Fork have Ix^ii already iiit'iitioiKxl.
AIm>V(! tlic Cabinet (tiftvon inilcn alM>v«« IVml d'On'illf Lake), the rivor
wonid be uxoellont for rafting; purjtoiH'M. Itt« f^rpatcMt rim) and fall itt
lift«H«n feot. The valley of ('larke*H Fork in generally a wide, amble,
an<l inviting Mettlouienf , Miongh much of it is woodwi. The pritiricH oc-
cupy but an iucouHiderablu iKirtinn of itM valley and the Htirnunuling
country, j'et there Ih no dellciency of graMt. On the river art) Heveral
tselebrat^Hl winterin,<7-pliu-/0H for Indian liorseM, aH llonte PlaiUN, Tlionip-
Hon*H I'rairie, anil the country about I'eiid d'Ort'ille I^ke.

Tiie paHHCH which Iciul from thin MiHHoiila iMuin to the(ireat Plain of
the (Columbia are that crimped by the biaitliem Nez Perce trail, now
known iw the KIk ('ity trail, leading from Mie np|>er watent of the ititter
Itoot; the Ijo Lo piisH eriwHud by the northern Nez I'ert^i tniil, pursued
by Lewi.s and Clarke in their great exploratiuuH, and 'low known im the
Lou Ijoii trail; theCieurd'AlenepasM, over which thcMullan roiul now
goi'H; and the piwH by way of Clarke'^ Fork.

The Southern Nez I'erce trail goen up the southwest fork of the Ititter
Itoot ( Nez Perce Creek), and, croHHing a dividing ridge, winds alnuit over
the siininiit of i.ie high and ruggeil nioiintaiiis separating the KiMmkoos-
kia from the Salmon Itiver, taking a very circuitous course to the Junc-
tion of the main forks of the Kooskooskia. Elevation of the iMiss, altoiit
7,000 feet. This is a mere Indian trail whirli avoids thedenst>ly-wooiled
valleys and goes over the mountain siimmitfl, where the elevation pre-
vents the growth of trees and substitutes a growth of grass. Should it
lie found practicable to cut a road down the valley of the Kooskooskia
or Clearwater, the divide between it and the Bitter Itout is still nearly
7,000 feet in altitude.

The Lou Lou trail is in character much the same, but it« course is more
direct. It passes up the valley of the Lou Lou fork of the Bitter Hoot,
and, crossing to a branch of the Kooskooskia, winds along the heads of
branches flowing into the main sti-eams of this river till it comes out on
the Great Plain at "the same place as the southern trail. The mountjtin
traveling required in crossing by the southeru trail is about 138 miles,
and by the northern trail is about 120 miles.

Between these two trails there are undoubtedly pasi^es across the
mountains much lower, but they are blocked up with fallen timber and
rendered almost inaccessible on account of this and the steei^, narrow
valleys. It is claimed that a practicable railroad route exisU; by a pass
oalle<l the Ska-ka-ho, or Skal-ka-ho Pass, which leaves the Bitter Boot
Valley nearly at its head.

The Gueiur d'AlOne pass, now occupied by the Uollan road, goes from

COLtruniA RIVKR.

the i>n««t u)> tlio Ht. Ucg^H Uorgin ItiviT, rnNtiWH n iliviiU* n,0(NI ft^t iiltnvn
the .-M'ii, and tlcHCMulH loCii'iird'Ah'-iio liUkf by wiiy ufthuCwiird'Altaiu
Kiver. it JH to4t waII known to n«^l Hny ilowriptioii.

Th«< piMW li> way of ('L.rkit'ri Kork i-hmmhi by Iho .F<N-ko nit olT from
th«> MiHMoiihi t4) lh« KlathtMul Uiv«T, iihIiii; thnCoriiUMiidoHb', and k«v|M
on down thu l-'lath<-ad Uiver and ('lurkc'H Fork and uronnd I'<>ihI
d'On'illo l<akt>. ThiM in t]w ront4i a<loptP4l by thi> Northern I'acilU- ICail-
I'ond, which fontitnit'H on np lltdl (>at«> and I>(>4*r I/tMlKo riverH and
nntHM'M to llio lli^r lloh>, or WiMdoni Itiver, liy thi* IKwr lAM\m> paHH.

From iiw divide of tlie KiH^ky Monntainn t«i the divide of the Itittor
l(4M>t Monntainn there in lliiM intermediate n>(;i<>n »r MixjMtnhi IlaMJn,
over onethinl of wlii«';h in a e,nltivabh< area, and a lar^t* |Nirtion of it
iH a prairie conntry, inHtea<l of a wcNNled or mountain coiinlry. The
following; CNtimato tfivcH tiio amount of arabh« hind am far im «'xiMlinfr
inforniatitin alhtweil it to l>e comput4>d (IHTtS):

In the n>i;ion watered by tlie MiHMonla and the Hitter Itoot and tlieir
tributaries, iiot inchiding Flell <iat<^, .'i,(MH>H«pian^ milett; in that wt)ten'«l
by the Hell (iate and itH tribntarieH, 'J,ri(Nt square mil<M; in that wafi-reil
by theliif^Ithu^kfootand itn tribntarieN, l,3tM)H<|aaremileM. Theeonntry
waterml by the Klathca<I Uiver «lown to its junetion with the MiHHoula,
and thence down Clarke's Fork to the Cabinet, has a prairie refj^ion of
2,/iOO square miles. The (»)untry watcriMl by the Kootenay has 2,fl(M)
mpiare miles of pniirie. Thus we have, in round numbers, 1 1,1!<N> squun*
miles of anible and prairie land.

litttcr determinations, based niton the laudo(Hc«' surveys indio^tte
that this is not an overestimate.

(iovemor Stt^vonssays that the timlter land will l>e found unquestion-
ably !:ett4tr than the prairie lan<l; that it will not Im; in the iiume<liat«
liottom or valley of thu rivers that farmers will find their lM>st l<M-ations,
but on flie snuiller tributiiries some few miles alN>ve their .junction with
the mail) stream. The observini; and thinkiuf; man will In« astonisheil
at the coiclusioiis which lu^ will rciM^h in n>^anl to the .if^rieultunil ml-
vautage>i ')f this country. As s4Mtn as the niilntuU n'ju-h it and pm|>er
facilities f<tr transportation are atforde^I, it will estuldish its su|M-rii»rity
.IS an agricultural region.

THE KOOTE>AY BIVEB.

About twenty-five miles svlwvo the 'loundary there comes into the
Cidumbia from the e^st the Kootenay Kiver. Tlie lower luirt of this
river is unfit for navigation on account of nipids and falls, but if a short
portage is ma4le around this b»<l portion of the river a navigable (lortion
is res' ' «d which is probably about .300 miles in extent.

The . x)tcnay rises near the fifty-first parallel of latitude, runs sontli
to near lie forty-eighth, then north and west, resiching the Colundiia at
almiit 4iU° north latitude. Its course is generally through a mountain-
ous timbered conntiy, but with itelts aiul 8e<:tions of rich agricultural

COLUMniA RIVER.

and grazing land. This conntry is known to bo very rich in the pre-
cious metals, Ibi- the Kootcnay and nearly all the streams flowing into it
are gold-boaring, some of them being very rich.

Lack of public means of transportation and the diflBculties and ex-
pense of prospecting have for many years detiirretl prospectors and
miners from cariying on their work in these regions. With easy and
cheap lines of transitortation into the country I believe that gold and
stiver mining would, and should, revive and become a matter of great
importance.

BELOW LITTLE DALLES.

From the Little Dalles to Kettle Falls the canon of the Columbia is
more open and much good bottom land exists along the river. In some
places the hills are timberless and covered with bunch grass, and have
been used for many years by the Indians of the vicinity a^ winter pas-
turage grounds for their herds of ponica. The timber along this portion
of the river is not very good, being mostly bull and black pine of small
size. There are some good tracts of fine timber scattered here and there,
and away from the river it becomes better.

There are sovpnil good-paying gold-bearing bars along the river, es-
pecially Six-mile and Twelve-mile Bars, each of which has a wagon roatl
leading to it from Echo Valley. The hills bordering the river are low
and have an abundant depth of rich, black soil, and are undoubtedly
capable of cultivation, and will be occupied and cultivated as soon as
the more accessible bottom lands are taken up.

This remark holds good for the greater portion of the country between
the Columbia on the west and the Pend d'Oreille on the east. Settlers
will not go to the trouble of clearing oif land when they can find it al-
ready fit for the plow; but land of this latter kind will not last forever;
when it is gone they w ill have to take to the wootls.

Just above Kettle FalL, on tlie left bank of the river, lies the valley
in which the old Iludson Bay Company establishment is located. This
is a fine, Iom -lying, fertilp valley, two miles long and one mile wide, and
at the northern end of it is the old fort occupied by the British boundary
commissioners for two winters of the years during which they were en-
gaged on their survey. These buildings are in a good state of preserva-
tion, and are occupied as dwellings and stores. Two traders, with quite
large stocks of goods, seem to find considerable business here in trading
with settlers. Chinamen, and Indians. Just across the river from the
old British fort, in the Colville Indian Reservation, there is a large tract
of flue arable land, some of which lies low, near the river, and some on
benches and rolling hills further away. Throughout this Colviilo Indian
Eeservation there is an immense amount of as fine agricultu al and graz-
ing land as can bo found anywhere in the Territory.

By far the greater proportion of the Indians for whom this reservation
wadset aside do not live on it, but live in the Colville and other valleys,

COL\. VCBIA RIVKR.

whoro they have taken and claim the choicest portions for tlicmsolvoa.
They tluis act as a hinderancc to tlie sottlcnient of the country outside of
their reservation, at tlie same time Iiohlin ;; tlieir reservation and keeping
settlers away from it. Either they should be compelled to vacate their
lands held outside the reservation and remove to it, or tliey should re-
linquish their reservation and allow it to be throv n open to settlement.
By far the best way to settle the question is to givo them complete and
inalienable titles to such homestwuls as they may choose to select, either
on the reservation or oif, and then throw open the ret<ei'vatiou to set-
tlement. At the same time all male Indians over twenty-one years of
age should be made full citizens. As the lands outside the reserve
have been ordered to be surveyed and subdivided, it is liighly probable
that the question will soon be settle<l by the Indians being removed to
their reservation and msule to reside upon it, unless tlio land in sever-
alty plan is adopted. ,t ,1.;

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OP COUNTRY ABOUT FORT COLVILLE-

OOLVILLE VALLEY.

-TIIE

Tlie Colville Valley, one of the pleasantcst and finest valleys io bo
found anywhere in the Northwest, has been retarded in its settlement
and advancement many years bj the fact that it is occupied and the
lands held in large quantities by Indians and half-breed descendants of
the old Hudson Bay fur-traders. These people, owing ta the way they
have been treated and tlie insecure tenure on which they hold their
lands, are shiftless and unprogressive, make no effort to improve and
L'ftautifj', and are a stumbling-block in the way of civilization. Vriien
the land is surveyed and can be taken up according to the laws of the
country, and titles be obtained, settlers will assuredly flock into the
««iintry, and Colville Valley wil' take the high rank that it deserves
to hold among the meat productive, pleasant, and beautiful regions of
the earth.

An rtccumulation of drift and dense growth of underbrush in and
along the lower portion of the Colville River has caused it during the
highcjr stages of water to overflow its baulfs and inundate largo aresw
of this valley. A small expense would remove all this obstruction and
double the agricultural area of the valley, at the same time rendering
it more healthy.

Fort Colville and the town of Colville are situated about fifteen miles
frim the Columbia, in the valley of Mill Creek, which is a branch of
Colville River.

To the east of Fort Colville the hills and mountains commence, and
stretch over to the Pend d'Oreille Itiver, with here and there an attriic-
tive valley. In this direction trails leiwl to diftcrent points on the latter
river, especially to the Calispcll Lake and Mission.

The mountivins are not high, are timbered, and abound in game. To
the north of Fort Colville there is a i)retty valley, called Echo Valley,

COLUMBIA RIVER.

an ofTsliont from Mill Crcok Valley. It is boanded on tlio oast by the
same titnbore«l uioiiiitains tliat lie oast of Golville, and on the west by
a low range of hills, partly timbered and partly covered with bunch
grass ; through it are one or more gaps leading to the Columbia Itiver.
Through this valley the road goes to the Little Dalles. Two roads go
from Fort Colville towanls the west, one down Mill Creek through
Spanish Prairie, joining the other, which goes direct to the Colville
River at the mouth of Mill Creek; hence they keep on together until
just beyond thi Catholic Mission, where they divide, one going to
Rickey's Land tig, below Grand Rapids, and on down the Columbia, one
to Ktttle Falls, and one to the old British Commission Fort Colville.

The country about the Colville River for the last few miles of its
course is sandy and iiotflt for cultivation except in a few spots. To the
south of Fort Colville the regular mail road leads to Fool's Prairie ; here
it branches, one branch going to Walker's Prairie and the Ijower Spo-
kane bridge, and one being the new military road to Spokane Falls.
Between the Colville lliver and the Columbia the mountains are rather
high, and are densely covered with timber as far as could be seen.

KETTLE FALLS.

Kettle Falls, i ' e Chaudi^re Falls of the earlj Canadian voyageurs
an(i the " Sometknu Falls " of the Indians, are situated about four miles
above the mouth of the Colville River, sixteen miles from Fort Colville,
and about 711 miles up the Columbia from its mouth. They take their
name from the fact that the falling waters converge and give the pool
below the appearance of a huge boiling cauldron. They are the most
complete and total obstruction to navigation met with on the Columbia,
the jicrpendicular fall being about twenty-fl ve feet at low water, divided
into the'upper fall of fifteen feet, and the lower one of ten feet, the two
lalls being within .• few rods of each othe".

The channel is very much contracted by the projecting rocks and
islands, as shown in the sketch of the falls accoinp{.nying this report.

If at any time in the future it should become necess.ary to inii.rovo or
to discuss the improvement of these falls to give navigation around
them, I would suggest a plan by which X thin'.: that it could be done at
a ' (-"ipamtively small expense, oviiig to the peculiar conformation of
t'wo shores and islands.

A glance at the accompanying map of the falls will show that a largo
island liefl near and parallel with the left bank. There is a channel be-
two«n this island and the left bank, in which the main fall between the
island and the right bank is distributed over the entire distance. This
channel has at present some rocks in it which could be removed with-
out difficulty, ard has a good entrance at the upper end. Below the
island is a projecting point of rock just aliout at the level of the highest
water. Through this point a channel could be cut and in it a lock
placed, the material taken from the channel being placed in the inter-

JVllUW^^'^'^

S(N. EX. iWC. N« /S0, M StSS., 471k COM.

mimfilif^f^mmm

SEM. EX DOC No, /86, M SESS., 47tb COM.

COLUMBIA RIVER,

v»l botwoon tho island and projecting point, forming thus a continuouH
channel for a canal from the quiot waters above to tho quiet waters bo-
low the falls. But Grand Kapids, another serious obstruction to navi-
gation, lies only about seven miles below Kettle Falls, and no scheme
for giving navigation around Kettle Falls would ever bo entertained
which did not contemplate also giving it around Grand Rapido. Those

GRAND RAPIDS

present very much the same appearance as tho cascades where tho
Columbia breaks through the Cascade Mountains. Many small black
islands and points of bed-rock arise, between and around which the
waters surge and toss themselves into foam, descending in a distance of
about one mile a total fall of probably twenty feet.

On tho right bank of tho river at these falls the mountains rise rather
abrujitly away from tho river, while along the loft bank is a largo, (Ino,
open flat, about one hundred and fifty feet above the river, comi>osod
of gravel and alluvium, resting on the rock at the level of the bed of
the river. This flat, which is a true river terrace, luw very steep sides
towards the river, and I believe that any plan to givo navigation around
these rapids would involve cutting a canal through this terrace and the
underlying bedrock — a very expensive undertaking.

If the time ever comes that commerce shall demand navigation around
these two obstructions of Grand Itapids and Kettle Falls, the method
by boat railway would i»robably be tho best one to adopt. The coufor-
matiou of tho ground is well suited for this purpose.

KETTLE RIVER.

This river, which is put down on nearly all maps as the " No-hoial-
pit-qua" Itiver, is known to all white people in the upper country as tho
Kettle lliver, in consequence of which, I suppose, this unpoetical name
must be adopted. This river rises within a few miles of the Okiuakane,
and flows in a generally easterly course,- emptying into the Columbia
just above Kettle Falls and nearly opposite old Fort Colville. 1 was
informed thatmuch good country lies along this river, suitable for agri-
cultural and gi-azing purposes, and that large tracts of flue timber,
cedar, fir, and pine, exist in its vicinity.

As it is highly probable that in the future a line of railroad will be
located along this river, I will give the words of Governor Stevens, in
describing General (then Captain) McClcllan's exploration of it in 1853,
taken from Pacific Kailroad Report :

The country between the Okinakane and the Culiinibia at Fort Colville, sixty uiilcH
in a direct line across, was traversed by Captaiii Mc( lellan's party al)out lifty miles to
tho north of the Groat Plain. Five miles from the Okinakane, the Ne-hoi-al-iiit-(iim,
flowing eastward, was reached, the dividing ridge being rolling and grassy, covered
with forest at its summit, which is about 1,500 feet above the Okinakntio and S,G47
above the sea, as observed with an aneroid barometer. Tho valley sloping toward
tho east, though narrow, ia fertile, with alternations of prairie and forest, while the
hills bordering it are wooded with large trees, mostly on their northern slope.

COLUMBIA UIVEB.

CIIAPTEU II.

UKANI) RAl'IDS TO THE SPOKANE ItlVER.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY.

Having completed the work assigned uie in the country about Fort
Colville, I niiulo preparations for my voyage down the Columbia.

I WHS fortunate enough to procure from John Kickcy, a settlor and
tnwler, who lives at the Grand Kapids, a strongly-built bateau, and
had his assistance in selecting a crew of Indians for the journey. The
bateau was about thirty feet long, four feet wide at the gunwales, and
two feet deep, and is as sinal* a boat as the voyage siiould over be at-
t4*m])ted in, if it is contemplated to go through all the rapids. My first
lookout hiul been to secure the services of " Old Pierre Agaro" as steers-
man, and I had to carry on negotiations with him for several days be-
fore ho finally consented to go. Old Pierre is the only one of the old
Hudson Bay Company's Iroquois voyageurs now left who knows the
river thoroughly at all stages of water, from Colville to its mouth. In
the palmy days of the fur triders, he came with them from Canada, and
made many voyages down and up the Columbia, married and settled at
Colville, and now has a large family of children, grandchildren, and
great grandchildren about him. The old man is seventy years of age,
and hale and hearty, although his eye-sight is somewhat defective,
which is almost a certain accompaniment of old ago with an Indian.

The other Indians engaged were Pen waw. Big Pierre, Little Pierre,
and Joseph. They had never made the trip all the way down the river,
and their minds were full of the dangers and terrors of the great rapids
below, and it was a long time before wo could prevail upon them to go,
by promising them a high price and stipulating for their return by rail
and stage. Old Pierre and John Rickey labored and talked with them
long and faitlifully to gain their consent, aud I am sure that they started
oft" with as many misgivings about getting safely through as we did
who had to trust our lives to tlieir skill, promptness, and obedience.

When all was ready we entered the boat and took our stations, Old
Pierre in the stern at the steering oar ; next our baggage, upon which
I took my station ; then came the four Indian oarsmen, and in the bow
Mr. Downing, topographical assistant. Mr. Downing and myself both
worked independently in getting as thorough a knowledge of the river
us possible, he tivking the courses with a prismatic compass, and esti-
mating distances by the eye, and sketching in the topographical features
of the adjoining country, while I estimated also the distances to marked
points, and paid particular attention to the bed of the river, sounding
wherever there were any indications of shallowness.

Eiich evening we compared notes as to distances, and we found them
to come out very well together, the greatest difference being 6| miles

COLUMIUA RIVEK.

in a diiy'H run of M{ miles. Some days they were identical. Tlio total
diHtan(!e from our Htartinp: {wint, just IhjIow Ornnd KapidH, to Ainswortli,
at the mouth of Snake Uiver, wiw estimated by Mr. Downinfj to Im)
3fl.}.25 nuleH, and by myself to l)e '.iiiO miles. His distances were ob-
tained chiefly by estimating how far it was to some marked ))oint ahead,
and correcting it when the point was reached ; mine by tlie time re-
quired to pass over the distances, in which the elements consideivd
were the swiftness of the current and the labor of the oarsmen.

The following are the distances, as estimated for each day's run by
Mr. Downing and myself:

I>»7*.

Flrrt...
K»<coml . .
Third....
Vourtb .
Filth ....
Sixth...
S4ivtmth.
KiKhth..
Ninth...

Du ./ning.

Sjrmuiis.

MUu.

UOe*.

40. 21;

4'2.(H)

».m

aso

aa. 75

2:1.50

64. 2S

57. 5U

34. M

34. IK)

SftM

5(1. IH>

S8.2S

OJ. .-.o

£7.00

M (10

15.75

16.00

Total.

303. 25

As a general thing, it was deemed best to use the greater estimate of
the day's run in plotting the notes, and the final distairce adoitted was
3G5.5 miles.

GBAND BAPIDS TO SPOKANE UIVEB.

September 29, 1881, 9:40 a. m. — Everything being in readiness, wo
pushed off, Rickey giving us his last words of advice, and the Indians,
their squaws, and friends, keeping up a chafiiug sort of conversation,
in which they were no doubt encouraging each other to be of good cheer.

Three miles below we came to a collection of black-rock islands in the
middle of the river. The islands are apparently of black basalt, and
rise from thirty to fifty feet above the water at the present stage, and
have a great deal of drift-wood upon their tops, and lodged in the crev-
ices of their sides. To all api)earances there is a channel on both aides
of the rocks. We took the one toward the left bank, which I think is
much the better. On account of the contraction caused by these islands
there is quite a strong rapid here, which, however, would offer no ob-
stacle to a good steamer. It is altogether probable that in higlier stiiges
of water the current becomes stronger, and at higliest water an ordi-
nary steamer might have some difficulty in getting through.

About nine miles further ilown we passed by a small village of Sans
Toil Indians, on the right bank of the river. Opposite this village the
river is quite shallow, the bottom covered with large gravel and bowl-
ders, whicli were plainly seen from the iKiat. The depf' is aooiii/ six feet
along the middle of the stream, and as the water is considerably above
extreme low water, this depth would probably be decreased to four, and
8. Ex. 13(3 4

s«

COLUMBIA RIVER.

inny be to Uiioo fuut at lowoNt ntage. Thuro ivitpuiired hoiiiu evidencuH
of tho duptli hiiiiiK Hoiiicwhivt grviitur toward tbc right bank, but of
tbiH I am not curttUn.

Home distanoo buluw wo puHbcd tlirongh a portion of tbe river con-
taining a number of rocky iuhind points, Hunkon rocks, and i)oint« Jut-
ting out from Hhoro. Among tlieso rocks are several sharp little rip-
ples with strong eddies, l)iit nothing that can bo considered as an ob-
struction to navigation.

At one p. ni., at a distance of twenty and one-fourth miles from liickey's
Landing, we came to Turtle Rapidn, which result from the presence in
the stream of a number of largo and small Dlack -looking bod-rock
islands. The main and best channel passes about in the center of the
stream between the islands. The water is quite strong and rapid, but
I do not consider that a steamer would have groat difficulty in stem-
ming the current at any stage of water.

In running through, care would have to bo taken to avoid sunken
rocks.

About throe miles further, after passing a largo, promising-looking bar,
on which a number of Chinamen were engaged in mining, wo came to
another rajtid, of minor importance, however, caused by a point of rock
jutting well out into the stream from the left bank.

Six and one-half miles on and we came to Rogers' Bar. Both above
aiul below this bar there are quite strong ripples, tho one just above
being quite shallow, with, however, sutUcieut water for purposes of navi-
gation.

Four and one-half miles further on we came to what is called the
Elbow Bend of the river. Here are some bed-rock islands with a gravel-
bar island near the right bank, and jutting points of rock below, also
from the right bank. The channel is near the left bank all the way,
with a rather strong ripple near tho rock islands.

After four miles further traveling we passed some more bad water,
swift and strong, with rocks near the left bank, ofi'oring, however, no
obstruction to navigation ; and at 4 : 40 we went into camp on the right
bank of the river, where a pretty stream comes down, having made a
distance of forty-seven and three-fourths miles during the day. .

Sq>tember 30, 7:28 a. m, — Left camp, and fo r miles b^low passed a
very rugged portion of tho left bank of the river. Among the rocks was
one resembling very much a bishop's mitre, being conical and split
down the center. I have called it Mitre Rock.

At 9:10, four and a half miles further on, we entei'ed tbe* mouth of
Spokane River, and made camp, having passed through tho Spokane
Rapids, M'hich are situated about a half mile above the mouth of the
Spokane.

These rapids are the most serious obstructions to navigation met with
since leading Grand Rapids.

The river runs through a narrow channel between it« two banks,

pi*

COUrMniA RIVER.

which nre eoiitmcteil and (y)V(>r(Ml with ffrtfut Itowhlora ami iniuwive
roeSffl. The Hpnco fVnfl fh)ni rockn in inirrow, and thri>nf;li it thv^ wiitor
ninhos with gri'flt velocity and j)«>wer. I doubt very much if any river
IxHit h)M tteen built in thiH weittprii c«>uutry that can aitccud thcAu ni))idfl
without lining over. The m)>idH arc vcr>' short, and, with proiH'r np-
pIiAnc4*«, n boat could be oaHily HuikI over. '

I think it well to conmder the Hubjcct of the iniprovcnicnt of thcxc
H|M>kane Hr^pidB, inaHnuich aH they art^ the only real oliMtructiitn to navi-
gation for a long distiuice alwve and btdow them, and lut their improve-
ment would be comparatively inexpensive. Mimt of the ImwlderH form-
ing the obMtruction could be handled by an onlinary Htcam derrick, and
reniovetl by this meiins from their present i>osition. During low water
Liioy could all be reached and taken away. NolK^I-rock ap|iears that I
could SCO. The water above the rapitls is a imwI, quiet, deep, and wide,
which would easily stand all the quickening require«l to distribute the
fall that now t^ikos place through the rapids over a sufficient length of
river to render it ascendable by river steamers.

For the first thirty miles below Onind Rapids, until Itogers' Itar is
reached, there is considerable bottom land along the Columbia, much
more than is generally believed, and on both sides of the river are
iHMiches, some of them containing hundre<ls of iu;res, i>erha|>s thou-
sands, of the very finest land, well wateretl and covere«I with burich-
grass and scattering belts of timber.

The Indians told me that back from the Columbia, lietwccn it and the
Colville River, wore many fertile and beautifid i)rairie8.

Below Itogers' Bar the cailon narrows and the mountains close in aiid
the river in crooke<l, with very little Iwttom land until within a few miUw
of the Spokane, when it becomes more open. Throughout this {Mtrtion,
the hills, bottom lands, and mountains are well coverctl with tine o|H>n
tind)er and very little underbrush. Except where it breaks through the
Cascade Mountains, this is the most bcjiutiful (xtrtion of the Cobunbia
within our territory.

Many beuutiful and pleasant homcf! arc certain at no v^^ry distant day
to adoni its banks, and the demiinds of iulvancing civilization will cer-
tjiiidy require that within a few yearu steamers shoidd navigate its
waters, communicating with railways reitchin^; it near the mouths of
the Colville and Spokane rivers. It is to lie IioinmI that^ in the years
to come, this portion may become a part of a continuously navigable
river from GrRB'l Rapids to the sea.

There are quite a number of Chinamen engaged in mining on the river
bars. Many bars have been worked and abandoned, and others have
not lieen worke<l, owing to the difficulty of getting water to them. Fn
tome instances the Chinamen have pnt in flumes several miles in length
and constnictetl quite extensive works to obtain the precious niet4il
fi«m the gravel and sand. In the cimstmction t>f these works they
often display nmch ingenuity and knowIe«lge of hydraulics. In one

COLUMniA RIVER.

placo just below Mie Spokane River they have taken the water from
Hawk Creek and conducted it about tbree miles in ditches and wooden
flumes made of whip-sawed lumber, and have taken it to a large bar-
island in the river, crossing the intervening channel by means of an
inverted siphon, also made of whip-sawed lumber.

THE SPOKANE BIYEB.

The Spokane River at its mouth is about 200 feet wide, and flows
tlirough a canon very similar to that of the Columbia, and aucr.L 2,000
feet bolo'v the general level of the pliiins to the south. It is broken by
many rapids and falls, and is entirely unnavigable. From it;8 mouth
up to S[>okane Falls, about seventy miles, this cailon is very deep and
difficult to cross or traverse. This river, with that portion of the Colum-
bia from its mouth to the Okinakane, forms the boundary line between
the rich and treeless great Columbia Plain on the south, and the more
rocky, timbered, and mountainous country to the north.

Camp Spokane is situated on a level terrace plateau about one and a
half miles from the month of the Spokane, and four hundred feet almve
it, on its southern bank. From this plateau it is easy to descend to the
Spokane and Columbia rivers, and to ascend to the great plains to the
south.

The Spokane River, by its situation and characteristics, is bound to
play an important part in the settlement and ultimate well-being of the
whole country within a great distance of it.

At Spokane Falls is a magnificent water-po^er, one of the finest in
the world, and situated as it is in the midst of a eplendid agricultural
country, most of which, however, is treeless, there seems no room to
doubt that it will become a great manufacturing and commercial center.

By means of tlie river and Cceur d'Alfine Lake, and the tributary
streams of the latter, a magnificent and n idely-extended area of timber-
land lying along the Cceur d'AlCne aiul Bitter Root Mountains can be
made to yield its forest covering for transportation by water to Spokane
Falls, there to be manufactured into lumber and distributed throughout
the agricultural lands to the south and west. In return for this lumber
and fuel, these lands will send their wheat to the falls to be manuftictured
into flour, and sent from there to the seaboard to be shipped to the mar-
kets of the world.

Large portions of the country are better suited for pastoral puri)08es
than fur agricultural, and it is reasonable to expect that here at these
falls will be erected great woolen manufactories, to work up the raw pro-
duce of the country into the cloths and blankets required by the inhab-
itants ihereof.

Large quantities of brown hematite iron ore have been found near the
Spokane River below tl»o falls, and it is known that other iron denosits
lie to the north.

COLUMBIA RIVEH.

Quantities of flax hnvo boon grown tlio past few years in tlie country
to tlie south of Spokane Falls, ar/l it must also be brouglit to this great
water-power to be manufactured into tbrea^l, cloth, &c., and the seed
into oil.

The number of manufacturing enterprises for which this place seems
adapted is very great. I may enumerate, besides those mentioned
above, the manufacture of all kinds of wooden ware, of agricnltural and
farm impkments, wagons, carriages, furniture, leather, harness, boots
and shoes, pork, beer, and iron and metal works in groat variety. Large
numbers of emigrants have been and are coming into this Spokane
country, lured hither by the fine agricultural i)ro8pects, by the abund-
ance of remunerative labor, the prospects of large manufiicturing estab-
lishments, and the bright miuing outlook. Tliis influx of cntigrnnts will
bo largely increased as soon aa ra''road8 roach the country and render
it clieai)er and easier for them to come.

Tiie Spokane, in the upper 'lart of its course, presents the estimable
pcculip'-ity — espetiially valiable in view of its use as a water-power — of
never freezing.

It seems to he fed by many springs between the falls and C(eur
d'AlCno LaK-o, which have the effect, in the coldest weather, of keeping
tiie temperature above the freezing point.

Immediately about the falls the soil is not adapted to farming 02\ a
large scale, as it is, more or less rocky and gravelly. It is, however, on
this account, particularly well Itted for builling purposes.

The total f^dl of the river is about one hundred and thirty feet, divided
into several plunges and r'*pids, and broken by i&lands i;nd rocks, and
so situated that its entire force can bo controlled and brou^'ht into use.

It would scorn as if nature could not have done nioro to make this a
great manufacturing and commercial center, and a beautiful, healthy,
and attra^ifcive place.

My duties required me to remain several days about C.imp Spokane,
doing work au'l making examinations required by the department com-
mander, amoufj which wore the location of a bridge over the Spokane
Kiver and a ferry over the Columbia, the object being to furnish facili-
ties for the troops to cross these rivers and penetrate into the Indian
country. The locations selected are marked on the map of the portion
of the river about the mouth of the Spokane.

On account of the swiftness and turbulence of the water below, it was
necessary to locate the ferry above the T okane Kapids. I'lstimates for
the bridge were sent in, and the troops have been ordoied Uy build it.

COLUMBIA RIVER.

CIIAPTEBIII.

COLUMMA niVBR, FROM 'THE SPOKANE RIVER TO LAKE CHELAN.

iraving flnisliod work about Gainp Spokane on October 3, at 11 :45 a.
m. we pushed out from the Spokane Kiver and t )ok our course down the
Cohimbia. At 12:15 we had run the f^ve miles to the mouth of Hawk
Creek, and the ranch and trading post of Williaxi Covington, generally
known as " Virginia Bill." llavrk Creek heads at Cottonwood Springs
on the old White Bluflfs road. It is abdut twenty-five miles long, and
flows for the greuter part of the way tlrough an extremely deep and
precipitous canon. Virginia Bill has constructed a wagon-road from
the Great Plain near Cottonwood Springs to his ranch, y. hich is a., ex-
cellent road, and the best way to reach the Columbia from the upper
I)laiu with which I am familiar. There is an easy grade and a firm soil
all the way, and I believe a praeticable raiiroad route could be laid out
to the river in the vicinity of this road.

The river between the Spokane and Hawk Creek is very swift and
strong, the current running from six to eight miles an hour.

A couple of rades further on we passed the month of Welsh Creek, so
named from a settler on its banks in the valley about four or five miles
from the river. Some of the prettiest country in the world is situated
upon Welsh Creek and its branches. There are beautiful little valleys
nestled in among the rolling, timbered hills, and beyoud, up on the great
plain, mile after mile of bunch-grass-covercd gently-sloping prairie.

The river now becomes v^ry deeply encauoned with steep, rocky, and,
in some cases^ perpendicul ir bluffs, ou one or both sides. The caflon is
in many places vety beautiful ; the rocks comiwsing the bluft^ are many-
colored, black, brown, pink, and white, and have many patches of bright
red and yellow moss. To this mn.st be added the green of the trees, of
which all shades, from the darkest to the brightest, appear ; the bright
autumnal tints of the bushet', and beyond, above, and about all, the old
gold of the withered bunch-grass shining in the sunlight.

The rocks take all imaginable forms, showing up na pinnacles, ter-
race?, perpendicnlar bluffs, devils-slides, and giants' causeways, the
whole ♦brming one of the grandest, most beautiful sights in the universe.
Tlie material of which the lock iscompoeiod is all apparently of igneous
origin, trachyte and basalt. With this, es{>ecially o., the north side of
the river, there is a great <leal of voloauio tufa in a more or less friable
condition.

About eight miles further on wo come to the Whitestone, a noted Ip.iid-
mark. consisting of a gigantic grayish-white rock, 500 feel high, stand
ii»g periwndicularly up from the water, m the left bank of the river, and
being partially detached from the rocks to the roar. It is split !;^'';i
the middle by sof.io groat convulsion. Tlie Indians hi.ve a i ;p,"w«i c, ;;
corning this i-ock, of which the skunk is the hero.

^■'^

ij?i

COLUMBIA RIVGB.

It would Heoin that in tho loug ago a skunk, a cayote, and a rattlu-
suakc each had a farm oa the top of the Whit«8toue. These were the
(lays before the skunk was as odorous as he is now, but was esteemed a
good fellow and pleasant companion by other animals. As in some
other small communities, jealousies, dissensions, and intrigues arose in
this one. The result was that the cayote and rattlesnake took a mean
advantage of the skunk one night when he was asleep, and threw liim
off the rock, awa^ down into the river. He was i^ot drowned, however,
but floated on and on, far away to the south and west, until lie came to
the mouth of the river, where lived a great medicine-man and magician.
To him the skunk applied and was iitted out with an apparatus war-
rATitcd to give immunity from, and conquest over, all liis enemies.
Back he journeyed along the river to his old home, where he arrived,
much to the surprise of the cayote and rattlesnake, and commenced to
make it so pleasant for them with his pungent perfumery apparatus,
the gift of the magician, that they soon left him in undisputed ])08He8-
sion of his rocky home, which he has maintained ever since.

Opposite the Whitestone comes in Whitestone Creek from the ncrtli.
Ifearherewe came to a trading-post, on the left ba ik of the stream, oc-
cupied by a man named Friedland^r, who carrier on quite a trade wUh
the Indians and Chinamen along tho river. He roiushes his place )jy a
wagou-roatl from the Great Plain above, and informed me that it is an
excellent road and one of the best ways of getting to the rivjr that
there is. We remained with him until 3 :10, inquiring nlH)ut tho country,
the Indians, &c., and at a distance of two miles from his place we reached
Hell Gate, At the head of the rapids a great jutting point sticks out
from the left bank, narrowing the channel ; below this, in the middle
of the river, is a great rock island, with the channel to tlie left ; below
and nearer the right bank are two other rock islands. These islands
form a partit! dam to the water and cau^e rapids, which commence '.,o-
tweon the jutting iK>int and the flrst groat island and continue for a
consider-ible distance below the last rock island. Tho channel is very
ci-ooked, as will be pc?n by a glance it the map of this portion of tlio
river. Although a biul i^lace, it seems to me that a good steamer would
easily ascend the rapids acd go thro.igh if the proper course was taken.
Tliis course, 1 should say, wouI:i ^d to hup the north bank until nearly
to the islands, then cross over to the south bank and steam well up to
the jutting point of rocks, and then cross over between this jutting point
and the first islands, and then around the jutting point. Tho only dan-
ger that a Steamer would ^encounter coming down would be that some-
thing would happen to the steering-gear.

During a high stage of water the jutting point mentioned above be-
comes an island, and the currents are changed, and it probably would
be a much worse place to go through than during low and miulium
stages.

Three miles below we passed tho mouth of the Sans Foil River. This

COLUMBIA BIVKB.

comes in from the north, rising in the mountains nearly ilno west of
Kettle Falls, and flows through a region in which there is much good
farming land. This word has been variously spoiled, but the above I
believe is correct, as it seems to be a French name applied to the In-
dians living along its banks, on account either of the scarcity or short-
ness of their hair and beard, or from the fact that they were very poor
and had no fu '> spII to the traders. Old Pierre told me that this latter
was the origin • >rd.

After passing i u two ripples we went into camp, at 4 :30 p. m.,

on the left bank neai .a immense spring, which came pouring out f.-oin
the rocks about fifty feet above the river. This day we made about
twenty-three and a half miles.

Tuesday, October 4, 7 :52 a. m., we started again on our trip, having
pa^scil an uncomfortable night on account of the rain, which gave us a
severe wetting. The timber has been getting scarce, and along this
portion of the river very little is seen, except where some breaking
away of the northern bank gives a glimpse of the distant hills, which
are covered with forests.

We row along very quietly and pleasantly, with an occasional ripple
and rock, and now and then a bar-island and rather shallow place in
the river.

10 a. Ml. — After about eleven milos are passed we come to the mouth
of tlie Grand Coulee, which, however, would not have been noticed if
old Pierre had not told us, as it presents the same appcmrance as the
rest of the loft bank, the Coulde bottom being higii above the river.

Six miles further on we came to Monaghaii's Rapids. These arc
caused by a number of small rocky islands. The channel is toward
the left bank. During the early winter of 1879 and '80, James Mou ir
ghan, of Colville, one of the most enterprising men of the country, wen^
from Colville with some rafts of lumber and supplies to the troops
camped near the Okinakane. On these rocks he struck with some of
his rafts and had great trouble to get off. I have named them for him.
The country here, what we can see of it, presents a very weird, wild
appearance. It breaks away on both sides with white cliffs in tlio dis-
tance, and in the foreground largo black rocks, about the size of houses,
scattered here and there over the brown earth, and now and then a
lone, sorrowful-looking pine tree.

These isolated rocks present a very excellent example of the tremen-
dous transporting power of moving ice. They have evidently been
brouglit down from tlie upper regions of the river on floating ice, which,
emerging from the cafions, has grounded with its immense loa<ls on the
gently-inclined banks of this portion of the river. The rocks are mainly
basalt, of crystalline stnictare.

About two miles ftirther down we come to another strong ripple,
caused, as before, by rocks in the stream. One of these immense rocks

A C1.1MHSE OF THE GRAND COULC

ttn EX. ooc *i*/9ti, w SCSI, 47III com,

COLUMUU BIVEB.

soeinocl to bo neiirly spherical ami to rest in an aijparont statu of very
unstiiblo oquilibriiuii. TIiuho I have called Kqiiilibriuin Rapids.

Six nulcs furthor wo passed the mouth of tlu- Nespileni Kivor. A
Htron;; ripple exists just above the niohth and a ^rn>nt bar-island
just below. The country here is very much terraced ami broken on the
northern side. Down the river further, on the south bank, a larjfe, Hue
bench extends along the river for several miles. It is divided into two
or three terraces and covered with bunch-grass.

The river is generally very good until at about eight and a half miles
further we reach Oaunon or Mah-kin Rapids, which are nearly a mile
long and very swift. They seem to bo caused by a contraction of tho
water-way between the rooky banks. The water is very swift, but I
think that at this season a steamer could ascetul them. It would be
very difficult, however, and at most seasons it »vould be necessary to
use a line.

These rapids may be considered as the limit of na^'igation for a great
part of the year; and a portage road built around the Great Nesi»ilem
Itapids below should embrace these Mah-kin Rapids.

This gives a stretch of river from Grand Rapids to Mah-kin Rapids,
which can, I believe, generally Lc navigated, the only two obstructions
of note being Spokane Rapids and Hell Gate.

Mah-kin Rapids are the first bad rapids of the Nespiloin Caflon.
The river is here contracted in width and the banks are steep and rocky.
A little below, the shores are strewn with huge masses of black ba-
saltic rock of all sizes and shapes, and this continues for several miles,
forming a characteristic picture of (3oluml)ia River scenpry. The com-
plete silence and lifelessness add(id to the scene makes it excjcodingly
wild, almost unearthly. And so we iilunge along swiftly througli the
rolling water, with huge rocks looming up, now on one side and then
on the other. Kvery stroke of the oar is bearing us onward, nearer and
nearer, to that portion of our voyage most dreaded, the tenible Kali-
chen Falls and Whirlpool Rapids. We hear the low rumbling of the
water, and see the tops of the huge, half-sunken rocks and the white
foam of the tumbling wat^^rs. For a few moments the rowing ceases,
while brave old Pierre gives his orders to the Indians in their own
tongue. He knows that everything depends upon his steering and
their rowing or backing at the right moment, with iill tho strength that
they possess. Years ago he was in a Hudson Bay Company bateau
which capsized in these very rapids, and ont of a crew of KJ men .Si>«r-
ished in the water and on the rocks. Tho Indians make their prepara-
tions for the struggle by stripping oif all their superfluous clothing, re-
moving their gloves, and each ties a bright-colored handkerchief tightly
about his head ; poles and extra oars are laid ready in convenient i)lace8
to reach should they become necessary, and then with a shout the In-
dians seize their oars, and commence laying to them with all their
strength. We are rushing forward at a fearful rate, owing to the coin-
S. Ex. 18(i 5

■I

COLUMBIA RIVEB

bii>u4l uxertiuus of the ludiaus and the raciug current, and weahudder at
tliu thuughtof Htriking any of the huge blauk rocks near whicli we glide.
Now we are fairly in the rapids, and our boat in rushing madly through
tlio foam and billows; the ludians arc shouting at every stroke in their
wiltl savage glee; it is infectious; we shout too, and feel the wild ex-
ultation which conies to men in moments of great excitement and dan-
ger. Ugly masses of rock show their heads above the troubled waters
on every side, and sunken rocks are discernible by the action of the
surf. Great billows strike us fore and aft, some falling squarely over
the bows and drenching us to the waist. This is bad enough, but the
worst is yet to come as we draw near with great velocity to a huge
rock which appears dead ahead.

Has old I'ierre seen it J The water looks terribly cold as we think of
Ills failing eyesight. Then an order, a shout, backing on one side and
])ulling on the other, and a quick stroke of the steering oar, and the
rock appears on our right haud. Another command, and answering
shout, and the oars bend like willows as the Indians struggle to get the
boat out of the strong eddy into which Pierre hiul thrown her. Finally
she shoots ahead and passes the rock like a Hash, within less than an
oar's length of it, and we shout for joy and breathe freely again. This
eddy becomes in a high stage of water a veritable whirlpool, with the
well at its center many feet in depth. Hence the name of Whirlpool
liapids.

For half a mile now the river is comparatively good, and our staunch
crew rest on their oars preparatory to the next struggle, which soou
comes, as some more rocky, foamy rapids are reached. Ucre the swells
are very high and grand, and our boat at one time seems to stAuA almost
perpendicularly. Through parts of these rapids the river is very narrow,
from 300 to 400 feet, with perpendicular banks 100 to 200 feet in height.

For about nine miles further the river continues studded with rocks, and
swift, with ripples every mile or so, until we reach Foster Greek Kaitids.
Here the rocks become thicker, being generally toward the left bank,
with the channel near the right, and the water iierce and wild. For a
mile more wo plunge and toss through the foaming, roaring water,
•imi«l wild yells from our Indian friends, and we emerge from the Foster
Oreek Kapids, which appear to be as rough and dangerous as any place
we have yet encountered.

We are now fairly out of the Nespilem Canon and through all the
Nespilem Itapids, and we certainly feel greatly relieved, and make for
the shore and camp at t)ie mouth of Foster Creek, where some of the
companies of the Second Infantry passed, very uncomfortably, the
winter of 1879-'8(K

This portion of the river through which we have come to-day is the
worst on the vhole river, the most complete bar to navigation. From
Mah-kin Kapids to Foster Creek Itapids, a distance of about twenty-
seven miles, the river is exceedingly rough, with many rapids, rocks, and

' li

columhia river.

rippliR, and a contractort, crooked cliaiincl. I liml no inoaiiR of «lpt«'r-
mining the fall of the river in this jjortion of its course, but it is very
groat. A 8t«an)cr could come down through this stretch of river, but at
coiisidorablo risk ; I doubt very niU(;U if a Rte^mcr coidd got n]) through
it except at great expentio, time, ami risk.

Foster Creek is important, us it is along its course that a wagon road
finds an easy doi^ccnt from the level of the Oreat Plain to the (Columbia,
and by the same route a railroiul will l)e certain, at some future day, to
follow. This day's traveling we niailo about sixty-three miles.

October 5, wo w.^le an early start, and at 8:1.5 a. m. reached the
Okinakano. I si>eiit considerable time examining the <!Ountry to the
east of the Okiiiakane, and found it to cjonsist of a large flat, covered for
the most part with rich bunch gniss, and the soil of bla(;k alluvial loam,
although there were some patches of sandy, gravelly soil near the (Jo-
lunibia.

This flat embraces about four square miles, and upon the hills and
bluffs to its rear there are indications of fine springs. Water «^ould cer-
tainly bo easily obtained by digging.

Further away from the river the country rises iiito bluffs and groat
terraces and plateaus, which give the promise of being fine productive
land. There in a great deal of good land along the Okinakano River
and in its vicinity, and good mines are known to exist. Some mines
were discovered, and were claimed and worked, before the reservation
along the river was set apart for Chief Moses and his people. Dis-
putes have arisen between the miners and the Indians in regard to the
right of the former to pursue their work. This has been the subject of
a recent decision at Washington, that those mines which were dis(!0v-
ered before the reservation wiis set apart belong to the discoverers and
owners, who must not be interfered with in working them. At the
mouth of the Okiuivkane was a ciimp of Indians, fine fierce-looking bucks
and cleanly-looking squaws. The latter were engaged in working about
the camp, cooking, making moccasins or gloves, or mending clothes,
while the men wore either gambling or making arrows and fishing-
spears.

I went into their camp and tried to get into conversation with them,
but tlioy were very cold and surly and regarded me with Husjiioion, and
I was reminded of the romarkof Alexander Ross, an early Astorian and
Northwestern fur trailer, called forth by a long residencjs among the
Indians at old Fort Okinakano and throughput the fur regions, lie
says:

From Chili to Atliabancn, and from Nootka to tho Labrador, tlioro iH an iiidcscrili-
alilo coldneas about .in American savage that chockH fainiliikrity. He in n stran^iT to
onr hopes, our fears, onr joys, or onr Borrows ; his eyes are seldom ninJHteiied by a tear
or his foatnrrs relaxed by a smile; and whether ho basks beneath a vortical sun on
tho bnniing plains of Amazonia, or freezes in etcr- al winter on the ice-bonnd shores of
the Arctic Ocean, tho same piercing black oyos ,,nd stern immobility of conntonanco
equally set at nanght the slcill^of the physiognomist.

: i

' il

COUIMIIIA RIVER

Tilt", following extrwis aro from tlie voliimo of Rosh (3ox, n niPinbor of
tlut lirist party to viuit the Okiinvkanc, mid tor n long time in cliiirge of
Port Okiiiiikiuioi

I hail ii Iniif; siuiimoi Ixtforo tun ; it Ih tliH iiiiHt idio himiwii of llio yunr ; iiiul iin it wns
iiitoiiilitil to roliiiilil unit I'.titify Oliinakniin iliiriii){ tliii vaoution, I lust ni) tiiiio in Hot-
tiiiK tint men to work.

Tim innnitiliato vicinity iH poorly fnrnishol with tiinlinr, and onr wooil-cuttorH wore
ol)1t)('iil til |irocooil Honn) iliHtnncu up thn riviu'in Hiinrcli of that nocCMWry nrtido, which
wiiH tloitteil ilown in ritftx. Wo ulito (UtriviMlconHiiloralilii iiHHiHtitiU'O from tlu^ imniitiiRO
ipmntitii'N of ilriftwoml tvliicli wiis intercoptoil in iin ilescont down the Colnmbia by
tho )rroat IhmhI wliiih timt rivor taknH nliovn tlic OkinaK'^'i. Many haniln mniUi Uifht
work, itnil onr miin iihuiI snuli ilJHpateli that beforo tliu month of Soptnmltor w« had
urortril anowilwullinK-honsu fur tho purHon in cliargo, co jtuininK four oxvvllont rooms
anil II lai'>;ii dining liall, two good Iioiihud for thu nuni, and aHpauioiiM Htoru for tliu fiirii
and ini'rcliiindiw), to whicli wax attaclnid aHliop for trading witli tliu nalivoH.

Tho wbolii was Ht'.rronnded by strong paliHadoH llftoon foet liigh and llankod liy two
linHlioiiN. Kaidi liaHtion liad in its h)wor Htory a light briuw foiir-poniulpr, and in tho
upper, looplioles wuru left for tbo use of Diuaketry.

Tho climato of Okinagan iohigltly snInbrionH. We have foi weeks together ob»orve<l
thn bliiK nxpiuiHO of hcavun unobHCured by a single cloud, liain, too, is very iniconi-
mori ; but heavy dn\i's fall during the night.

Tlio Hilnation of Okinagan m admirably adapted for a trading town. With fertile
Noil, a healthy dinnite, horses in abniubmuo for land carriage, an opening to the sea
by the Columbia, and a commnnication to tho interior by it and the Okiimgan, tho
rivers well stocked with (isli, and the natives ijuiet and friendly, it will in my opin-
ion be Holccted at) a spot pre-eminently calculated for the site of a town when civiliza-
tion (which is at present so rapidly migrating towards thowcstward) crosses the Rocky
Mountains and roaches the Columbia.

Tlie following extract from tlie same book, " Adventnros on tho Oo-
hinibia River," i.s given for the benefit of consiinii)tive8 and as a hint to
the medical fraternity. If it does not cure it certainly would l)0 hi;;hly
benof-iiial as a system to bring into general adoption for reivaons wiiich
Avill be ])idi)able to every one who loves not cur dogs.

The Okinagan mode of curing some of onr diseases would probably startle many of
the faculty. The loUowing case in particul.ir passed under my own obhjrvation :

One of the proprietors had in the year 1H14 taken as a wife a young and beautiful
girl whose father had been one of the early purtnurs, and wlioso mother was a half-
breed (her grand. I. other having been a nativeof the Croo tribe), so that, althou^linnt
a imro white, she was fairer tlian many who are so calloil in Europe. Ho procw'deil
with'her to Fort George, but the change of climate from the dry and healtliy plains of
Forts lies Prairies to tho gloomy forests and incessant rains on tho northwest coast
wivi too nnicli for her delicate frame, and she fell into a deep consumption. As a last
reNonree, her husband determined to send her to Okinagan to try the change of air,
and rciincwtoil me to procure her acconnnodation at that place for the summer. This
I easily nntnaged. She was accompanied by n younger sister vnd an old female attend-
ant. She was in i'lwA little luore than a skeleton, with scarcely any symptoms of
vitality, anil her whole appearance betokened approaching dissolution.

Such wa.i the state .if the unforlnnale patient, when an old Indian, who had for
some days observed her sitting in the porch door, where she was brought, 8iii)port<)d
on pillows, to rii.joy the fresh air, c.illod mo aside, and told mo ho had no donbt of being
able to cure her provided I should agree to his plan, but aildod that he would not give

COLUMIIIA RIVKR.

any «x|>1»natioii or Uio moniiH he inliMiilnl t<> iiiw, for frnr wn iiiif^lit IiiiikIi uI. Iiini,
iililt'm wi! ('(iiiHi'iiti'd to lulopt tlioiii. Wn ni-oonliiit(ly Iii'lil it coiiNiiltittioli, llii< rcHiilt
of wliii'li wiiH that (liu luiliiui hIioiiIiI Ihi uIIowi'iI to follow IiIh own iiiiithiMl. It coiilil
not niiiko lii^r woi-w*, and tliurc wuh it |MHwibilit.v of hiiv<m'hm.

HaviiiK itrqiutintetl liiiii with hor ni'i|ui<-M;«nri>, h<< iiiiin<Mlint/'iy coniindiicnl oporit-
tioiiH liy m-i/.iii): nil ill-looking. Hiiitrling riir (lo)(, wliirh lin linlf Htrfinf(l<'<l, after which
ln( (h'liliointely nit it.H tliront. Hi< then rIpiMMl opni the Ix-lly iiiiil |i!u<'iiil llin Ii'Km itiiil
fiM't of tlio )iiili)'nt iiiHitlr, xiirronnilutl hy thn warm iuti'jititi<>H, in which poMition ho
kept thoin until thu eurciths iHieaniu cold. IIi< then tutik them out and ltitndit)(«d them
with wnriii Ihtnnel, which ho Raid wit8 " very k<**>*1-"

Thu followiiiK day another dof; hmt it« life, and a N'lnihtr operation waw |ierloriiied.
TIiIn was uontiniind for wnno tim« nntil every ill-dinpoHed cnr in the vlllaK'' '■■><l 'lii-
nppoared hy the thront-oiittiiiK knife of our doK-dcHtroyiiijr doctor, and we were
ohli)(ed to purchase Honie of a superior lireml. While Nhe was under)(oin); IIiIh procexii,
hIio took iu itddition a Miiiall quantity of hark daily in a ii\asn of port wine. In the
menu time thenwellinK gradually decrea-sed, the liiiKera hut their corpNO-like iinked-
11088, the hectic lliiHhes hecamo rarer, and that " nioHt pure Hpirit of seime," the cyuH,
HavB evident tokens of roturiiiiif; animation. When her strength permitted, nIic was
plact^d on the carringo of a hrasH Held-pieco, 8ni)portt?d by holnturs, and drawn ocea-
Hionally n mile or two about tlie prairie.

The Iniliun continued at intervals to repent this Htrniurn application nn*JI the gwoll-
iug had entirely disapiHiared, and enabled her once, n'oiu to make use of hor liiiibs.

Two-aud-thirty dogM lost their lives in bringing about this uxtraonliiiary recovery.

She gritdnall.v regained possession of her appetite ; and when her husband arrived
in the niitumu from Fort George, for the purpose of cro.ssing tho moiintaiiiN, she was
Btrong enough to accompany him. The following summer on my Journey across the
continent I mot them at Lac la Pluie. She was in thu full enjoyment of health.

The following extract fioin Gov. I. I. Stevens's rei)ort of tlie explo-
ration of General (then Captain) G. B. MiiClellaii is given as heing of
interast in connection with the Okinakane River:

On October 5, 18.'i;l, the party procecde*! northward from Fort Okiuakano, along tho
river of that name, and on the Dth reac!<nd a point in latitude 4!)'^ W, about thirteen
n'lluH south of thu Grunt Lake. There is little dillicnlty in any part of this valley for
roiul-mnkiug, but, as it leads to uo pass westward, further uxploraticui was not neces-
sary.

Tho Hudson Bay trail to Fort Langley, on Frnser's River, leaves it about latitude
49^ across a mountain ridge, to the west fork of the Okinakf . . .d another between
that and Fraser's River. It is represented by nil as bar' i r.' .ticnblo, and going
dinictly across tho nioiintuius instoitd ot through uny pus.<«.

The west fork (thu 8imilkaiiiuen),uearthecoullneuce, has no valley — running through
an immense ravine, impracticalde fur any road.

On October 12, 1H,')3, leaving the Okinakane at the forks, they traveled eiistward,
crossing a high ridge to a small river (Kotfle River) tlowing into thu Columbia, op|io-
site Fort Colvillo, where they arrived on the IHth, ferrying the baggage over in (taiioos
and swimming tho animals safely over. Tho country traversed since leaving Fort
Okiuakuno is thus described:

The north bank of the Columbia, between the Mctliow and Okinakane, is low, sandy,
and barren, but rises into grassy sloi>es at a few miles distjtnce, which towards their
gnmniits Vcomo covered with pino woods.

Tho forest ovideutly descends lower towards tho north, nnd with tho improving
grnss shows the inlluenco of more nbnndnnt rnins.

After going alxmt twelve miles up the Okinakane, tho country grn<lually improves in
npponrniice, pines nnd cotton-woods grow nion> aliiiudnntly, aim there is uvidciiMy it
large ext«ut both of the valley and rolling hills bordering it capnbhi of cultivation.

I 'I

COUIMHIA RIVER.

Atnlxty iiiilPH, liinvovor, lofly wcmhIoiI IiIIIm i'Iiihi< in on ii* bmnkii, iiml thrnce to tlie
fiirty-iiinth pnrnllol it iircHoiitM littlii iiKliU'rinciit fur M>ttli-nipnt,llionf{b rapitlileof Tiir-
niiiliinK abnn<liiiir(t iil' (>x(')!ll)'nt, timber.

TlHirii Ih n flnn fall im tlio Okinnkaiio, thirty-flve niilmi •bov<> its month, of five foot
(litcli, mill nlioiit twenty niili'H fiirtlinr up, on its woi«t fork, f»nr mitnt sliovo tlio Junc-
tion, another full iif ton fm^t, Hiipplyiii); itlinndance of watcr-powrr. On the top of
the lofty table iif Ihn Orent I'luin, oppimito the mouth of the Okinakano, in ii enn-
milerikble extent of pinn wooiIh, gevenil tliiiniukiiil fet't iilmre the Columbia, into which
it ciinlil be eoflily tlirown or hIIiI ilowii, uh the rliff in alnioat |irr|M>niliriilar. TIiIh In
probably the hi);lieHt point of the plain, and in tlin point wbern a «)>ur appear) to oroMt
the river and to Rink into tlio lovelof the plain.

I atn HtroiiKly of tlio opinion tliat at the montli of the Okiiinkanc there
iH ImxiiuI to be ii commercial and manufacturing center at Aonio time in
the future, wlicn tlie whole cotintry in thrown open to Hettlement. There
iH a great deal of e.xcollent land in itH vicinitj' for agrienltnml and
grazing puri>oHoa, and it is easily reached from any direction.

Uy striking Foster Creek at its hea<l and following it down, a very
easy and gradual descent is found to the river ; thence, keeping along
the left bank of the Columbia over very favorable gronnd until a jtoint
oi)])osite the Okinakane is reached, it. an excellent railroad route. Thence,
if the Okinakane is navigable, steamers could penetrate into the intv
rior, or, if not, a line of niilroad could be built along the river, and
a eomnierce of great extent would grow up as soon an these Indian
reservations are thrown open to the public and settlers discover their
attractions. The tine tracts of timber found along the Okinakane in
itti upper parts would furnish one of the most imi>ortant articles of com-
merce, being floated down the river to itM mouth, tliere to be manufact-
ured and shipped by water down the river, or by rail, to the[»eople set-
tled on the Great Plain oi>po8ite. Oitjtosite the month of the Okinakane
the blufts back away to a considerable distance, and leave near the
river a flue tlat containing from three to four square miles. The timber
mentioned V)y Captain McClellan as covering the blufl's opjMisite the
mouth of the river is very much exaggerated. Only a small amount
exists on the slopes of the blutfs near the top, and in the gullies near
the top. The tippearance from the river is deceptive, an<l would lead
any one to l)elieve that there was considerable timber there; bnt per-
sonal examinations made by me in 1879 disprove this. There were no
white people living anywhere in the vicinity where I passed.

About nine miles from the Okinakane the Methow River comes in
from the northwest. The country on the right bank of the Columbia
between these two rivers consists of a succession of nearly level benches
or terraces, some having very fertile and rich soil, and others being
comi)osed largely of sand drifts. These benches stretch away from the
river to the timber, which appears on the higher grounds about G or 7
miles to the rear.

The Methow River is a stream of considerable size, being fonlable
only at the lower stages of water. It shows evidence that during high
water it becomes a terrible torrent — det'p, wide, and swift. The country

: "T* "'',' ((.; , [^^

COLUMBIA RlVUIt.

in I'm vicinity iH strewn witli great bowlden*, wliidi extend into tlie Co-
Ininbin Kiver, I)eiiiK tlio priuuiital eiiUM^ of tliti Mt-tliow l{ii|>iil8, wlilcli
h»ro form un inipeiliniunt to tiie ntiviKOtion of the C'oliinibia. Tliuiie
nipitlH an> not biul (mioiikIi to prevent Hloitnierit fnini Roing np or down,
at anyrntu during low anil niediuiii HtuRexof water, altliouRli tlie water
18 very Hwift. It in liigldy probable tliut during liigli wivter HteanierH
uiiglit not be able to aucund witliout tlie uHe of a line.

Tlie river between the Okinakane and Metliow in verj- go«Ml for
HtMindxiating, with theexeeption iierhaiwofa bar Hituatt d at a lH>iid of
the river about two luiloH below the Okinakane. l'|M>n l im bar (here
waM aliout seven feet of water when wo pawed over it, vliich depth
would probably bo reduced to sHwnt three or four feet f' extreme low
water.

Captain McClollan's ro|)ort h|>i aks of the Mcthow in this fashion :

Tlio M«thi)W Rivrr, wliicli wng i'X|i1on><l iiKiirly to it« iiniirc<«, lin« a <-»imi(li>rit)>l(i
oxtoiit of giHHl BKriciilliirnl anil KrnziiiK Iniiil ill iU upper vallvy. Itx lowt-r part, fur
twciit}' iiiilrH up, iit lieniuiuil in by hi);)! wiknIi-iI hills; alwvo tliio, llicy Im>i'o!iiu moru
nilling anil griuuiy, and its bunks aro bordero«l by level wide t4:rTa<^-« uf butter mtil
than thiMte on the Yakiina.

I Iiave understood that quite a numlter of Indians live in the Upiier
Methow Valley.

After two and a half hours more of pleasant traveling thntiigh a
giMxl river, with a swift and even iHirrcnt, and here and there a little
ripple and sand-bar island, we reached the river landing opposite Lake
('helan, and luiule camp among our old friends the Chelan Indiana,
whose principal village is locatetl here. In-nomo-setch-a, the chief,- is
an old man, and is one of the best Indians that it has ever been my lot
to meet. The highest character is given him by nil who know him,
for honesty, sobriety, entire trtistworthiness, and a cheerful tlesire to
give everybody all the assistance in his power. He was absent when
we arrived, but soon returned. His oldest son, "Bill," how«;ver, met
us with apparent joj' and did all he coidd to make us i^mfort4tble. Ho
ha«I been unfortunate of late in getting into a tight with another Indian,
who had cut his nose almost completely oft' his face. He had it all
plasteretl up with some kind of pitch ointment that the Indians pru-
pared, but he will be a noseless Indian for the remainder of his life.

Chelan Creek comes iuto the Columbia altont one mile below the In-
ilian village ; it is altout two and a half miles long from the lake to it«
mouth, in which distance it has a fall of about 25U feet.

I first visited Lake Chelan iu the summer of 1879, when searching
for a sit* for a military post in its vicinity. Colonel Mcrriam of the
Second Infantry, and I, with lu-no-mo-setch-a and one of his sons, pjwi
died about twenty-four miles up the lake in a dug-out canoe, and found
that the farther tip we went the more granrl and lM>autifuI the scenery
l>ecame. About its mouth there is a large area of arable pniirie land.
The hills in the vicinity are covered with trees, and the lake shores,

COLUMBIA BIVEB.

with tho oxcei)tiou of those near the outlet, are conii»letc1y timbered.
Tlio Hliores are in phwjes exceedingly Hteep, tha granite vails rising
smooth and shiny, without a tree or blade of grass, for a thousand feet
or more from the water's edge.

Numbers of bciiutiful little streams put into tho lake, and generally
about their mouths there is a fine •series of flats or benches. One which
I recall to mind on the south shore of the like, about twelve miles from
the mouth, is one of the most beautiful pi aces tbat I have ever seen.
Fine timber exists along the lake, and can oasily be cut and put in it
and brought down to its mouth. Oolonel Merriam afterward went
further up the lake, aiid says that the timber becomes better and better
as tho lake is iiscended, and cedar is foudn about the head of it. wJiich
region he describes as being wonderfully grand. At the extreme upper
end he fourul solid vertical walls of rock, and on these, several hundred
feet above the water's edge, were a large nu nber o* hieroglypiiics v/ritten
on a horizontal line, ev'dently by people in boats when the waters were
at this higher level. Abo'.e the first line were others at varying alti-
tudes, but always in a horizontal line. The present Clielaii Indians
couhl tell nothing about them, but said that they must have been made
by i)eople who lived there long before they came there to reside.

I hope during the coming summer to go up the I;}ke and examine and
skettih these aged marks. Perhaps it may be possible to interpret them,
and thus gain a link in tho chain of the history of tho aborigines ot
this country. Siuiilai marks are said to exist in a rocky point on Lake
Pond d'Oreille, which the IndianL egard with superstitious awe, never
going by them, believing that they form the outward token and sign of
the evil spirit, who v, ill punish them if they go near.

In tho spring of 1880, the troops which had been encamped at the
mouth of Foster Creek for the winter, removed to Lake Chelan, and
Camp Clielan was established just where the lake narrows in^« the
creek, on a beautiful bunch-grass-covered plateau on tho north bank,
stretching back about a mile to the rocky and timbered '<il!r(. Here the
work of erecting a saw-mill and building the post was carried on with
vigor and rapidity, conside-'ng that everything had to be done by tho
labor of tli.'> troojjs, with a very little assistance from outside.

Temi)orary dwellings ha<l to be erected, brick made, logs cut and
brought down and made into lumber at a temporary Mill, the saw-mill
built, roads made from the ri\er up the stoei) blufls to the lake, and a
thous' ul other things done which can only be appreciated by those who
havi to build a post in the wilderness, hundreds of miles away from any
point of supplies. The (!liief drawbacks to this |)cst werf- Mw tfciTible
roiul getting dowii to the river from the GF«at Plain on the enrt, the
descent being about 2,.'">(K> feet; the crossing of tho river where there
was quite a swift current; and the ascent of the hill to tlie lake. All
these drawbacks so im])ressed themselves upon the mind of <leneral
Schriver, inspector-general of tho division, that he rej lorted very strongly

COLUMBIA ElVEB.

agiiiust the location, aud recommended that it bo abandoued and bomo
other point selected for a post. This was done, and the present site oi
Camp Spokane was selected.

Wliile the troops were in this vicinity and in constant intercourse
witli the Indians, the condition of tlio latter visibly inijirovcd ; they
learned to do many things in the mechanic arts that they had not
known before ; they were willing to work and many of tln>ni earned
considerable sums of money, and a feeling of desire to labor and pros-
pc ■, and lay up for the future, was rapidly taking the place of the old
careless improvidence.

Procuring a couple of ponies from the Indians, Mr. Downing and
myself went up the steep roa<l and over the plain to pay a visit lo the
lake and the old camp. Everything was about as the troops liad left
it, and it certainly presented a sorrowful appearance, with its tent and
shanty frames standing, the deserted sutler's store, and old tin cans and
commissary boxes innumerable. There was quite an amount of lumber
piled up in good condition, and everything was untouched and undis-
turbed by the Indians ; not an Indian was visible except an old sipiaw,
who had been to somf^ point up the lake and gathered a large basket of
elderberries which she was carrying home on her head. Tlie Indians
could nuike themselves very comfortable i:i sonie of the desened build-
ings if they were so minded, but they prefer their homes on the river
at tlie foot of the blufi's, where flue springs gush out and they have rich,
productive gardens.

Daring the night our sleep was disturbed by the bowlings and moan-
ings of au old medicine man, who was performing his hideous incanta-
tions over a poor girl nearly dead with the consumption. Tliey did not
seem to know cf the Ukinakane dog cure of consumption, or did not
wish to spare their dogs *'ir this purpose.

Th general character of the country in the vicinity of the river from
Spokane to Chelan may be described in a few words. The river ilows
through a deep and rugged canon wIl ery little bottom land along its
banks. It can be approa<;hed from the Great Plain on the south only
in three places : by the Virginia J'- i road, Whitestone road, and Foster
Creek. From the nortli it can be approaclied in aor(! places, and gen-
erally wherever a stream comes in a good easy way exists of getting to
the river. The country to the north has been very mnch nu)re eroded
than that to the south.

Soo; after leaving the Big Bend the timber begins to disupiicar from
the nver, and soon can only be seen in scattcririg trees in the ravines,
aud in large (luantity only when a vista allows a sight of the distant
northern hills.

When the Colville Indian Ileservation is thrown open to settlement,
and becomes populate<rwith thrifty and indiistrions whites, a .•ailroiid
vvdl be needed up tlie Sans Poil Valley. But of course this will not i)e
required lor a long time.
S. Ex. 180— — <J

■ 'a
, Jj

COLUMBIA HIVGB.

CHAPTER rv.

LAKH CHELAN TO SNAKE IllVElt.

October 0. — Wo left Chelan at 7 :30, after saying gocMl-bye to our 1 udian
friends, and with a guml Hwift current went gliding rapidily along. In
about one mile we passed the mouth of Chelan Creek, a roaring little
stream. TiMsing thixiugh an occasional ripple, we came soon to some
quite strong rapids, caused by a collection of rocks near the left bank.
These I have called ^^ Downing' a Rapids," from my assistant, Mr.
Alfred Downing, who, during the previous year while encamped at the
CI elan Crossing, got adrift in a small boat and went through this por-
tion of the river at night, and wa^ wrecked in Bock Island liapids,
and barely escaped with his life.

At seven miles from Chelan Creek we came to a rapid, where the
water flows over a bowlder and gravelly bar, on which there was a de])th
of from seven to eight feet. The cunent sets very strongly from the left
to the right bank. V/e pass three small streams coming in from the
west, and begin to meet with some of the beautiful rock scenery with
which we are soon t« bo charmetl. xho right bank of tho river is a
steep, rocky bluft', about 2,000 feet in height, and is striped with strata
of dia'erent-colored rocks, principally white, gray, nearly bliujk, ami
dark brown. It is all volcanic rock, and the Ribbon Bluff presents a
very handsome appearance. Five or si:; miles further down we come to
the Enti-atqua River, a fine stream, coming ii: from the west. There
is (juito an Indian village on its banks, and several of the Indiars were
engaged in spearing salmon from canoes, padu'.'»d and poled al i g the
the shallows by assistants. Just below the mouth of tho Enti-at-cpia
Itiver there are a number of bar islaudw, and the river is very shallow.
Wo api»arently went in tho main channel, and I found only three feet of
water over the bar. It is barely possib'e that a deeper channel exists,
but 1 iio iiot think so. The ri<er is spread out and the bar is evidently
formed by the material brought down by the Enti-at<iua, wiien, in the
spring or summer, it becomes transformed into a raging torren*^. As it
was considerably above low water when we came down, it would ap-
pear that this bar may cause considerable trouble during the very low
stages of wat«r, and boats should be made as light in draught as pos-
sible to pass over it. This is tho shallowest water mot with yet. At
the lower end of the bar is quite a strong little rapid.

Five miles further down there is a commanding point on the left bank,
from which a view can be obtained for a long distance up aiul down the
river, and has for many years been used by the Indians as a lookout
station. I called it Longview Point. A short distance of about a mile
below Longview Point there is a large number of rocky points, rising
from tho water near the right bank, causing swift, turbulent water.

COLtlMlUA RIVER.

which will probably get iiiiich worse as the water rises. The river
is now excellent as far down as the Wenatchec River, which we reach
at i :30. This river, for the lower part of its course, flows through a
level pl.iin of tine agricnltnral land, containing from twenty to thirty
scpiare miles. To the west rise the foothills of tlie Wenatchee Mount-
ains, and we get a view now and then of the snowy summits.

Across the Columbia the blutfs, which have lined the river bank
pretty closely since Chelan was left, liero break bacik (sonsiderrbly into
more rounded hills, and it is possible that skillful engineering may,
in time, bring a railroad down to the river at this point, if it ever be-
comes necessary or desirable. This has always been a favorite crossing-
pla,50 with the Indians, and their trails lead from here in every dirtw-
tion.

There is one settler at the mouth of the Wenatchee, a man named
Miller, who has a store and a ranch, with a very ])romising orchard.
The Columbia hero widens considerably, and the Wemitcheo has de-
posit<?d iir ii- an enormous amount of dvbris, forming at the present stage
a number of ilat bar islands, and causini,' a very decided shallowing of
the river, there being not more than thni^ or four feet of watt^r in what
appeared to be the nmin channel Any st;eamlwiat-laiiding for Vvenat-
cliee Kiver had better be below moutii about a mile or more. At the
lower end of these flat« there is. ng rapid. Mi. Miller informed me

that ihere was a pretty good wagon itwd, whidi IumI been built during
the occupancy of Chelan as a militavy po.st, fr^ i the Kittitas V'alley to
the mouth of the Wenatt;hee. It goes down Llie ('<«lnniliia for ti or six
miles and then breaks to the west.

After leaving the Wenatchee for a few miles the river was very good,
bul we soon began to encounter rapids and rocks in great abnndan«H>.
Looking down, we see almost a continuous wall across the i < r, (ormed
by the uplifted island points, and around us bubbles a ' whirls the
water over the sunken rt)cks, whose heads lie just below the surface.
The rocks iire projecting points of black ba.s .Itic roi^k, and tliis is cer-
tainly a part of the river requiring skillful navigation. The rock 1 ind
shores are steej) and rugged. On we glide, winding in an<l on; mong
the rocks, guided by the experienced hand of old Pierre, ai mn wo
begin to hear a more dcfiided roar and rumble on ahead, and to reali/.e
that wo are fast nearing the dresuled Hock Island Kajiids. Soon the
boat is steered to the shore, and old Pierre gets out, and, with his In-
dians, goes on ahead to take a look at the state of things below and
determine on his ".ourso through the rocks, and explain to the Indians
what they must do. Finally, after an animated discussion among them,
it is <lecided, and all rtitwrn to the boat an<' prepare for the passage, as
at the Nespilem Kapids, by removing gloves an<l all superfluous (cloth-
ing md tying re<l handkerchiefs tightly about their heads. Choosing
the right-hand channel, our boat hugs the right bank i)retty (ilosely,
passing sate!;;' the upper rijiple, and ajtparently going straight for 8«»me

COLUMlUA RIVER.

y.vffiioxl, rocky ])oiiito juttiiifj ont from the Hliore below. Bt>foro she
roiiclics tlioin, liov/ever, she is caught ia an eddy, and it is only by tlio
most supifiiie exertion that our oarsmen can get her out. Finally she
is free, and away she goes like a bird, shooting through between the
.jiitti:ig points and the large island into the main rapid, wiiere she is
almost engulfed in the tumbling, roaring waters; on she goes into the
river below, and then makes for the shore, and we go into camp for the
nifiht; on the right bank, just below the rapids.

Much better idea can be obtained of these rapids by tho mr.p oi' them
whioli accompanies this report than can he formed by any description.
There are two channels, the east and west. We used the west, and at
this stage of water I liave every reason to believe that a good, power-
ful steamer, properly handled, could go up it.

Old Pierre says that in extreme low-water this channel becomes
nearly dry, and in this condition is unnavigable. This west channel is
consiflerably wider than the ea«t one, and is quite straight, except at
the lower end, where it is rendered crooked by the jutting bed-rock.

The oast channel is the dee-ier one aiui is the better one, Pierre says,
in low-wawr and also in exti* .ue high- water, but in ordinary stages the
west one is the better.

The small steamer Chelan was brought down during high-water
through the east channel, and she struck two or three times on account
of breaking her rudder, but managed to escape. The course is very
crooked, and there is quite a fall nejirthe heml of the large island which
divides the channel. There are several sunken j-ocks among the rapids.

In regard to the improvement of navigation at these rapids, theproper
system to be adopted can only be determined after observations extend-
ing over months have beeu taken. I will hazard the assertion, how-
ever, that for all ordinary stages (if water the west channel can be made
navigable by the removal of rocks and j(i. ling points. In com])ariHon
with the Nespilem liapids, the obstructions caused by these raitids is
slight.

All along on the east side of the Columbia the bluffs are precii)itou8
and 2,000 to 2,500 feet in height, being in some places nearly jierpen-
dicular and in others slightly broken away. In some i)lace8 the bluffs
r((ce(le short distances frtun the shore to give plac3 to bowlder llata.
The west side is still more mountainous, but is brokca here and there
by a small stream, and through the gaps distant views of wooded and
snowy mountains are had. Nothing of this kind brea' the monotony
of the eastern shore. There are several Indian farm > along the river
between Chelan and these rapids, and a number of Cliiiiese miners were
j)iissed during the day. An excellent route for a portage exists along
the western shore on a terrace about one hundred fict above the water.

After leaving the main rapids wo ))a8sed throu;;!) about one mile of
river ni whii^h wei-e many nniks, and then through arapiil of (ionsidora-
ble strength. Then ciime a quiet stretch of water for tiiree or four milc»,

JKodhlsLandL Rapids

Columbia Rh^€r

\i ^

COLUMBIA RIVRR.

nnd Cabinot Rapida wcro roachod. Tlioso aro cansod by focUh Ntickiiif;
ii]) nuar tliu left bank and jnttint; out therefrom. The rapidH arc Hwill
and bad, and if the river is to be navigated ninat bo improved by
removing Mome of the points of rocks and regularizing tlio n1oi>o. Jnst
below these rapida there is a Goulde mouth on the I(>ft bank.

A few miles further down tliere stAiids in the Columbia River a rock
which is one of the most i>erfect profile rocks in existence. Approach-
ing it from the north, it presents a striking likeness to the profile of
(iueen Victoria, from which circumstance it was given the name of " Vic-
toria Rock." Coming nearer to it and passing it on the west, the profile
changes and merges into a more Grecian and Sphinx-like face, whoso
placid immobility takes one's mind involuntarily to far of!" Egypt. It
rises from the surface of the water alwnt one hundred feet, and a pair
of eagles have selected it as their home, and upon its extreme top have
built a nest, giving, as it were, a crown to this goddess of the Cobnnbia.
The T-jck is of columnar black basalt

The portion of the river in which this rock is situated is very grand
and beautiful. The banks are nearly precipitous bluflfs, from 2,(KM) to
3,000 feet high, composed of columnar black basalt, which takes many
wonderful shapes and protluces many pleasing effects, rivaling the
famous Giant's Causeway of Ireland in weird beauty. The columns are
in every conceivable position, sometimes pile<l up like cordwood, in
some pliiccs erect, and in others inclined ; some great masses are twisted
i>nd bent, forming niches, arches, grottos, crowns, &c. In one of these
niches, a thousand feet above the river, there lies in an inclined position
a stick of timber, barkless and white with age. It never grew there.
It is a thousand feet from the top of the vertical bluffs, and could not
have been put there from above. Tha only way in whi(!h it could have
reached its present position was by being caught there when the river
was a thousand feet higher than it is now, drifting in and lodging, and
being left there by the receding river.

My pilot. "Old Pierre," an Indian pilot and royageur of the old Hud-
son Bay Company, said that this log was a landmark in the days when
this company transported their furs and inerc.i.andise up aiid down the
river in bateaux. He says that the Indians always considered that the
log was left there when the river was up at that height. This is one
link in the chain of evidence that proves tliiit at no distant dat« the
Columbia was a stream of such magnificent proportions that the present
river is a tiny rivulet compared with it. If this bo the true explanation
of the location of this log, it is a remarkable example of the preserva-
tion of wood for a long ^teriod of time. It may be that the log is pet-
rified, but I had no means of getting at it to determine.

There are many other things which may be cited in jjroof that thia
river has but lately Iwcome re<lnced to its jiresent size. All alimg up
the river, whei-ever there is a concave iwrtion of the blulf's, there we find
terraces of from teu to five hundred feet in elevation above tlufir neigh-

'4
'I

4»

COLUMIUA RIVER.

hor toiTaccR luilow. TIichc aro all comitoHcd of rather looso soil, bowl-
(lornaiiil f,'rav()l, and river sodinioiit, ami have well (IoHiuhI and nliarp
cdfjAH. Tliew) i»rove incontOHtibly the former grandenr of the river,
and exist to a height of 2,()(M( feet or more above the present river, an«l
their Hlmrp and welldeilned e<lge8 woidd Heem to prove their newne8n
in the scale of time.

The |»ietnr((-writin(jH at the upper end of Lake Olielan were in all
prooability made when Oiis lak(^ was a K't'at arm of the (jreatc^r i»rc-
hiHinri<! (Joluinbia, and both were hnndredn of feet above their pnwent
level.

A ftnv TnileN below Victoria Rock we came to tlio ntonth of the two
eindecH, whic.li ar(» i)reHnmably those of Mohch Ooid^se and the eonleo
breaking in from the Honth of itad^er Mountain, and which is commoidy
>V5copted an the continniilion of the Orand Ooult^e.

In three or four miles further we come to Gnalquil llai>id8, whi«!h are
about a quarter of a mile in length and form no obstruction, and then
we had seven or eight miles of the most perfect river, and we went
snuMttbly gliding along, with no sound but tlie monotonous rhythm of the
oiirs to break the stillness. The bluffs have been getting h)wer and
lower on both sides of the river, and the strata seem to slope down from
the north, indicating an upheaval lo the north or a subsidence to the
south.

The t«rrace fornuition so prevalent further north, hero has almost
entiiely disappeared.

After jjussiug a small stream coming in from the right about two miles,
we come to Island lvapi<ls. A bar island obstructs the free flow of the
wattjr, and a little rajtid is formed wliich is not at all bad.

Ab(Mit two miles below these rai)ids the cimntry opens out on the west
into a broad flat, with rolling hills to the rear, while the bbUfs on the
left bank keej) getting lower aiul lower. Down <»vor a good river wo
move along, and soon conus to the (Jrab Creek Coulee, running along the
northiirn side of 8a<ldle Mouiittvin. Crab Creek discharges no water
into the Colnmbiii — at tliis season of the year, at any rate.

Just below Crab Creek Coulee the high steep bluffs come down close
t« the river on both sides. On the left bank tlio bluff is the end of
Saddle Mountain, ou the right bank it is the commencement of a ridge
extending off to the west.

To the south of these IScntinel Bluffs tlie country becomes flat, sandy,
and uninteresting, elevated but a little above the river.

Saddle Mountain is a range of gra^scoverod hills, extending nearly
due east, and terminating in the desert plains a few miles to the north-
east of White IJluffs. Between it and the curve of the Columbia which
swings around by Priest l{api<ls and White Bluffs the country is largely
composed of sandy, gravelly, worthless soil. Some grass exists and
some large areas of sagebrush, but what soil there is seems to l)« more
alkaline and pow«leiy than in other sections of the (3oluinbia basin.

COLUMUIA KIVEK.

Oil tliu rifjlit btiiik, Intlow tlio Sciitinol lUiifts, tliu oliltk recede iviul ii
plaU-iui liivs uluiif; tlio riv<>r, wliicli sotMiis to be of p»M)r (|iiiility ami not
well fitted for itny piu'iKiM^ of ii^rienltnn>. Tlu* liills hack from the
river appear more fertile, Inniig e,ovore<l with fjnisH and uppeariiiff to
liavo Hprin^H scattered aloiip their brown sides.

For alxtut five or six miles the river in this portion of its courHC is very
HlnK!u;isIi, wide, and deep, and on the iHMititifnl day during wliieh wo
passed over it, it seemed to be more like a lake than a river. This dead
water is evidently canse<l by the damming up by the obsf ructions below
at Priest Kapids. The Jirst ripple of the system of I'riest l{ai)ids is a
sliglit one as far as the swiftness is concerned; the water, howev«<r, is
shallow, flowing over imuienso bowlders and Jagged rcMiks, which were
plainly visible from the boat and at a variety of depths below the sur-
face. Near the left bank nniny of these rocks come above the water,
and the whirls told ]>lainly that many others were just below the sur-
face. Our course lay about the middle of the stream, and the souruling-
l»ole wouUl indicate one instant perhaps a depth of three or four feet,
the next tt^n or twelve, and the next five or six. Through this portion
of the river a steamer could go now in safety after finding and knowing
thoroughly a goo<l channel.

The second rapid is about as bad a place as there is on the whole
river. All about, the bed-rock points and islands rise uj* in ugly, black,
jaggetl masses, threatening destruction to anything that touches them.
The bottom, as in the first ripple, is comiwsed of huge bowlders and
rocks, and the water flows swiftly over this dangerous bottom and tlu^se
outcropping rocks with a depth of only three to four feet. The fall here
is considerable; we jiassed over one fall of at least three feet.

A steamer could not ascend this rapid without the nse of a line, and
oven then the greatest care wouhl bo necessary. A smooth strcfirh of
<pii((t water then followed, and we came to the third rapid, which was
swift and shallow, with considerable bed-rock jutting uj) near both
shores. The bed of the river at this rapid is the same as it has been all
along, composed of large Imwlders.

For about five and a half miles now the river is (juiet ami slow, with
rocks scattered about here and there, generally in clusters. Tlie wat<u'
is so shallow that we are able to sec bottom for a great jmrt of the way,
and is from twelve to twenty feet in depth. The fourth rapid is in this
stretch of water, but is very mild in character and presents no obstruc-
tion.

We now come to a very bad i)ortion of the river, consisting of the
three lowtsr rapids of Priest liapids. Wo are able to tell from the pnipa-
rations nmde by old Pierre and his crew that .something bad is coming,
iw well as by the roar that reaches our ears, and the black, rugged rocks
that seem to extend nearly the entire way across the river.

We reach a point where a black-rock island lies towivid the left bank,
and a long, irregular ma^s stretches along near the right bank. This

(COLUMBIA RIVKR.

lioH iilonff th«i fifth rapid, iu which tho water is very tnrbnlent, boiling
uihI ruiiriiit; a grwit dcivi. TIuh hniliiig and foiiiiiiiig ii« not, liowvvur,
iiecoHHiirily ntUMidc;' witii groat swiftnesH of currunt, for in tliiH ripplo
wu (lid not niovu .w ftiNt i\^ in m>inu otiivrs wliich ap|>viire<l niucli more
i|iiic<t. In tact, tliti tuinltling ovur tlie nneven lN)ttoni whicii canwH tliu
ugitatiod tuiuiN to ciioclt the veloiuty tionsidentljly.

Tliu long, irrugular iniuis noar tho right bunk which lies along tho liftli
rapid contiiuioH on down tho rivor for about two an«l u half niiiiv<, with
only an occuHionid break.

A littlo bulow the tiftli ra|)id wo come to whore tho main channel iu
divided into two by another long, irregular, jagg<!il niOKM of the Maniu
black basaltic rock, thrown along almost in the center of the river. We
cliooMo tho right-hand channel of the two, and, after Mwiftly piutHing a
few ugly looking projecting pointH, we find ourselves in the iiixth rapid,
shooting with the speed of a r'><;e horse down through the caual-like chan-
lutl between these two long rock islands. For about u mile we tore
along with the united speed of tho raging torrent and our yelling Indian
oarsmen. This channel seem d to have plenty of water, but is quite
narrow, being altont sixty to o.ghty feet wide. We went through it at
the rate of about twenty miles m\ hour.

The left-hand channel is thf/ one better suited to pur|M)8es of naviga-
tion, I believe. I did not examine it, but it hits been examined by (Jap-
tain (iore, of the Oregon .'tailway and Navigation Company, who in-
formed me that he took a stoi mer up through it and brought it bock.
The little steamer Chelan w<i8 taken down through this channel iu
safety.

This leit-hand chunnol is crookoder aud the water is not so swift its iu
tho straightaway one through which we came.

Enierging from the canal-like sixth rapid, old Pierre throws the boat
to tho left to avoid some biul-looking water dead ahe^ul, and, after a
little further tumbling and rolling about in the tepenth rapid, we emerge
with a sliout of Joy from tlie eleven miles of Priest liapids. We all know
now that our dangers are passed, and thank Gotl for allowing us to
safely come through all the rapids.

We soon make for shore, and ('amp on the right bank, having made
during the day about fifty-eight miles.

At this point on the Columbia, at the lower end of Priest Rapids,
nuist surely be located a town of consideral)lo imixirtance, as it will for
a long time be the head of navigation on the river. It is the most con-
venient place from wliich to reach the Yakima and Kittitas valleys,
which now communicate with the 'nwer country by a wagon-roiid over
the Simcoe Mountains to the Dalles. The ra[)ids will furuisu a splendid
water power, and in all probability here will l>e lociited flour and saw
mills, as well as warehouses and stores. Logs can be brought down the
Columbia to be here sawed into lumber and distributed to the sur-
i-ouudiug agricultural regions. The rapids are centrally located for

COLUMBIA RTVKB.

many fine valleys and much proniisinfr conntrj*, and arc canily rem'hiHl
by waKonroadH from many directionn.

AInnf; tlie Iowct ]tortion of tho river travenwMl tliiH day the riw^ and
fall of tli« vaUir in much lew* than alonf; any other portion of tho river,
jud(iriri^ by the line of dritt-wmtd along the Imnkn ami the nniitll eleva-
tion of tho plainH above the river.

On Siitunlay, Oetobor 8, we left our camp l>elow Priest UapidH and
pnlled down the river. Very few obje(;t« of interest were to Ih» neen.
Tho conntry on eaoh Ride is low, Hat, and the soil a|)|>oarH Handy an<l
Hnpro<Iii(!tive. To the nontli the Hat land extends away to the Yakima
Uiver. Our course during the foiTutMHi lay nearly due east, and where
the river again makes a great bend to the Honth we come to the well-
known White Iiluff». The river makes a semicircular Hweei> to tho
north and cuts into the bluffs, leaving a very nearly vertical wall of
from one hundred to six hundi'ed feet in height. The rock is si sundy
marl, soft and friable, whi<!h easily itowders where the cattle have trav-
eled over it in going up and down hill for foiMl and water. We con-
tinue along under these bluffs for ten miles or more. There are a great
many birds' nests, maile i if clay, attached to tho bluffs, but the binls
whc»He houses they were I id all fleil.

Nnmlters of cattle and some horses were seen which graze on the pla-
teaus along the river, to which they come down for water. We |m.Hse«l
during the day several camps of In<lians engageil in salmon Hshing; in
one cam]) were nineteen lodges. A little after eleven oV-lo4;k we passed
the ohl military depot camp at White Bluffs, where the storehouses still
stand.

During tho day we ma<le about fifty-seven miles. The river is all the
way an almost perfect river for steamboating, the drawback l)eing the
bars and shifting (channel along by White Bluffs ; but over these bnrs
there seems to be a sufflcicncy of water for all ])nri)ose8. We ]>asse(l a
great many bar islands, and encam|>ed about six miles almve the month
of the Yakima.

The next day, Sunday, Octf)ber 9, we left camp bright and early, and
by ten o'clock reached tho mouth of Snake Ri\er. The country along
the river, with the exception of a small area near the month of the
Yakima, is very i>oor; in fact, must be considered a desert. Ba<!k from
the river, especially to the east, the soil is good, though light, and tlu-
ouly drawback to its successful cultivation is the lack of rains in the
summer and the fiicility with which it becomes dry und jwwdery.

At a distsvnr^ of nine miles above the mouth of the Snake Ki ver the \'a-
kima comes into the Columbia from the west. It rises in several large
and beautiful lakes in the Cascade Mountains, in about latitude 47° .'SO',
and, taking a general course to the southeast, runs for one liundrtMl and
sixty miles to its confluence with the Columbia. For twenty five miles
down tho stream its valley is only from half a mile U* a mile wide; It
then widens out into Kittitas Valley, which is ten to fifteen miles wide,
S. Ex. 180 7

•i

■ i'jt:
3 r-'

COLUMBIA KIVKrw.

li-

the river tbere being ulnety feet wide and alK)ut three feet deep, and
very rapid.

Below tills valley the ri'^rr curves gradually to the south until it re-
ceives the wa ters of the 1 isko, then it turns again to the eastwartl,
in ivhich course it continues t^ its mouth. Between the Kittitas and
Italmam the hills again encroiuih on the valley, but below that it widens
out again to from six to ten miles, with numerous branchings among
the hills. (3n the west side, opposite Kittitas piain, these small streams
rise among the hills separating the main Yakima from Ls principal
brancji, the Niichess. These strei'.ms are from fifteen to twenty miles
long and run through small and fertile valleys. The Naclrss rises in
the vicijiity of the Nachess Pass, and running nearly parallel with the
Yakima at a distance of fifteen or twenty miles, joins it after flowing
about fifty miles. It has a vaKoy fro-u lialf a nnle to four p-iles in width.
The Atohnain r.fies about thirty miles south of it and runs in a more
easterly course, emi)tying into the Yakima about ten mikM below; its
valley is smaller than that ot the Nachess, but fertile. The Pisko re-
sembles the Atahnam. The Yakima is not navigable for boats of any
kind.

About its headwaters there is much good '.imbcr, and it furnishes a
natural waterway to get it out to the Oolumbia. Thie is, ho\yever, at-
tended with grttit dilflculty, owi'ig to the f^t thai: the river in the
lower jtiirts of its course spreads out and becomes very shallow. It is
only wlien at its ^ery hif^tiastthat there is sutttcieut water to float logs,
and Ibis high water only lasts a few days. If advantage in taken of it,
log.s can bo brougat down *, if not, tb"y will lodge and retnain fast on
the liver l)ars. This lias proved a great source of delay, los3, and inciou-
venience to those engaged in getting out timber for the Novthern I'a-
(jifle B.iilroad.

The town of Ainsworth is situated on the right baI^k of the Snake
Itiver, about a halfniiie above its iiioutli.

It is at this point that the Northern Pacific Railrr.ul crosses the
iSuake, and here are t'ae company offices of I'lo railroad division, built
ii» Mk! n\id8t of a bl <ik, dreary waste, in wii i for inany miles around
sage-brush and siuid piedominate, A.^iswortb. is one of the most uncom-
fortable, abominable places in AuieriL t to live in. You sor^n the horizon
iu vain for a tiee or anytbint* reaend)iing oi\e. The heat through the
suim.icr i« excessive^, and tiigh winds prevail and blow the sands about
and into ever^ iJiing. By tlie glare of tlic sun and tiie flying sands one's
eyes are in a con-Jjui^.! stat« of winking, blinking, and torment, if noth-
ing more serious results. Captaint? Lewis and Clarke found the Indians
of this country ver^ much afflict 1 with sore eyes, which they ascrilw
to t le glare oi tlie sun on the ilesert and rivers and the prevailing aand-
beanng winds. It is interes'.ing to know that they took advantage of
the fact and procured plenty of horses and provisions from the Indians
in exchange for the sunvjcal operations which ii.oy perforuie<l and the

^sfi 'rwp* ■

COLUMBIA RIVER.

medicines which they gave tlio Indiana, OHpecially the mnchdcsired
and needed eyewater, from which their patients found groat relief.
Their journal says :

Wo wore by no raeanH diHsatisftoii nt, this new rcsoiirno for ohtiiiiiiiiK »riiHi»Uinco, as
t,ho lu'liaim would givuim no proviaiona without merchandisn, and <>'!!• -fock waw now
\'ory much roduccd. Wu cantiouKly abHtaintMl from giving any hntnannlcHHnirdicinoH,
and iiM wc could not possibly do harm, our proscriptioua, though uuHiinctioni'd by tlio
faculty, might bo nscful, and wcro thonifore entitled to hoiuc romnnoration.

It was only by utilizing this source of revenue, after their at(K',k in
trade n'as exhausted, that the distinguished explorers were enabled to
make their way back to the regions of civilization.

The railroad terminus ii«ross the river from Ainsworth was named,
and for some time bore, the appropriate name of Hades, but some of the
higher authorities condemned the name, and substituted therefor South
Ainsworth.

V^e drew our boat upon the bank, put the oars in her, and abandoned
her. The Indians were very much interested iu everything about the
phice, and I explained things to them as well as I could. I paid them
off, gave them tickets back to Oolville, and ea<'h a letter of recsoiinuenda-
tion, and Mr. Downing and I gave them all our extra clothing, and they
seemetl supremely happy. Old Pierre made sundry visils to a whisky
saloou, but promised not to get drunk until ho returned to Colvillo
Avhere he saul he would have two good drunks and then stop. The
other Indians did not seem to have any inclination to drink. I cannot
praise them too highly for their skill, their uniform goodnature, hon-
esty, eiulurance, and sobriety. I think it would be very dillieult to pick
up at a few hours' notice four white men who would row a heavy l)oat
through dangerous rapids for four hundred miles without wanting strong
drink, or be able to witlmtaud, after being paid oft', the temptations of
drinking-saloons.

Thus our jouniey down the river ended. We left the Ii'diaiis to pur-
sue next day their way back to Oolville, and that night .Mr. Downing
and I took the cars and safely tirrived at Vantsouver the next day.

CIIArTEIl V.

TABLE OF DISTAUfCES ON THE COLVMIilA HllEB.

In computing the following trtble of distances I have made use of the
<list«nce tables of the Oix(gou Railway and Navigation ('ompaiiy in de-
termining the distances from lite month of the (lohnnbia to Hiiake Itlver;
from this point the distances are those <leterniined on my recent survey
of the river and platted on the acc(»mpanying maps.

I have only given the important points up as far its Snake River.

The llrst column of figures gives the distamies between the eonst^eu-
tive points named; the 8econ<' column gives the total distatice of the

IP COLUMBIA HIVEE.

poiiif; name«l from the mouth of tho Columbia River ; the third column
gives tho total distance of the point named i'rom the Boundary line ; and
the fourth column of flgures gives the total distance of the point named
from tlio Hioutli of the Snake Itiver, both down and up the Columbia.

It will bo seen by comparing my distances with those of Captain Ping-
stone, whose report on the river is partially given herewith, that they
do not agree, his distances being generally much greater than those
given in my table. The distances here given were taken with tho
grcfatest care from point to point, and tho whole wa« platted and fitted
very closely l)ctween the known iwsitions of the boundary and the
month of the Snake;

'■(;i-' ' i Jf,

■N-'-

'".IVEB.

Moutli OoiAiMl)..

AsroiUA •

Kitlaroa

Mnutli V.'llliinwtto

Vnucoii VBV

Lower CiiHOiwliai

Upptr CiwclMlea

lloinl Hlvor

TiiK Dai.kb (city)

Celllo, at liciid of Dalles

UMA1I1.I.A

Wttlliila

atlAKB RlVKB (AlKgVOiml) .

Mouth Yakima Klvor . ..

l^iKit of Long Island

Hi<n<l of iHinK Inland

Old WhiUi lllnffB Uopot

Endof WlilU^l)liitr«....
Ferry acrowi Columbia .

Bbikst lUi'ins;

Si'veutli Kapid

HwmI Slith Kapiil

I'iftli Kjipid

Fourth Kapid

Third topld

SiTOud Kapid

First Kapid

Soutimd ISlutl's

Mouth Oral) Creek Coulee .

lt«r Isliuul, upper

Inlniid Ka,ildH

(Inahpiil Uapids

Loduestiek muff

.5
l.S
1

4
1

si
5^

2.6

1.8

4.5

6.6

4.5

! Ir
' I

10
78
108
114
150
105
183
200
220
302
825

372
382

387
409

400.5

411

412

416

417

410. 6

421

426.5

433

437

447

45). 5

752
742
674
044
038

540
632
450
427
416

407
384
380
370

343

342.6

341

340

336

335

332.6

331

320.5

325.5

310

315

305

300.6

336

320

258

228

222

177

171

153

130

110

32
86
46

61
73

73.5

83.6

80.6

00.5

07
101
111
115.0

Itemarki.

Northftm Pacific Bailixiad cross-
ing.

Koad from bora to old Camp
Cholnn and to Spokane Falls.

Ruad fnuu here to Kittitas Ynl
toy and to ITaktma.

Called also Eoglo Rapids.

COLUMBIA KIVEB.

r)3

Month Grand Con16e
Montli Mo»oHConU)0
Victoria Itook
Cabinrt lUriiiB,
RapW

Rock Tslamd Raimds

Foot

Homl

Bishop's Itoclt

Com. of ll4H;k Islnndx and Rapids . . .
Road to Kittitas loiivos river
Jiapid liolow Wcnatohoe Hats
Wouatfllioe River

ReniarliH.

( Cfti'.id also " Os('' do Plcrro Rap.
Ida,"
Isli. do I'iono Ifupiils and
Biicliland'H Rapiils.

Roclcy Bar ,

Longviow Point

llapid holow Knti-Bt-qua Bar

Kntl-at-qua Rivor

Ribbon Bliitf

Bur and Rapid

livpid ,

Udwniug's Rapid

Ciiplan River

Cliilan Crossing, Indian villago

Ba.1 liar and sraviil flats Jnst lio-
low moiitli, Miller's Storo and
Raueli.

Rapid

Lower end Methow Rapids
Metliow Rivor

Bar

Okikakanr Bivkk
Foster Creek

FOHTKIt CUEKK RaPIDS

Rapids

Rapid

End Short Ilapids
Comra^coment Short Rapids
Bnd of Long Rapids
Kalichbx Fall* amu Wiijuu-ooi,

Rai'ids
Commencement Long Rapids

Rapid

Rapid ,

Rapid

UAII'KIN Rai'iiis

OIiI crossing for Camp <;hc>lan,
Indian Kciit; .

Called also Ross Rapids.

Rapids li nilira long.

234. 5 I Rapids 4 niili's long

235.5

23&6

■240

241

242

244. £

240 I Cnlli il .ilso Cannon Rapids

COLUMBIA RIVER.

':i^'~-

Koapllom KtTcr

Ei|iiilil>riiini Rapliln

MonnKliAU H ItupidH

Btrniig IlApid

Kiipiil

Granil Ooulfto

NenlikwaCrucV ...

Hunimotli Spring

Bniis roil Riror

nm.i. Oatk

Frirdiniidor'H Storo

Wiiitcatimo and WlilUwtono Creek . .

CnstliiCovo

WolHliCnmk

TIawk Clrwk; " Virginia Blll'«"

Cliiiin Cftinp on Islnnd

Btokakr RlVRIl

SJ'OKANK ?U1'I1)8

Mitrol{o<!k

CftmpCrcdk

Door Oruok

Bapld

Ik-ko-luxtum Creek

Elbow Bond, Ulock Inlnnd Rapid* . . .

Knpid

Rogi^re Bar

Rapid

Neal mn-oliin Crnok

Bnpids, big Jutting rock (loft bank)..

Turtle Knpids

En-ol-POHt-em Cn»ek

Enohalayrm Crcnk

Rock Island nnd Bar near (right b'k) .

Cliarloy Fiwicais Bar

Bans I'oil Indian Stittlenicnt and Bar .

Enquashaycm Creek

Tcbka-ka- wick's liouao

Driftwood Rock Island

KirKKV'B Lanmxo

GllASI) RAflllB

Mouth Colville River

KKTTI.K Falls

Kettle River

Old Fort ColvlUe

SiiMilollar

Twelve-Mile Bar

Little Dalles

BOL-Nt>ART URK

2.5

4.S

2.6

4.5

1.5

2..')

0.5

2.5

3.5

1.5

4.5

2.6

2.5

8
11
16

6W
533
605.5
600

603

606

612

610

621.5

626.5

627.5

629.5

634.5

639

640.6

643

645.5

646

650

655

656

650

661

663

66.15

606l6

608.5

672

675

682

683

684.5

686.S

il88.5

691.5

tl06

608.5

701.5

704

707

711

713

714

720

726

737

76S

162

150

196.6

152

140

147

140

133

130.5

12a 5

124.5

:?2.6

117.5

113

111.6

109

10&6

100

102

86.5

85.5

83.5

67.5

65.5

63.6

60.5

53.6

50.5

I-

254

2.^7

250.5

264

267

200

276

283

285.5

280.5

201. 5

203.5

298.5

303

304.5

307

300.5

310

314

318

310

320

323

325

327

320.5

330.5

332.5

330

346

347

348.5

350.5

352.5

355.5

360

362.5

365. S

368

371

375

877

378

384

390

401

416

Remarks.

Road to the South.

Excellent road to the soiitb.

Rapid.

COLUMBIA RIVER.

To this I odd the foUowiiig distances derived from the woiks of Alex-
ander Boss and others :

BOURIIAItT lilRB

Pond d'Onillle Ulvcr

Koot«iiay River

Lower Arrow Laku

Upper Arrow liUko

Littlo Narrowa or Dalloa.

City of Rocka

Dalk'a ilea UorU

Boat Encampraont

Ikt^nmrka.

Hoiitli fiid,
Norllii'iiil.
Hoiitli Olid.
North <4iid.

Ciiiioo ICivur iiud Puit-
agt) Uivor.

CHAPTER VI. .,« i

NA FIG A TION OF THE COL VMIilA RI FEB. ' ' ' '

From its month to the month of the \ illanietto, the Coltimbia iN nav-
igated by ocoan steamers, sea-going ships, and river craft of all kinds.

From the Willamette up to the Cascades, river boats find abinulant
water and go freely at all seasons of the year except when the river
freezes up, which happens generally eaeh winter. The freeze-ui)8 on
this portion of the river last but a short time, however.

At the Casciules the obstruction to navigation is complete, lioats
cannot ascend the rapids at all, and they cannot descend with any de-
gree of safety. Here, in order to render the river navigable, means
must bo adopted to pass boats both up and down over the ra])i(l8. A
canal with locks has been adopted as the means to do this, and work
ha« progressed on it for several years. When this is completed naviga-
tion will be continuous up to the Dalles. This will throw the river
open to all who wish to navigate it, and a healthy competition will be the
result for all the trade centering on the river at and below the Dalles.

The Dalles is another complete and total obstruction to navigation.
Boats can neither go up nor down them, and in consequence means
must also be adopted here to pass them both up and down, if complete
river navigation is propt)8ed. Surveys have been made and ])lans and
estimates are now being prepared for the desired improvement here.

With these two serious obstacles removed, there would be tjontinuons
navigation to Priest Rapids, a distance of 409 miles from the sea, and
by the Snake River to the Grande Ronde River, .'50 miles above Lewis-
ton, a distance of 51G miles from the sea, making a total of navigable

•^

COLUMBIA RIVER.

water of 589 miles. To this mnst be added the navigable waters of the
Olcarwater, the extent of which I do not know.

Tliis would throw open to competition the river transportation de-
manded by tlic great grain belt between the Cascades and the Hitter
Root Mountains, south of tlio forty-seventh parallel.

By no other means could the government confer a more decided and
lasting benefit upon the people ot this great section than by removing
the obstructions to navigation at the Cascades and Dalles.

The portions of the river at present regularly navigate<l by river
steamers are those below the Cascades to the month of the river; be-
tween theCascad'^s and the Dalles; and from Celilo, above the Dalles,
to the Ufj-.ii. of the Snake River, on the Columbia; and up the Snake
to Lcwiston. Once in a while a steamer makes a trip to Priest Rsipids,
but tiie business is not suilicient at present to cause one to be sent
with any regularity. The Columbia, from the month of the Snake to
Priest Rai.ids, is excellent for the purpose of navigation and will never
need any improvement, in all probability.

If Priest Rapids could be improved it would give navigation thence
to Cabinet Rapids, a few miles below Rock Island Rapids. The conse-
quence of throwing this portion of the river into the prospective con-
tinuously navigable river below will be readily seen by a study of the
map. The splendid valley of the Kittitas and Upper Yakima would
have an easy and short outlet to the navigable river. I have never Ijeen
in this portion of the conntry, but am assured by those who have that
a great amount of fine land exists there.

On the other side of the river the line country composing Biwlger
Mountain ^•'^uld be benefited, and would bo settled and its produce
taken to tidewater by the river boats.

The amount of conntry to the west of the river which would be bene-
fited by the improvement of Priest Rapids is about thirteen bundi-ed
square miles, of which a large portion is arable and grazing land of ex-
cellent quality. On the east of the river there is an area of about four
hundred square miles, a great part of which is the finest quality of agri-
cultural land. This of course is the area to be directly benetitetl; indi-
rectly, all tlie country uj) the river would be benefited, i»s well sis all the
portions below which will need lumber and fuel, readily obtainable in
the region of the Upper Yakima and Wenatchee.

CABINET AND BOCK ISLAND BAPIDS.

A distance of about forty-two miles of navigable water lies l»etween the
liea*1 of Priest Rapids and the foot of Cabinet Rapids. This portion of
the river, if it ever becomes well known, will l)e celebrated for its lieauty
and grandeur. Out of the same materials as those which compose the
"Giants' Causeway" of Ireland, nature has formed and decorat€<l this
locality.

In any scheme for the improvement of the navigation of the river

! i

COLUMBIA RIVEB.

Cabinet BapidH and llock Islaud Rapids inuat be coiiHidured tugutUui'
as they lie only about four miles apart.

Above Bock Island Bapids tliere is a stretoh of ninety niili^s of navi-
gable water to Foster Creek Bapids, ten miles above the Okiuaktino.
In this section of the river there are some portions where rocks are itlenty
and waters swift and strong; they can, however, be avoided and over-
come by a moderate amount of care, a sufficiency of power, and skill-
ful navigation.

There are four bars in this portion of the river, of which one, about
two miles below the Okiuakane, and another about eight miles below
Chelan, have undoubtedly a sufficiency of water for all purposes. The
Wenatchee and Enti-atqua bars are worse, and it will be well to <let«'r-
nune accurately the depth of water on them at the lowest navigable
stage, and build steamers to correspond thereto.

My observation did not extend over tlie entire water-course at either
place, aud I cannot tell positively the gl^ueral depth that could bo. laken
over. I believe, however, that, on the Enti at-(iua bar especially, a
steamer drawing more than three feet would have serious difficulty in
getting over at low-water.

If it is deemed desirable to have steamers on the river dr»wiug more
water than there is on these bars it will be easy and inexpensive to
dredge out a channel of sufficient depth, and it might be that a simple
improvemen* in the form of a wing-dam would cause the river itself to
keep a channel of sufficient depth cut through. At all ordinary stages,
however, there would be plenty of water for the class of boats likely to
run on the river for many years to come.

We can therefore safely conclude that with Priest Bapids and Cabi-
net and Rock Islaud Rapids rendered navigable, the Columbia would
be passable for river steamers to Foster Creek Rapids, a distance from
its mouth of 559 miles. Let us consider what country would bo bene-
fited thereby.

First would be the Wenatchee country, which is splendid in quality
and of considerable extent. The tine Hat of iibout twenty-Hve N(iinire
miles near the mouth is all that I can speak of with certainty, but
undoubtedly up the river are other valleys suitable for agriculture, and
a great amount of fine grazing land. The timber in the Wenatchee
Mountains and in the whole region of timbered mountains west of the
Columbia River will be valuable, and the whole interior country will be
benefited by aiiy plan which will assist in giving it eswy and cheap
transportation to those sections where it is needed. *

Second. About the mouth of the Euti-at-qua the auiouut oi' arable land
is not great ; iis to what may be in the interior, I am unable to tell.

Third. About Lake Chelan there is a great ileal of good agricultural
hiTld in the form of open prairies, bnnch-grass-covered hills, and liuli,
rolling timbered country. The lake will furnish the means of getting at
a large amount of valuable timber which exists ah»ng its banks.

Fourth. About the upj)er branches of the Methow theiv is a cousider-
S. Ex. 186 8

twv

58 COLUMBIA KIVEK.

ablu (txtoiit of ^(hmI ii^^riuultiiriil iviul p'Hzitig luiul. Tbu lower i>ortiou
ut' Mu! Metliow tlowH tIiroii(];h ii rmi^^e of wo<m1u«1 IiIIIh iiiid Ih lieinined in
cloH«!ly by tliuiii; furthiT up, tliuso hillH becoiiio nioru rolling and gnu4Ny,
and tho biuikH of the streams are bordered by level and wide terraces
of excellent soil. Tliroiigliout this large territory of 4,075 square miles,
now set apart for (Jliief Moses and his i)eo])lo, there are many fine val-
leys and agricultural hills which wonld be l)eneftted by an open river.

Fifth. The magnificent country bordering upon and tributary to the
Okinakane wonld bo immensely benefited by an open, through river
navigation. I have already described, as far as I could, the country in
the vicinity of the Okinakane, and will not do so again here.

Hixth. All that portion of the Groat I'lain of the Columbia lying be-
tween the river and the Grand Couhse and Uadger Mountains w«»uld
be benefited by the improvement. This region is at present unsettle<l
and far away from nuirket, but it is a fine agricultural section and will
have a large ])opulation some day.

The amount of (sountry which would receive a direct benefit from the
impmvemenl uf liock Island and Cabinet llapids, assuming, of course,
the removal of all obstructions, and a free and open river below, wouhl
be alwut as follows, the areas given being, as near iis possible, the
agricultural and choice grazing lands:

Square luilra.

Viriiiity ot Wcmitclico iiml Knti-nt-qiiu I'M

Viciiiily of Liiko Chuliin 100

Vicinity <if Motliow .V)0

Viuiiiity of Okiiiiikiuio 1, 120

Qi'uat I'luiii, west of Qrand and Mohos Cuutduo U80

J Total 2,820

The indirect benefits to the whole country east of the mountains would
be very great, iis it would insure tho ctmy and cheap transportation to
the grain belts about Walla- Walla and tho Lower Snake and Columbia
of the wood and lumber abounding about Lake Chelan, the Wenatchee,
Methuw, Okinakane, and other streams. This commerce in lumber will
certainly be of great importance. Besides the commercial interests in-
volved in tho raising and shipment of grain, cattle, wool, lumber, &c.,
other interests of great iniportiince are apt to bo created as the country
is examined, if mines of the precious metals, iron, coal, &c., are dis-
covered and developed.

1 come next to consider the benefits which would arise if the river
from Foster Creek Rapids to the Mahkin Rapids was improved so as to
allow boats to pass freely from the good river below to the good river
above and vice versa. lu order to consider this proi)erly it is necessary
to go ahead a little and take a look at Uell Gate and the Spokane Rap-
ids, the only other obstructions worthy of mention below Grand Ra^iMs
near the mouth of the Colville River.

Until proved to the contrary I shall consider that Hell Gate is navi-

COLUMIUA HIVER. 69

giihlo l>oth up uiitl down for HUiaiiierM. U' it in proved to Iw too Hwift
for lioata to attctMid, tluMi soiiio iii»tliod iiiiiMt l)ea<lopt(Ml for its itiiprovo-
incut wliicli cau be cousidertnl further on.

Acknowledpng that Hull (late in navigable, wo come to the Spolcane
llapidH, which are not navigable, except by a Nteamer UHing a lino.
Tlioy are Hhort and the waters have a <'«naiderable fall ; but as 1 liavt«
l)rovionaly said, they can be i-endered ptwsablo at a aniall ttxiHMiae by
removing the bowlders and nMtks which clog the channel an«l are the
cause of the rapids. An expenditure of $2(»,(KK) would, 1 believe, ette«!t-
nally improve this bad place and render it eivaily navigable at all stages
of water. In the mean time, until their improvement shall bo complete*!,
any boats engag«<l in commerce on tlio river C4iu line over the rapid
safely, as the (;hannel has plenty of depth and is stniight.

This portion of the river then from Mahkiii to Grand liiipids, a dis-
tance of one hundred and • twenty-two miles, must 1)0 ctmsidered as
navigable, since the only obstructions in it are of such a temporary
iiai ure.

If, then, wo assume that the river from Foster Creek Btipids to Mah-
kin liapids be improve<l to allow the passage of boats, we see that it
will open up tlie river to Grand Itapids, aiul all the country tributary to
the river up to this point will be directly benotited by the improvement.
Abcuta goo<l deal of this country very little is known, but judging fn»ni
what I do know and have been told, and from the geueral appearance
of the country as seen from a distivnce, I think that a fair estimate of
the gomi prmluctivc land (amble and grazing) which by means of the
liver improvement would l>e brought into direct river conununicatiou
with tide-water is aa follows :

Sqnans mile*.

Vicinity of NoHpilom Uiver 'MtO

Vicinity of Sung Foil Kivcr MO

Iniinedlnto vicinity of Colnmliin Rivor l.CW)

Vicinity of Colvilif! Kiv«r WK)

Vicinity of Hpoliano Kivcr. iJlK)

Uro»t Plain south of 8|Hikane and Columbia 2,400

Total r., 120

It is scarcely worth while for mt. to enlarge on the general l)eneflt to
the whole North Columbian liasin, which would be conferred by re-
moving all the obstructions and giving through river navigation from
Grand Hapids to the sea.

The continued, earnest, and united efibrts of other counti'ies and sec-
tions to obtstin water transportation to the seaboard by means of rivers
and canals, sufticicntly attest the estimation in which it is held by the
people, and its value and importnnt^ are clearly shown by all the navi-
gable rivers and internal water routes of the world.

The Government of the United Stivt<is has i»)nnnene^l the improve-
ment of the Columbia at the first obstruction, the Caacadej^; it has

fiO

COMTMIUA niVEH.

tnkoii tlio im'liiiiinary8loi)a towanl tlio iniprovoin(Mit at. tlio DalloH, and
it. will ore long he called upon t/) commonco the iinprovoment at PrieBt
lCa|)i(lN and tlut upper rapids to give a continiioiiHly iiavigablo river.

ff we take a glance forward to the time when all tliiK eaHt«rn portion
of VVaHliinpt<in Territory shall he settled, when the whole land shall be
n waving Held of grain, with Iieni and thci-e a village or a eity ; with
railroads traversing tha country in every direction, and a vivst com-
mence being carric<l oii between the sea and the interior ; if we ]>icture
to ourselves all this with the Columbia in it.s present stat« of inter-
ru])ted navigability, and then picture it with the river cxiniidettdy navi-
gable from the Orand Kapi<l8 to its mouth, we shall be abh^ in some
d(^greeto apjircciato the imjmrtance of underfill and completing the
great works of invprovement needed on the river.

In considering the amelioration of the river from Grand Rapids to its
nmuth, we can divide the rapids which form obstruotions to navigation
into two classes : Jirst, those which do not a^lmit the passage of steam-
ers either in ascending or descending the river, and cannot be miule
to a<lmit this passage by any work upon the rapids themselves ; and,
Hccond, those which, while forbidding the passage of steivmers in ascend-
ing, permit them to descend in fafety or can be miule to permit the
downward passage by work on the rapids themselves.

The Dalles, the Cascades, Grand Rapids, and Kettle Falls belong to
the first class; all the other bad rapids belong to the second class.

Priest, Cabinet, Rock Island, and the Ne8])ilem rapids all permit or can
r(!a<lily be made to pernnt the down ward passage of steamers. If, then,
we sujjpose that a loaded steamer engaged in river commerce can start at
(}rand Rapids and safely descend the river to the Dalles, and by means
of improvements here and at the Cascatles, to the river's mouth, the
problem simplifies itself into adopting some system of improvement to
jMU'iiiit this steamer with its load to ascend the river.

Passing up from the Cascailes and Dalles, the first obstacle which j)ro-
sents it«elf is Priest Rapids.

IMPROVEMENT OP PBIEST RAPIDS.

The proper plan for improving these rapids must bo determined by
further surveys and observations extending over a greater length of time
than I could devote to them. The lower 8y8t«n» of rapids, consisting of
the fifth, sixth, and seventh, are close together, and connected with the
u])p(!r system of the first, second, third, and fourth rapids by a good
•piiet stretch of river.

I thought while in the vicinity of the rapida that perhaps this lower
system might \w improved and rendered sufliciontly navigable by work-
ing upon the bed-rock and bowlders in the river, blasting and desiring
away a ]»roperly laid-ont channel ; further refiection, however, induces
me to be cautions about expressing such an opinion. Captain Gora, com-

COMTMMIA RIVER.

mniuliiif; ono of tlioOropon Railway nnd Xavijffttlon (Company Htoiiinora,
told 1110 that lio wont witli IiIh Htwitncr up tlimiiKh tlii.s HyHt«'iii into flio
Ko<m1 water lieyond, and turnml anxind andnltn»hlu^k, ki'cpiiif; tli<t ctiaii-
ii<d near the loft bank. IIih tri]) was niailo wlu>u the water waH at a low
stage and with an unloa4le<l boat.

If the iniprovonuMit could be effected by this means the cost Avould
not be great. It nniy Imi that the upper syHtein of riii)ldH can bo ini
proved by the method of blanting and clearing out the river. Above
the rapids there is a long stretch of very (piii^t, deeji water, which will
l>ear lowering and quickening a great ileal, suHiciently to enable the
river to assnnui a navigable 8lo|HMlown to tlu* middle g(M>d water. If
the liver from the mouth of Crab OI•«^ek Coulee to a jioint a few miles
below the rapids could Im) regularised, it wonld nndonbtedlybeniivigable.

If, however, when tlu^ proper detaile<l surveys have been made and
experiments conducte*!, it is fimnd, as I lielievo it will lie, that it is not
])ra<>ticabln to improve the IhmI of the rivi suttlciently to give goixl
navigation, then some other means must be adopted.

The iMjst means to adopt for this purimse I conwive to be a railway,
over which boats can be transported from the foot of the ra|)ids to the
head.

1 would advocate a railway in preference to a canal and locks, on
the ground of exjiense. The cost of the construction of a railway and
its adjuncts would probably be not more than than one sixth to one-
fourth of the cost of a canal alwut Priest Ka])ids, and its operating ex-
penses wouhl not bo very much greater. About the Nespilem Rapids,
fmm Foster Creek to Mahkin Rapids, the cost of a (ianal with locks
would be so gi-eat as to render it entirely out of the question to build it
or even to contemplate building it; while the cost of a railway would
be a reasonable sum proportionable to the iHjnefits to be derivcid from it,
and would answer every purpose of a canal.

Steamboats can certainly go down Priest Rapids safely if under st,eam
and with sound steering-apparatus. To give entire safety and avoid as
far as possible all risks, it might and probably would be found neces-
sary to remove some rocks from the channel. Tho cxi>enso of doing this
would bo slight.

Tho coufonnation of the ground is |)eculiarly favorable for the <'(>ii-
struction of a railway. It is, along the left bank, a level plain of solid
soil, largely composed of bowlders and gravel, at a slight elevation,
probably not more than forty feet above the river. As the rivtu" is na\
igablo for boats bound down, the railway would have for its end only
the tnking of boatA up stream, and, in consei]uence, tho construction
and operation would be very simple. It proVtably would not take more
than a quarter to a thinl of tho time to build a railway that it would a
canal, and onc« well built the railway could be nmintainc<l and ke|>t in
ortler ivs cheaply as the canal.

While it is very far from my intention to give a delaile<l plan for a

^:n

•I*

COLirMHIA RIVER.

riiilwiiy for trtiiiHpnrtinfl: rivor boiitH iirouixl tlie r»pi«U of tlin ('nliiiiibiit
Itivcr, ,vi)t I wIhIi to k>vm a very (;«iiHriil oiitliiifl (»t° hu»Ii ii pluii.

•FiiHt biilow tlio foot of tlic nipi<lM uii iiioliiitMl triu-k cmhiIiI run down
int4> <liH>|) wut«r. A carriii^o, or <riir, with itH top hIihimmI to riHMMVv tli(«
bottom of tlui bout, (;oiil<i bo run down on this track into tlu^duep wnter
and tlio boat lucvivcd in it.

A Htationary (Migino could tako the catTiaK<^ and Itoat up th<^ inclinn
to a Nuniniit point Hutliciontly IiIkIi to ^'iv« a slight down gnulo Ut tii»
dt'op water at the liead of tho rapidH. At the Huniniit tho verticuil «li-
riMttion roiihl be changed, and a locomotive could take the carriage and
boat down U> the head of tho rapidN, and bring back the carriage. At
I'rieHt RapidH thecoiirHe of the railway coidd Iw |)erfectly straight, ob-
viating any necesMity for u horizontal change of dire4;tion. The time
which would be (Htcupicd in making the iM)rtage netnl not exe^MMl two
liourH at the moHt, and by having Ncveral carriagCH the |tm<-eHH of taking
one boat u]) the incline could go on coincidently with the trauHport^ition
of another to the heiul of the rapids, ho that, with everything working
\vii\], it may be mifely entimatetl that a lM>at e^uid Im) taken over every
hour with a Hingle track. TIiIh would accomnioihite the river C4>nimorex)
for many yearn to come, and if it ever became ne4»'8sary the fat^litieH
for trauHporting boatn could be indetlnitoly increaHc*! by building a
double tra(!k for the return of the carriage, and ailding the ne<'.eHHary
improvcmentH to the plant.

The class of boatn which it will bo found most advantageouH to nm
on the lJi)por (/olumbia will proltubly be f(nnid to l)c Ninular to thoHO
now run on the Hnake River, and of which the 8|M>kanc, Annie Faxtui,
anil Abuota are types. The Annie Faxon, the largeM of these, is 105
fei^t long, 37 feet beam, "i foot <lepth of hold, and has a nieaHurc<l tonnage
of 7f>9 tons.

If we suppose a boat with hor load having a dinplacement of 80t) tons,
which is ])robably the largest boat that would demand triinsiHHtation,
the carriage or car on which to transport her must weigh alNUit 1(M> tons.
This i)(H) tons is the weight to l)e traus]M)rt«<l and handled on the rail-
road. Once up the incline it can readily be handled by a gooil freight
locomotive on a properly constructed track. This w^ould lie much n>oro
than would ordinarily be taken over, as most of the freight would l)e
down river, and boats would bo lightly laden going np Htreani.

Another very favorable circumstance which wonld facilitate the oj)er-
ation of a boat railway aliout Priest liapids is the very small riHc and
I'all of tho river here. I cannot say what the difference between high
and low water is, but it in very much less than at most other pointn on
the 'iver, and ])robably not more than tiighteen to twenty feet.

If a eanal shoidd be decided on instead of a railway, tho rout« wonld
lie tho same, along tho loft bank. The same may l>OHaid of an ordinary'
portage railway for tlu^ transfer of fri'ight, &c., from lioatii at one end
to iMmta at the other end of the rapitlR.

li^

■ ' "it

COLUMIilA KIVKU.

IMritdVUHKNT OF CAIllNKT AMD BOCK I8LAND UAI'lUH.

Uiirt! till* rivur iit Uiohu rupids in wull known to un cxiMTtontH')! iiiiil
Hkilirul HUnlllliHm^ captain, liu can take IiIh lM>at<lown tliroiiKli lH)tli with
entire nalety, if thv lie nndur tfwnl buailway inl with tMiiinil an*l efllirieiit
Hte«'rin(; apiiaratiiN. Of thJH I have no il(inl)t.

At the sta^e of water wliieh exiNteil wliun I paHmnl thronf;h, it Heenuil
to n)e tliat a giUMl, powerful Htwuner, li);htl.v loiuliMl, eonlil aMceinl thmnffh
Ixtth. However, at tho beHt tkeHu rapidH ore not to 1h- (;onr«idei'ed
navigable in their present uondition, for ordinary boatM heavily Ic. ileil
(■(udd not iMcend. <!al)inet Uapi<lH can be very nineli improved; kuIII
eiently ho, I believe, by reniovint; ttoniuof the rockn which jut out from
tho U^tt bank and rise from the water towartlH thiri bank. Tlit're is a
Htretvli of cpiiet water ulM)ve the«u rapidH which would allow of beinj;
'|uickenc«l by the removal of thoMO damming rm^kH.

The renu)val of 8,(H)0 cubic yarda of n)ck at a cost of alN>ut tT.'iO per
yard, making an expeuHe of #(>(),<MM>, would lie Hutlicient for the pui'po,s«>,
I believe, and give Hatmfactory navigation up to the foot of lUx-k iMlund
UapidN.

Kock iMlaud Uapi<lH nro so Hituate<l and formed that a Hteanier, in
going up, (Hiuld take a<lvantage of many eddit-H, and work her way up
byerosHiug over the ripples from one side to another. There are Home
sunken rocks and jutting points which might interfere with thin, and
which should be ronioved. JS careful study of the nipids and expt'ii
ments with a steamer would determine which of these rocks and points
it would be well and necessary to remove, and whether the navigation
could be imulo satisfactory by such means. There is this to be said: for
a number of years, until tho country becomes well settled, the river trans
portiition demanded will be small in amount, and any exjtedient which
w ill give piiHsable transportatiou over these ni|>ids will be of great vidue
in scuttling the country abovi.'.

The fiiud and complete improveinent of liock Island Uapids will
undoubtedly re^piire that either a (;anal or a railway shall be con
structed to allow tho jiussage of boatN from lielow to above the rapids.

As at Priest Uapids, so here, I shou'd a<lvo<!ate the construction of a
railway, and for the same reasons. To go around lto<:k Island Uapids
jiroper, a railway would require to be about two an<l a half miles long
and to (;hangc direction once, both vertically and horizontally. If Cab-
inet Uajiids ciinnot be sutliciently imjiroved by working on the rocks
of its bed, the railway must b') extendc(* down to include them. In
this case the railway would be ai)out six miles long, and would not
ueed to change its dircctiou horiz intally.

The couformatiou of the grounu Is well suitetl for the construction of
a railway. At ItocK Island I!apids the right bank of the river rises
about one hundred feet to a uoarly level plat«iau, which «'xtendH down
almost to Cabinet liapids. In the materials of this plateau the bed of

i«S*Tl^fflMUMfrByMIM«>

COMJMH'A KIVEK.

tlio milw&y would be wwily iiitKio, »ud 'Vfilil bo solid and eiiduriii^'.
Tlu' pliUwiii ^I'li'iis (lilt, coiisidcnibly at Kock Itilaud l{iiiud8, and v,x-
Wutln lor about threv riiileH itl>ovt.

rWPRONTSMENT OF THE NE8PILEM RAPIDB. - •'

Tbc iiiiiiri.vcmfiit oi' the (^)Iiunbia River fi"oin Foster (Irw^k to Mali-
kill KajiiilN, Vw w hcWe systcni boiiig known as tli** Iiespileni Itapids, i«
K.'Xt to be, (soiisabMvd. After traversiiif^ this portion of tlio rivt-r I
iMUiif to the coiicliiNioii, at ti."8t, that it was ho ba<l, and the bjtd portion
HO extensive, that it« ainelio "ation woidd bo so expensive tliat the ben-
elitH to l>o derived tlierefrom tvouM not justify the work. Further re-
Ih'ctioii however, and stuily of the (iountry, tlie viver, and inethodi* of
improvenieiir, cotivinee me to the contniry, and I thorouj,'hiy believe
that nieaiiH can Im» iwloptod at <i reasonrtble expense which will permit
tlu^ paHHape of boats up and down the river, and that the rerpsirenientH
of eoiiiiiieree will in the future demand and insure its being done.

In this stret/ch of ubout twenty-four miles, there are fouitecn distlnet
; ij-iMes, Hoiue o* then a mile or more in length. How niiieh of this stretch
ran be inaAle iia . igable for upward-bound boatJH by work on the river-bed
it is inipessible ibi me to say. Probably a eoiisiderable portion of it could
Ik". Many of lie rapids and ripi)les are caused by an aeeumnlation of
great rocks in the river brought there by ice transportation, and the
reiiiov ill of these would hiive a very great effect on the current. While
I be'ieve that it would be dangerous for a steamboat to run these Nes-
jiiieiu Itiijiids, yet I believo at the same time that by the removal of
s(i <- : obnoxious rocks um': points, and the acipiiring of a thorough
knowledge of the river, itii current*, ciianuels, eddies, &c., it could be
done with entire safety, prrvided no ac<;i>leiit occurred on the st^iamboat
itself 1 sec no reason w'ly goo«l steamers, with cr.ieful and experienced
captains, ci:i;..ot i<i;'.kc a lusiiiess of running down through theiie rapids.

Ciarefiil si.rveys, obseivations, and experiments could determine
which of the rapids can 1k> imule to permit the ascent of boats ; about
the others, boat railways, similar t'j those jiropoaed for Triest and Uock
Island Kapids, can be built.

Hy a well considered system of river improvement, and boat railways,
I iliink that the passage of the Nespilem Kapids can be successfully
accoinpiislied.

A railway w<>uhl probably be necessary about ro8V"«r Creek Uapids,
ubout the Long itapids, embracing Kalichen Falls and Whirlpool
Uaisids, and po-ssibly iiboiit Mahkin Kapids, three in all. The tirst
woiinl be about two and a half miles long, the second about four aiul^i
lialf, and ti'c last t'vo miles long.

At the Fost«'r (reek liajiids the ground is favorable for any kind of
construction, ai'd a railway would be easily built. At the other jvuices
the ground is uot favorable, and the construction would be ditlicult and

COLUMBIA KIVKR. 65

ox|M-nsivc in Roin])iiri80ii to \vii»t it Wdiiltl 1m^ <m unv other )iliKH^ vvhoro
tiic riiihva.v would Im> i!t'«' led. It would 1k' still luort- uuliiMUiililr (or
any kiml ofcaniil i'oustrM .' )U.

To HUimnarizo tlu'U, tlif s.VNteni of inipro •fuiciit.s tliiit I would lulvo
VAVti'. to pvt' continuoiiK iitivi;;ulioii from (irand Kapids to tlir nioutli of
tilt! Oolutuliia Kivor in an follows:

First. The iinprovoiiiciit rc><|iiire*l at tlio Hpokmu; llapidH, tho expouNu
of which would Iw slight.

Hecond. A combined H.VHtcni of river impntviMuout and hoaf iiiihviiy,s
u! '.he Nespilom l{apid».

Third. A boat railway at Ii.)ck iHland Uapids, ami the iinprovenienl
of the river at t'abinet Kapids,

Fourth. Tl'^^ (ioUHtruetion of iv boat niilway aitiuud I'riesi ItapidN.

Fifth and .sixth. The eouNtrnction of a canal with htcka about the
DallcH and the (?a.scadeH.

The foliiiwinji ai)i)n)ximatc estinutt** of thucost of the impi-ovenients
above the .iioiith of Snake Itiver is fjiven :

lldiit raiiw.i.v unmnil rrii'sl Ku|ii(lH #('iO<l, (MX)

Hniit iiiilwiiy iiroiiml l{r.;k IhIihiiI Itupid:) (iMi. (MIO

Ilnat niihviiy hioiiikI I'listtT Ciim'I- KiijiiilH 40<l, IHH)

Itoiit riiilwH.v iiioniid Kiilichcn KhUm, Ac WMI,(hio

lioat ruilwaj' uruuiul Mahkin KapitlH .Mhi, (HH)

f.>,7IN».0(HI

Improvpiiien' of tlie rivor at l*riest Rapids fill, ikik

Improvfiiu'iit <if the livi-r iit Cnliiiirt RiipidB till, (NN»

Iiiipr<iv<MiiiMit of lilt' liviT at Rocli IhIiiucI Rupidit ',i.'i,(KM)

Iiiiprovenieiit of did river at Nrspiliiii KapidH ir>U,(MKJ

luiprovci.ii'iit of tlic river at Spukiiiu' liapidn 'Jti, (MM)

, Total $;), (M)5, 000

III view of tho probability or at least possibility of the govern nient,
at some future time, undertaking the iinprovenients mentioned, it would
seem to lie a wise stej) to secure now the lands which would be needed
for the railways and works.

The lands are, I believe, unsur\eyed, and strips conid be set aside
and reserved from sale for the purjioses of improvement wilhonl (•()«( to
the government or hardshi]) to any private iti(li\ idinil.

Whatever system of improvement be adojittMl it would be necesHary
to have these lands, and I would suggest that proper steps Im^ taken to
reserve them.

ISesides the method of taking boats up around the rapids by lailway,
other niethtKls and combinations of methmls may 1m' found when the
attention of engineers is thoughtfully directed tliereto. It is highly
probalile that in sotne localities, ju'rhaps in all, a system of waiping
lines can be arninged whi(!h will enable the boats to snrmounl flie most
rapid portions of the eiirietit, their own power fakiii), them ovei all the
intermediary water between the si'.ccessive ripph'.^.
S. Ex. l.Sti 1>

','WM* Jii^li^W"«I^IPfP"«ipH^W

COLUMBIA RIVKR.

A l)oat proviiliMl witli ii k'xmI Ht4>ani capHtuii or (Iriiin could make tuHt
to II (1,x«m1 wai'piiiK liiH' or lii.i's and work liiTHcIf up oviT the rapids; <)r
tliu liiMt could he worked \>s, a steam eu/rinc and drum on sliore :it the
hciul of the rapitln, thuH K>^'i"l7 (!■<' Ix'^t having lioUl ot the line the
ailditional jiower re(|uired.

Uock Ishuid Kapiilii, portions of the Nonpilem I{a]>idH, an<I Hell Oate
would secMi to Im; well Hituatetl for this method of navipition, owing to
the favor. I)le confornmtion of the shores and islands.

Thuro would of <:ourHe he danger to the boats if the Hiioh should
break, hut this danger coulil be vei'v largely guarded against by using
strong and s[)eeiall,v prepared cables of steel or iron wire, by having
facilities for disengaging the cable instantly, by keejting u)> steum, being
tlutroiighly aeriuaintc^<l with the liver, and knowing exactly what to do
in ( ase of accident at any ]M)iMl in the transit.

This would be very much less expensive than the boatrailway sys-
tem, if it could be made i)racti<'able.

I am thoroughly convinced that i^killfnl engineers will iind some
melliodor methods forgiving satisfactory naxigation tliroughont nearly
the whole (;(airs(.- of the Columbia within uur borders, when the time
comes that it shall be tiemanded.

OllANU 11AP1U8, KKTXLK FALLS, AND LITTLE DALLES.

(irand Uapids und Kettle Falls taken together form an obNtruction to
the navigation of the, river which it cannot be hoped will ever be over-
conu'. Thert^ d(K-s not seem to be any probability that sutlicient com-
merce will be ileveloped on the ni»per river to Justify the gri'at expense
that would be incurred in giving navigation around these two obstruu-
tioiis.

An ordinary iM)rtage railroad coidd be very easily built around them
if it should be desirable. Probably a route for a portage along the west
hank would be the most economical onetosele(!t,ifother(piestionsdidnot
come in, to cause the one along the east bank to he chosen. ]>y laying
the portage on the east hank, a i)ortion of the Colvillo Valley Itoad to
(irand iiapids would be utili/.ed.

Above Kettle Falls the river is navigable for twenty six miles to the
Little Dalles. Thest- latter can be ascended by steamers using a lino,
but this is not. of (course, satisfactory navigation. It would not take a
very large amount of money to rendcir this obstruction ]»assahle. In all
probability, however, it will he found when the country becomes settled,
and the river alM)ve the Little Dali.s navigated, that a branch line of
railroiul will t)e required from the nniin Colville Valley up Mill Creek and
Echo Valley, and through to the river above the Little Dalles. This
branch line, in counexition with the portion of the Colville Valley Mosul
running through the lower part of the valley to the river below Grand
liapids, will form a i>ortiige road aronud all these falls. The length of

COLirMrtlA KIVKK.

tliia line by the cin-.uiU>u8 roiit« tlitit it would go in aXwnt tliirtytlvo
niilos.

Above the liittle DiiUes the river in iiiivij;al>Ui for two limuhed iiiiit
eighty iiiilcH to Death Itaplds, iieeordiii^ (<> the eHtiiiiiitt^ of ('ii|)tain
Piiif;stoiie, or two hundred and lwenly(iv<' miles, nceording to the eHti-
inat4> of Alexander Hohm an<l otiierH,

' ThiH extreiiio upjier imviKuble jtortion of the rivor can be UHed most
(M'ononueally in eonnec^tion with raib-oad.s, a portimi nf the raib-oad .syN-
teni ^ivin^ a portajje around the obstrntitionH, and a I'iver, liM well as a
mil eoniiniiiucation, with the eounfy Indow. '

PORTAGE SYSTEM OF NAVIGATION.

Ah it iniiHt l>e many j'ears before the ini|)rovenientH mentioned in the
preceilinn; ilineiission ar«^ eonipleteil or even undertaken by the ;feneial
jnvernine.nt, 1 wiil jjive a Nuinniary of the portages reiguired m> f;i\e a
(HtiitinuouH line of river navijration from Hnake Kiver lo Di^ath Kapids,
the river remainintf iii its present eonditioii.

8link*> Utvpi- to I'?-ii'ftl ICnpitU

lNirtii^<> aroiiiid IM-irst liApiiln

rrit'Ht Kn|>l(l!4 toraliiiii't UapiilH

rorta^t' iii-«)iit)il (Jiiliiiuit and Kof'k IhIauiI KApiilH

litwV iHlaiitl KapidA t<» FoMti^r (-'iTok KapiilH

INirtAjri- Hniiind Fimti-r (?i-fek and tiir lapldfl of Ch(i KnApllt^ni (lanon to Hnh'

kill Uapidn

Mahkin HapidH Ui (iraiid Rupida

I'orta^i' f'n>lii <iraiid Itapida to almvo Littlo l)lUl(>n

Lilllc DallcHlii Ooatli Uapidn

Ill the inontliH of February and March, 1880, Capt. Alfred T. Ping-
Htone, of the Oregon Railway and Naviffation Onnpany, examined the
Cohnnbia from Kettle Fal!.* U> the Hnakt^ River. His examination was
..liMle at a very low stafje o!" water, which must a(M!oiint partially t'nr the
ditt'eriMiee in the diw^criptions «)f rapids, &c., as y^iven in his report an<l in
this. (Captain IMnt;stone is ajtraetieal steamboat man and his opinions
ai-e entitled to gr>'at weiglit.

CAPTAIN PINiJ.HTONKVS UKPOKT (HXTUACT).

IMPROVKMKNTS NECK8SABY TO INHUBiO OOOD STiHiAMIJOATrNCJ.

Pioeeediii}; np the (\»lniid)ia from Ainswinth until Priest Itajiids
are reaeheil, the river is in an <!xcelleiit b(»atin{j eondition diirinf; the
open season of the year; and by ma!%in^ an eiisy iMirta^et of seven miles

■'Tir^-!

■r^iPTn-fr

CiH COLUMBIA RIVER.

around tlieHO iai)i<lM, an *>«|nitl)y navipiblw river In IkmI for fift.y iiiileM to
Itork Island Hapids.

At lt<K!k Island RapidN, by making a poitaf^e of cigbt miles, a cloar
riv'ur to the riioiitli of tbe ()kina<;an, a dtMtanc<^ of seventy-seven nuIuD,
wonid be (dttaiiied. Tlie<*e two |M»rtajj{e» would give excellent navipi-
tioii tit ail start's of water.

r.y making another portajjc of seven miles from the Okiiiaj^an to the
bead of lyifion (no name) tbe river woidd be equally navigable to Hell
(iat<', twenty miles below the mouth of tbe Hpokane.

At Nell Gate, navigation woidd be doubtful at i: high stage of water;
but foi tiie proper kind of a .steaud»oat it would ht' good for two third.s
of the Beason. Hhould i Ite deemed lulvisable to construct a imrtage
road there, one about a mile long could easily be laid over atlat bench
on the left bank of the river.

The bone that wuuhl go throu.<.;li Hell Gate at a medium stnge of water,
would go through to (Iniixl Hapids, a <list;iuee of ninety miles above.

I have no hesitation in saying that, with the portagi's named, aslretch
of riv«r 4.'W miles long (from Wallula to (traiid l{aj)ids) would be thrown
open to regular steamboat tratiic that would Ix far better than Hnake
Uiver at even a mo<b'rately low stage of water.

In brief, the improvements necessary are:

Mii™.

A itiii(un<- ;i! )'rii':<t UiiiiidH of 7

A |ii)i-|aK<' itt Rock IhIuikI l{a|iiilH of H

A |Mirtii|;« from the Okiiiitxaii to Hull Uatc of 7

And )icihhIIiI,v lit. I It'll (^iikti' it |H)rlaK<< of 1

For deseiiptions at these various rapids see diary.

FROM AINSWCIRTH TO KETTLE FALLS.

My the use of lines at a medium stage of water, a boat coulil be tiikeii
fr<uu Ainswortli to Kettle Falls. Some risk would attend upon siuili an
enterprise; all would not Ir« clear work ; but witli care uid moderate
gofid lui'k the feat could be |K',rfornied without serious loss or daintige.

FROM GRAND TO DKATH UAPID.S. , , ■)

As will be seen by the table of distaiu'es iiisi rted below, tlie eonstrne-
tion of the portages already suggested would give a navigable river for
427 mili's above Walluia. T will stat'- further that by the (ioustruction
of M portage six or seven miles in length around (iraud Kapids and
Kettle Falls, a clear river up stream for tweiity-fnur miles coidd be ob
tained aiul a portage — which wmdd iu)t be nc(!essaiy tit a medium stage
of water — ol a little over a luile at the Dalles would iiisun^ good inivi-
gaticm to DeaMi Rapids, a distance of 2.S() miles further north. 1 know
this fnuu having uavigitted it with the steamer ''4!)." ,*•.-, ,

COLUMniA RIVKU G9

• .; i •' , , ,j IHMittiot*.

[ Down Htrpani. ]

MlltM.

From Fort Colvi.;« to iiioiitli of S|Hikaii« 7(i

From S|MikaMo to Hell Outc 'JO

From 1 It'll (iiitc to lii'iiil of oarioii H(l

Fl>(lll llciul to moil III i>f riirioii Vi

From caftoii to moiitli of Oklnii^nii 1'.'

From (IkiniiKiiii to t'lu'liiii '.H

From Clu'jjtn to lii'uil of Kovk InIiukI KiipiiU 'tr>

From Kock I»liiml tliroii);li bud wntt'r H

From (ll<'ln■<^ to lii'iid of l'rli'nt Uitpidi fiO

From lii'iiil Jo foot of I'rIcHt KapIdH !l

From f<mt of I'rirat Kax>idM to Aiiiswortli •*.•

.; ■ -■ ; i'J7

February 2H, 18S1.— Fliivinp secured tlic Heivi(!osoftwo I'end d'Oreillc
IiidiiMis, one ol' wlioiii, tweiit) yeaiH Uj^o, Imil iiiade tlie ti'i|i down tlie
river when in tlio employ of the IIiid.son Hay Oonipany, we Uift KettU^
Fiilln in Ji bireh-hiuk <;tinoe, which was about twenty ft vc t'cit huifi and
weifjlied eighty pounils. Kettle Falls are distant from Fort Uolville
about ftfteen miles. They are the most serious obstruction to navij^a-
tion on this ))art of the Columbia, being a per]K'ndi(;nlar liili ol about
twenty feet at low water. We eii>barked in the morning at about ileven
o'clock, and proceeded thence down the river for about live miles, when
w» arrived at (inind Itapids. The river is now at dead low water.
The^e rapids are about one and a half miles in length and have three
riflles. The upper and lower ones could be run by boats either uji or
down stream without the use of lines, but the iitiddie rapid li.is a fall
of about sevcH feet. It could Im run at high water with a limn. This
wotdd be a proper landing for Fort Colville. We made a portage
around the rapid of about one hundred yards, and camped just below
(fraud Ua]>ids for the night.

March 1.— I^ft foot of Grand Rapids at 8:20. Three miles IhI- w
Kickey's Bar there is a high bench of rocks on the right bank of ,''!■
river coming down. These rocks an; in the bend of th(^ river and woi.!«i
form an island at high-water with the channel on either side. It would
l>e no obstruction to iiaviKatioii. On Rickey's J5ar there is sonic drift, and
a few trees standing. Four miles below that, opposite what is called t he
." Five thousand dollarelaini," there is a luyivy rajtid — very strong wat«'r —
with lu'd-riH-k sticking upon both sides of the river; best channel at the
head of rajjid is in middle of river, thence tlown left bank aiidat the foot
to the right bank. The river is then gotnl to Rogers" Itar, alxtnt thirty
miles l)elow. Shoal rilHe at Rogers' Ihir. .hist below Rogers' Har there
TN a large island of rocks, also a riOle running partway acrross, but a
gn<Nlsteaini>oat channel there, lielow, about six miles, there is another
bench of r.icks with channel on the right bank of the river. Thiitc miles

My4^

COLUMllIA BIVEK.

1m»1ow tlmtiH anollu'rlMMicli of nxskn in tli»^ middle of the rivor; straight
(;ImiincI ahoiit a hiiiitlred feet wide on right tmnk. 1'hcreiKiig4MMl C4mn-
try iiliHi;; t lie Cohiinhia from (.'olville to thin point, large HatK and valU'js
running into the river. IV.wM of Itogers' Har there is a Hettlcnient of
eight or ten t'aniili<>s witii ])i'oiiii.si-d mhlition.s from outside this Kpriug.
From tliis point to Spo]<ane Kivertliere in but little goo<l land along (he
(Jolnnihia. There are many bars with (jnitea nnmlH^r of Chinamen min-
ing upon them. The river huH many swift rapids in it, but nime that a
powerful boat eould not make. W^ eauipetl eight miles above the
mouth of the Spokane River.

Miinh 2. — iH'ft camp at seven a. m. Uiver very crooked; very swift ;
many lionvy rapids; mountains high and close in on the river, and
heavily timbered. Saw a good many Chinamen mining on th«' bars.
Arrived at H]iokane, fliveratnine a. m.,aud went upand tiMik :. look at
the new United States post. The Spokaiu> is not navigable, bnt dis-
charges considerable water. There is an much water in it iw in the John
Day. The " post" is located on the south side of the Spokane alMut 2
miles from its nuiuth. There are three comimnie>( st-ationed there. The
location is go(Hl; it is on high table laud, surrounded by scattering pine
tind>er. Wa** inforine<l there that the country in the immediate vicinity
was settling up fast, an<l that it would sii|>port a large irapulation.
Arrived l)ack at the canoe at about three p. m.

Innm'diately above the mouth of the Siwkane is a strong ni]>id. The
river (Columbia) at thisiwiiit num between two bars covered with very
larg(* bowlders. The channel is straight; current very swift. It would
b(t all a boat could do to sU'm it at high- water, but by the use <»f line« for
one hundre<l yards she could make it. The river from this {"oint down t«)
Virginia IMlls, a <listanceof ftv»! miles, is yery rapid. There are high mll-
ing hills on the left, and mouiitains on the right. We camiK'd five miles
l>elow the mouth of the Spokane.

Manh '.i. Lell ("amp at seven a. m. Paddled the first fourteen miles
through a canon. Theriver is good — not more than a four-mile current.
Mountains very high and rocky. In many plai-es the walls of iwks ju-e
from r»()() to 1,(HK) feet in heiglit, rising iierpendicularly from the river.
There issonie mining carried on upon what few bars t here are in the c^iilon.
At nine a.m. we arrived at llell (late. Herr i lie channel makes aiiomplete
8. A l»oat ••onid go through it now, but it looks iw though it would l»e »
rough 1 ilace during high water. There are two big islands of r<R',ks in the
river a hnndred feet high at this stage of water ; a boat could get cither
up or down. A .piarter of a mile l)elow Hell (late a reef of ro« ks nnm
nearly across tie river. The channelis on the right bank. From thence
on down to a mile below mouth of Sam I'oo-el [Sans PoilJ Ci-eek, which
conies in from tl'e right bank; the water is strong. Up toean-oing ground
{(bur miles be'.iw Sam Poo el) the river Wivs goo«l. Tlie timlH'r extends
twenty mile^ below the mouth of the Spokane lliver. The hills along
the l!olumbia in the vicinity of this creek are much lower than alwve;

COLI'MIUA UIVKK.

but till ru In iioi iniitli pNxl tariniii); liiiid in Ni^lit. Tlic iouiitr,v l<H)kN
barren. N» timber in view.

March 4. — LcCt ciiinp at sovcii ii. id. TIu' iiioiiiitaiiis closi' in on llit^
river. Current very swift — from live to seven iiiih-s per hour. 'l\'n miles
below theNes])ilem tliennsab.ul riipi(| in tliebeiid of tlie river. Itoats
could not aseeiiil without tlie use of a line iit tliis staj;«< of water for at li^ast
two liniitlred feet. From tlienee on ilowii to the liead of the canon the
river is very rapid — liiijhblutfsonoiieHide, liij^li bowlder bar on the other.
For two miles down from head of canon itis(;ood steamlioatint;. Ili^di
hills of rocks extend on both side.--, of the river Ibro'.era mile. You could
gvi a boat tlirouf;'li this cafKni, but it would not do to make a business
of running it; there would have t«» lie a portage here. There is a ijood
lo<;atioii for a porta;^'e road on the rijL;lit bank of the river; it could be run
uerosH abend, and • • • it is twehe mile^npriv. 'roiii the Okinapui
to the foot of the canon. The roa<l would have to t ave the riveia mile
above FortOkinapiii and cut across the conn try, si rikiii^; the river at tlio
head of the canon — a distance of about seven miles — easy f^radc over
bunch-grass hills — no timber. FortOkinaf-an was formerly an importv'it
post of the Hudson I5ay ('Oiiipany,butis now abandoned. The, Oki" ,:in
uiiUm's the (Join labia from the right b»!<!<, ttut, although a lai'g(« stream, is
not navigable for steamboats iixcept at high wati'r, and then only to
Osooyoos Lake, sevenly-tiyc miles distant from (Jolumbia liiver, hicatud
in British Columltia.

March .'). — Left caiiiit at mouth of Okinagau at seven a. in. Arrived at
month of ('lielan River at eleven a. m., distant thirty two miles, with only
three rapids in that distance. One is about live miles below the Okinagan
in the bend of the river. Another rai»id is located below the mouth id"
theMethow Hiver; good enough Hteamboatiiig; bigro(!kson bothsidt^s;
Home in the river; water very sv itt. There is another rapid about t<!ii
miles above the Weiiatehee — shoal water, bars and roisks. A few miles
below Chelan there is plenty of timber for wood. Therc^ are a good
many pine flats along this part^ of the river that will be good forsettle-
uieut. Camped ten miles abovc^ mouth (d Weiiatehee. The river 1 iiave
pa+'seii over to-day is in ev(>ry way suitaule for steainboatiiig.

March 0. — Ii«*ft t;ainp at 7:10 a. m. The river was good to the hoiwl of
Rock Island, a distance of twenty milei*. The bml water (rommenees
about three miles above what is ' .dle
miles in length. This canon cont;4iins inan.\ rocky islands. Tiiere is one
which rises from the river to the height of a hundred feet. This (^afioM
would be a rough place for a boat to get through during liigli-wati-r, but
during an ordinary stage i^ innigable. For two inile« (between the
canon and It4iek Island proper) there isagO(Mlriver. Rim k Island Rap-
ids projier are not navigable at this stage of water. Boat« may be taken
up or duwu at a high iituge oi water — but always at griuit link to the

COLUMBIA RIVEB.

)H)iitH. TiKtrn An\ two cliiinnvlH -tlio one on the ri);lit hunk '\h widest.
TIk* ii|)|H-r fiiil is ^•^^'.iiv nf i-ix-kH, hut tlxt lower end is crooked tind full of
lii(;li hid ro<-k. It is (;iit up in niiiiiy numU ehannciN and ho raitid tluit li
Hteimdioat <;onld not Ntuni it witliont the iMHiHtimce of a line. Tlie chan-
nel on the left hank ends in two little falls at this stajje of water, hut
it would he hest to take a hoat throU};h at a little ahoV(5 a half sta^o.
Itoek Island «',an uvvfi he snc(H'Hsfnll,v steand)oated in its itresent condi-
tion, hut at coni|)arativel,v Hinall (expense can he made navi^ahlo at
low waitu-. Tlu! wat<M' is hiul for four miles holow the island. One
place, partnularl.v, is very naiTow, crooked, and rocky, and has a fall
of tive feet in tliret; hundred.

The hest farming; country we have passed thronKh today is the We-
nat«;he(^ country. 1 was told hy an old settler that then* is room there
for <|uite a nund)er of |)eople. They are raising all kinds of };rain ami
fruit (tnun peiuiho^) there. A ^ood many hi<;h hars that we passed to-
day would make ^ood fanning; land. On the mainland tind)er is scarce ;
it is a hunch {;''''''« country. We camped ahont three miles helow tjie is-
land. A portaie^e will prohahly Ik>. necessary at this point, commencing
ahout thr«H> miles helow Kock Island Uaiiids, on the riji;ht hank, and
eiulinff in aixtut fc .r miles. This i)ortage roa<l would ]>asH over a higl"
tiat with an easy grsule^uo excavation nexiessary if railroad were huilt
there.

March!. — Tieft camp at 9:15. We broke our . anoe yesterda.N, and
were some tinu^ in fixing it. The river is voiy good today, l-'onnd
only one rapid. It is called " Kagle Kajtid" and is hM-atwl alxmt thirty
miles helow Itock Island. It can be navigat<id hy 8teand>oats at all
stages of water. I he river from Eagle to iicad of Priest Kapids is ex-
cellent for boating purj)oses. Wo «^Hm|>o(l at I'riest Uapids at six p.
m. During the day's run found high hanks on either side the entire
course. We passed the months of two couli'-os.

March -S. — Priest Rapids ar*' about nine miles in length. They are
sitUHtvd in a semicircular K><id of the river. There are five raj)ids in all
from the upper to the K^wer, inclusive. The water is very swill, but
the two rifHes at the hea-d are the worst. There is a stretch of li\ (i miles
of good water between the middle and lower rittles. The latter are full
of reefs and bowlders.

By the use of a line at a nnddle stage of wafitt', a st(i)tl|l|Mttll li0(lll)
1m) taken over. A portage road across the ln^nil over a lliif liiil oil Hie
left hank of the river wiuihl he about seven miles — not to exc-eed that.
There is plenty of drift wood a*, the head of rajtids. We niii tlie Iii|||i|h
with (Hir hark uaiioe, and (tamped at Uinggold iliir, about forty iiiileH
from the uunitli of Hiiake lUvei. lilxcellent steauibonting rroiii Priest
Itapids at all stages of uater. Ooiintiy on both sides of ri\ei, high
plaleiius. t)u left bank, high "white hlutt's" rising 180 to 2 (I feel ; on
the right, a large Hat plateau of hunch grass uuuntry. Think it is good
land.

M.iwch 0.— Loll camp at seven a. w. 'i'Uo viVPf U'oju Ue^;}3 \tO f^putb of

COMTMHIA KIVEK.

8ii iko Hivcr i8 flxct'lhiiit at lill Ntitpu* of wiitAT for Ht<MiiiilH>iiliii^. \Vti
iirrivod at Aiiiswortli tit twttlvo in., our Joiirncy oikIimI. I procoisliul t our iU'm-
tiiiation, wliiln iii.v two Imlitiii coinimiiioiis leiivc for Fort C.'olvillo ovi-r
luiul, 11 (liMtiviiir, of210 iiiik'H.
Very n^siiect fully,

" ,. ALFUKI) T. riNlSHTONK.

■-■;;- r CIIAPTKIl VII.

UKSERAh nKSCRll'TlON OF THE COLl'MIIU AND ITS TRIRVTARIES.

Ill Mi« eiirly ilovolopnicnt of a country itn navifjablo ri\ciM jiiay a
vory iiii|iortant part, funiiNliin;; natural lii;;liwayN for travel ami tnMie,
and liaNcsof opiM-ations from wiiicli tlie iMlventiirouH pioneer ain extend
liJH reNCiirelies aftijr the unknown attractioimof tlie wilderiiesM, Astlio
popiilat'.iii and produetions of the coiintry incre^ise, and railroadN are
built XI every dii-ee/tioii, these artiticial liiieH of eoininunieatioii make the
natural river lines of less relative importance. [ii the full and coin-
plete development, however, these water liiu^s fiirniNli tran«iMHtatioii
for all the slow freij^ht and surplus prmliietions, and iM',t as a regulator
upon all of the internal eominereo of the country. Their ^fieat value in
this respeot cannot lie overestimated, and the general government inis
for iiiiiny years shown its wisdom by o]ieiiing up and freeing from oli
strnetioiis the natural water-courses within its domain as fast lus tliey
are reipiircd by the demands of commerce.

The great country drained by the (Joliimbia Uiver is still in its in-
fancy, and it is the (;lierislu>d scheme of all who are alive to its best in-
terests to see tlie whole river, or as mucb of it as is priwitieable, iipeii
to free navigation, and the healthful competition which would grow
therefrom.

In these pages I have aihled as much as I am abU^ to the knowledge
of the river and the conntry dr.iined by it, and trust that it will be use-
ful in any ettbrt that may Ixj made to secure the free navigation of the
whole of it, or at least of a very large jiortion.

Knteriiig the I'a<'ific Ocean near the forty sixth degree of latitude,
this river forms a great arm of the ocean, n\> which st^a going vessels
can go for one hundred miles and iikhc to the fiKit hills of the gn'at range
of mountains whose snow-elad summit peaks can Ix; seen by the sailor
as lie nenrs tlii' foaming breakers at the river's mouth.

Tde Coluiiibia by means of its tributaries drains the western slopi^
of the Hoik.v Mountains, from about the forty-second to the Htty third
piirallel of north latitude, a distance of about U04J miles, and has a drain-
Bge basin aggregating almost 2i5,000 square miles.
a. Ex. 18(i 10

If I
It I

74 COLUMUIA lUVKK.

Th*^ rollo\viiiKtii)>loKivi'^tliu aruiiH (IraiiHHl in tliu tliHuruiil HUiLoHund
Ti'iTiUuiiiM by tbo iiiomI iiapurtant tiibitUdoM: >=

DHAINAOR AHKAH.

Or<'K"" :

WilluiiKtttit (mill Coliimliialwlow immtli iif WillmiiotU)) K,*m

DrMCImt.H 10,000

.loliii l>»y, Willow Crwk, uml W»Ila Wiillo 12,(MK»

Hiiukc Uivor IT.VOO

WiiHliiiiH'oii 'IVrridiry:

Norlli »iilo ('i)lmiiliiH, Imlnw Hiinkn 8, (KK)

Colniiiliiii, aliovti Himkii IM), 3)'>0

Siiako ''•,'Z'M

Idiklio:

Coliiiiiliiii Kiviir 7,(>0(l

Snuk.' Kiv.r 70,040

Nminlii, Hiiiik.' Uivor li.iWO

Wyiiiniiij;, Nimkii Kivor .1, IH4

Ut'ali, Hiiiikr Kivor 7(K»

Miiiituna, CNiliiiiiliia Hivcr UO, WOO

ItriliHli Ciiliiiiil)ia, Cipluiiibia Ulvtir IIH, ^05

Totrtl aroa ilraiiiwl by Culiiiiibio — N<iiiaro iiiilcH iill, 'XA)

TliiH i« im area liir>j«ir than all tlio New Kiijilaiitl aiul Miilillc 8lal<'s,
witli Maryliiiid, Vii'tfiniu, and VVcwt Vir},niiia conihiuwl. For i»nri>o,soH
of coni[»aiison, 1 yive theii' aroas as taken I'loiu tlio lawt ('ensiiw ilL'i»ort:

. ' 8()imre mllea.

Maiiio :«j,000

Nii« llaiiijtHliiri) 9,280

Vriiiioiit io,aia

MaHHattliiiHotlH 7,800

CoiiiiiMiticiit 4,750

Khoilo Islaml 1,;J0«

08.348

Nfw York 47,000

PoniiMylvaiiia 40,000

Now .iorHi>y 8,:i--J0

Dolnwitru !i, 120

103, 440

Marylaml 11, lit

Virginia 38,348 u":

Wost Virginia 2;}, 000

72. 472

Total iHinaru uiilos 244,200

I also give liero for comparison the areas of tlie principal European
countries:

S(|unr» iiiilfH.

Great Hrttaiu and Ireland 121,230

Franco 201, yoo

Germany 212,091

A stria Hungary 22(), 400

Italy 112,077

Spain 182,758

roMiMntA RiVKU. 75

TlitMlraiiiiifio iin^aot' tlio Coliiinltiii may itlw) lor fniivoniciicf bo ili
vidrd UM followH:

Si|iiiirr lulliMi.

Hiiakii River li'l.tiin

TT|i|Mir Ooliimliiii ulinvc Jiiiii'tiiiii w llli Siinkr...,. W.lKt

Mitin ('iiliiinliiii Ih'Iiiw Jiiiictiiui 1:1, '^Nl

Total 'iU.mt

At a distiintu' oi;>.'<fi inilcM from tlio w>ft \\w miiin rivor Ih fornxMl by
it« two jitv.il briiiiolioH, tilt' soiitlHTn om> boiiijfiiow jjoiiornlly known n»
tlio tSniikt^ and tiio nortliorn as tlic (%>luiiibia.

TilR HNAKK RIVKR.

Tlic Snuko Rivortjvkosits vimi in tlio Houtliern piirt of Mio Ycllowslonn
Niitioiml I 'ark, very near tlio lu-adwatcrs of tlio >ra<lison I'Ntrk «)f tlio
MiHNoiiri and tlioOriu'ii Uivorbranoli of tlio Colonulo, tlio loniior flow-
ing to tlio (iiilf of Moxioo and tlio latlor totlioliulf off-alifoniia. I'^roin
it« source tlio Snako takos a Houtliwostorly nrso until it ooiiios within
sixty niiU'H of tlio proHont limits of tlio (Ireat Halt Lako of Iftiili. It liius
been cUiaiiy provon that this lako, in tho years lonj,' f,'ono by, wiw very
niuoh larger than it now is, oovoring an iininoiiso extent of territory,
and that it^ waters fuiiiid an outlet to the north into tho Hnake River
nod theneo to tho Columbia and Piuiitle Oeean. The outlet of this an
cient lako was determined and its boundaries traced by a party of the
Wheeler Survey, who gave to it tim name of Lake Honnovilh^ after the
(irst and most illustrious explorer of this section of the (Country. The
giiMbial upheaval of the northern portion of the continent lias taken
away the outlcst and left the lake what it now is.

From tli(^ vicinity of the (ireat Salt Lake the river takes a northwoHt-
erly course, tlowing through a treinendous canon in which are numer-
ous rajuds and falls of great magnitude and beauty, ranking with Ni-
agara and the falls of the Zanibesi in .\friea. Tlio ))rin(;ipal are the
(Ireat Shoshone Falls, the American Falls, and Salmon Falls. A num-
ber of stroanis flow into the Snake from tho lands to the south and west
of its course, principal among them beingthe Bruneau, Owyhee, Malheur,
Burnt, Powder, and (Irand Iloiide Itivers. Tho main braiuihes froiii
tiie east are the Mahule, Boist'), Payette, Salmon, (Jl«arwat«r. and l*a
ioaae Rivera.

Nearly all the streams tlowing into tho Snako may bo cliaract«'rlzod
;*H mountain torrents Howing through ih'op cafions, entirely unnavigablo
and with voi->' little valley lands along their courses.
' Some of them deserve more than a passing mention, especially tho
Salmon, the principal tributary of the Snake. It drains a large extent
of exMintry au<l Joins the Snako about fifty miles above Lcwiston, and
flows through probably tho doopest, grandest, and most impassable
cafion of any stream of corresponding magnitude in the world.

Nowhere on earth can there Ito a s«M3ne iii<u'(> grand, gloomy, and doso-

'I:

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

1^121 |25
US

■ 2.2

12.0

|l.25 1 U |,6

„

^.^*'

■>

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WIST MAIN STRilT

WEBSTIR, N.Y. 14S80

(716) 873-4503

^^^-7^

^^V^

4^>

^■^

COLlIMniA RIVKH.

Into tliiin whero these two rivnrH Join thoir watorn. Both coino flowing
clown with torrontiiil veloitity tliroiigli caiionH 3,<)00 feet in depth, with
mgged, bliuik, anil utmost vertical Hides, the Riilltwhite wators of the
Snake cotirHing alongside tlie clear bhic Salmon water for a half mile or
niofi) hefore they Anally mingle among the jagged rocks of the Htupon-
doiiH caflon below.

At liowiston the Clearwater a<lds its waters, and it is from this point
U) its nmnth that tlie Snake is at present navigable and navigate<l by
Htoamers. Steamers can pass, however, nearly np to the month of the
(h-and Itonde, thirty miles above Lewiston ; but as there is nothing to
•tall them np they do not now traverse this portion of the river.

A stiMiiner has been run np the Snake for about eighty miles above
Ijowiston, (M'-cupying fourteen days in making the ascp'.it, of which thir-
t4>en were taken up in nniking the lust thirty-five miles. The "un down
was made in one day ; I was once informed in five hours. This illustrates
the (!harnct«r of the Snake Uiver for punmses of navigation.

The I'alouse is the lowest tributary of the Snake, and, although not
of any im]>ortanc« oh a large stream, it drains an exceedingly fertile
and promising country. A large proportion of the best farming lauds
of I'iiistorii Washington Territory lie along the Palouso and its tributary
streai:~,

THE UPPBB COLUMBIA.

The great rortheru branch which unites with the Snake to form the
main river is designated as the Columbia, or iu coutradistiuctiou Ui the
hirer river, as the Upper Columbia.

Amid the universal gloom and midnight silence of the north, a little
above the fifty-second parallel ol" latitude, seemingly surrounded on 'ill
sides by cloud-piercing snow-clatl mountains, and nestle*! down iu
among the lower and nvm: sr ctMlar-mantled hills, there lies a narrow
valley where three streams meet and blend their waters, one coming
from the s«>utheast, one from the northwest, and one from the east.
The [)rincipal one of these three streams is the one from the southeast,
which rises in a small lake near the fiftieth parallel of latitude, and
Hows to the northwest in a deep gap between the main Rocky Mountain
chain on the oast and the Selkirk Jliuige on the west, to the point of
Junction, an<l is the headwater stream of, and bears the nauio of the
Oohnnbia. It is about one hundred and eighty milec long, and is sivid
t« be navigable for more than half the way.

The northwestern stream is the extramo northeni branch of the Co-
lumbia, rising bey(Hid the fifty-third parallel of latitude, an<l is known
among the fur trailers and voyaijeurH a» Canoe liiver, from the excellence
of tlu) bark procuro«l on its banks for canoe building. This is a small
river, forty yards wide at its nu>uth, fiowing through a densely timbered
valley in which the trees overhang the stnutm to siu;h an extent as
alnuKst. to shut it out from tlie light of heaven, and attain an enormous

COUTMniA RIVER.

ni7.o, ]>nrticiilar1y tho pin«N niul cedars, oiio of tlie latter, mennnrcd by
Alexander IIohh, l^cillg forty-fivo feet four incheH in girth at a lioiglit of
four fe(«t from the ground.

Portage Kiver, tlie third of tliiH trio of HtreaiuH, the HnialhtHt and the
moat remarkable of them, is tho one which enters from the tmst. It Iiim
its source in tho very he irt of the ll«M;ky Mountains and flows through
a tremendous deft in the main range between two of its loftie.st imiks,
Mounts Brown and Hooker. Just underneath tht^se giant mountains,
on the divide known as "Tiie Height of Land," lie two small lakes, each
ab<Hit thirty yards in diameter, and which are only a fewyiirds fnun mwU
other. One hits itA outlet Ut the west, Portag(« River, tlowing to the
Columbia; the other has its outlet to the east, Whirl|MMil River, a briineli
of the Athabasca, which Joins the Mackenzie and tlows to the Arctic
Uce4Ui.

The 'Elevated valley iu which these lakes are situate*! is e^illetl the
(Committee's Punch Howl, and the nabobs of the fur trade always treated
their c^unpanions to a bucket of punch when this place was r(^a<died, if
they hail the ingro<Iient« of which to make it, and they usually had.

The ]>ass across thfe mountains by the I'ortage River, the Commi^tet^'.s
Punch Howl, and \Vhirl]>ooI River, known as the Athabasc^v VtisH, was
for many years the prine'',)al route of the Hritish fur triulers in going
fVom one side cf the Rocky Moutitains to the other. This route is far
from l)eing an easy one, and a <lescri]ttion of the diftleulties, dangers,
and discomforts attendent upon a trip over it will iM^rtainly det4T any
one fi-om making the Journey for pleasure. A grtiat i)art of the way the
traveler has to wmle up to his niiddle iu the icy waters of the Portage
River. The Journey ha«1 to l>e made in the spring l>etore the summer
thaws and rains set in, or in the autumn after severe cold weather had
liN;k(Ml up the uumntAin drainage. During the summer tli<; stream Ite-
coniea an impetuous impassable UKmntAin torrent Alexander Itoss,
after making the Journey from the C'oluuibia to the Athabasca, thus
pictures tho delights of the Journey up Portage Riv^^r;

Let tli« ran<li<r picture in liin own niiiiil n ilurlc, niirniw (li<H1i% Hkirtml nn oiia Niilnliy
n oliitin of inso^flwible inoiintRinR riitiiit( to » great liniKlit, voviiriMl widi khow, iiml
Hli|>|i«ry witli ice rroin tlioir tops ilowu to tho water'H v:\m', ; miil on iIdi otiivr niiIc it
ImaiJieniiipamlivclyluw, InitHtmliled ill an irn!giilui' iiiaiiiKT witli Htaniliiit; ami I'alli'n
trw'H, rocks, and ici>, ami full of drift-wood, over ., liich the tonviil everywhere rimlicH
with HUch irreoiHlilde inipetnoHity that very few wnnld dare to ndviMitnn- IhcniwlvcH
ill tlie Htreikin. Let hlin again imagine a rapid river deHcemlini; fr<mi Rome i;reat
height, lining up the whole ohannel between the iticky previpii^eii on the Hoiith, and
the no U'HH dnngeroiiH harrier on the north ; and laHtly, let lilin ciipikhm! that we were
obliged to inakeonr way on foot agaiiiHt Hiich a torrent, by uroiwing and riH'roHMing it
in all ittt tuniH and windingn, fmin inoniiiig till night, up to the middle in water, and
ho will undumtAml the difflenltieii t'O lie overcome in cniming the Kocky MonntainH.

The Junction of tho thrett streams above alluded to is known as Hoat
Encampment. From this point the Columbia tlows nearly due south for
alnmt four IiuFidrod miles, to whei'e it makes its great liend \o the west
at the mouth ul tho S|H)kanfa River.

COLtTMBIA RIVER.

Ilii;^.

For tlio tint ono hiindrod and fifty mileH of itH oonroo it flows, us a
))r(^nnm1 tliitif;, Miroiiffli a deep ciifion, closely slint in on ea<;h side by
towering mounttuns so near to cucli otlier as t-j conflFie the \iow to the
WMilty lioiglits on each side and the sky abcve. Numltcrs of anial! streams
(ionio into the main river fh)ni the ea^^t and west, and generally their
waters come in over some towering cliff in the form of a cataract, Bonio
of wliich are very onrions and beantifnl. One, coming into the river
Just almvo the Dalle* de» VorU, is described by a visitor* as follows:

A littlo after atnrting wo bnckwl our paddles mid ataod atill for Homo niiniitcg nd-
niiriiift n ntrikiiiK iiatnrnl onrfoHity on the oast aide. The wator of a cataract crook,
aft4tr alio<itiii){ over the brink of a bold precipioo, falls in a white ahoot on to a bn^ml
Hat rock, KOiooth as glaiia, which forms the first step ; then upon a second, sonio t«n
funt lower duwn, and lastly, on n third, somewhat lower. It then entttra a snbtorra-
iioouH vault, formed at tho niiuith llko a funnel, and after passing thrbutjhthis funnel
it. ncniu imnoN forth with a noise of diatant tlinudor. After falling over another
st<>p it uiootx the fVont of a Imld rock, which repulses back the water with such vio-
lence as to keep it whirling round in a large basin. Opposite to this rises tho wing of
a shelving cliif, which overhanpi tho basin and forces back the rising spray, refract-
ing in the sunsliinoall the colors of the rainbow. The crook then enters tho Coluhibia.

Numerous islands exist in the river, some of them remarkable for
Iteing formiu. almost, if not entirely, Arom drift-wood, compressed by
the force of the current so closelv vad. solidly together that it seems to
have iMHsn laid in tiers w by liio hand of man. Tho Selkirk Range,
whose Jagged, craggy peaks are li-om 7,000 to 0,000 feet high, lies to tho
east of the river. To tho west lies the low Oold Range from 2,000 to
6,000 feet high, and beyond this and between it and the Okinakane and
the Thompson liivers the country is generally rolling and covered with
bunch grass.

At a distance of about seventy miles fh)m Boat Encampment there is
a very Lad system of rapids, known to tho vot/ageur$ as the J)allat des
Mort«. They are about two miles long from end to end. Many a iH>or
fellow has closc<l his earthly career by intnisting himself in their
tHMuthcriMis wati^ra, and a numl»cr of solitary graves are hero to l)e seen,
and names of victims never found are carved on tho surrounding rocks.

At a distance of alraut twenty-three miles ftom the Dalles des Morts,
down the river, there is a remarkable height on the east side of tho
river, partly covered with snow and partly with numerous* towering
rocks,' broken fragments, peaks, and serrated ranges, resembling tho
turrets, domes, spires, and steeples of a city in ruins. Tho mist hanging
over the place atids to (he deception, and the longer this City of Rocks
is li>oke<1 at the more complete becomes the illusion.

Twenty-two miles lielow the City of Rocks are the Little Dalles, or
Narrows, where for about a mile the river is almost completely shut in
by mountains and rocks. This is passable by steamers, however, while
at tho Dalles dtts Morts steamers are I'.nabio to ascend.

Along this imrtion of the river there occurred in the year 1817 ono of

'Unas.

! if:

COLUMBIA BIVEU.

those turriblo upiHodoH of froutior life, at the thought of whiuh tho huurt
turiiH Hick. On the Itith of April of this year, a party of twoiity-tliivu
moil loft Fort George, now Astoria, tu ascend the Columbia <inil cross
the Itooky Modut'uits by the Athabasca Pass. On tho liTth of May
they aiTivetl at the mouth of tho Portage Itiver, or Boat Eucami)uiout,
after the most severe labors and exposure in dragging their (tanoes
up tho rapids and making their way along the rocky shores. Seven
men of the party were so weak, sick, and worn out, that they were un-
able to proceed across the mountains, so they were given the best canoe
and some provisions and sent back down the river to Si)okane House.
After leaving the liocky Mountains they went rapidly down tho river
until the Dalles des Morts were reached. Here, in passing their luiat
down over the rapids by a lire, it was caught in a whirli^ool and the
line snapited, and the boat and all its contents of provisione, blankets,
&o., was irrevocably lost. Here the poor fellows found themselves
utterly destitute, and at a season of tho year when it was impossible to
procure !Viiy wild fruit or roots. The continual rising of the water (!om-
pletely inundated tho bewih, which com))elled them to force their way
through a dense forest, rendered almost impervious by a thick growth
of prickly underbrush. Their only nourishment was water. On the
thiiil day Ma^on died, and his surviving comrades, though unconscious
how soon they might Iw called on to follow him, divided his remains
into espial parts, on which they subsisted for several days. From the
sore and swollen state of their feet, : iieir daily progress did not exceed
two or three miles. Holmes, the tailor, shortly followeil M*iyon, and tliey
continued for some time longer to sustain life on his emiusiated Ixxly.
In a little while of the seven men only two remained alive, Uulxiis and La
Pierre. La Pierre was subse^iuently found on the borders of the lJpi>ur
Lake of the Columbia by two Indians who wore coasting it in a canoe.
They took him on board and to Kettle Falls, from whence he was con-
ducted to Spokane House. lie stated that after the death of the tlfth
man of the party, Dubois and he continu(;d for some days at the siiot
where he Iiad ended his sufferings, and on quitting it they loaded them-
selves with as much of bis flesh as they could carry ; that with this they
succeeded in reaching the Upper Lt^ke, aronnd the shores of which they
wandered for some time in search ul Indians; that their horrid food at
length became exhausted, and they were again reduced to the prospect
of stiirvation; that on the second night after theij* last meal, ho (La
Pierre) observed something suspicious in the conduct of Dubois, which
induced him to be on his guanl ; and that shortly after they hail lain
down for the night, and while he feigned sleep, he observed Dubois
cautiously opening his clasp knife, with which he sprung on him, and
inflicted on his hand the blow which was evidently intended for his
neck. A silent and dosperato conflict followed, in which, after severe
struggling, La Pierre succeeded in wresting tho knife from his antago-

COLUMBIA BIVER.

>>iNt, niul having no other resonrce left, ho was obligeil in Holf-defenso to
cut ] >ulMiiH'8 tliroat, and tliat a few dayo afterward he whh diHcoverc<l
by tlie Indiium an above mentioned.*

At H diHtanco of thirt.y -seven miles below the Little Narrows the houA
of the Upt>er Arrow I^ake is reached. This is an enlargement of the
river, in which, liowever, very little cnrrent is to be detected. It is
about thirty-three miles long and three Mride. The view along this por-
tion of the river is much more open and the conntrj' more le^'el than
along the river to the north.

Fur abont sixteen miles the river narrows somewhat nntil the Lower
Arrow Lake is reached. This lake is two and a half miles wide and
alHiut forty-two miles long, and is a beantiful sheet of water.

About ten or twelve miles below the southern extremity of the Tjowor
Arrow Lake there comes in from the east tiie Kooteiiay River, the larg-
est branch of the Up]>er Columbia. This river pursues a very circuit-
ous (iourse and drains a large extent of mountainous ciountry. It rises
near tlie flfty-flrst parallel of latitude and pursues a southerly course for
three liundrt^d itnd fifty miles to the old Kootenay Fort. Here it makes
a great I>end to the northwest, and after flowing in this direction two*
hundred miles it makes another turn to the southwest, and in tifry or
sixty miles distance reaches tlie Columbia. Just before making tliis
last turn it Hows through a lake about seventy Ave miles long and from
two to five broad, similar to the Arrow Lakes of the Columbia. This
Kootenay Lake and a great part, of the river is navigable, but in the
lower portion of its course it breaks throngh the Selkirk range of
mountains and has many rapids and falls, one fall of flfteen feet being
a sliort distance from the Columbia. Its principal tributaries are the
M(H>yic, the Yakh, and the Tobacco rivers, all small streams. This
is the flrst of the tributaries of the Columbia which flows in any iwr-
tioii of its course within the territory of the United States, a great
liortion of its angular southern bend lying south of the forty-ninth par-
allel.

The hetulwaters of the Kootenay are within a very small distance of
the headwaters of the Bow River, a tributary of th<- Saskatchewan, which
flows to Hudson's Bay.

JuHt north of the forty-ninth parallel, and about twenty-four miles
down from the mouth of the Kootenay, there enters the Pend d'Oreitle
River or Clarke's Fork from the east. This is the longer and by far the
most important biiMich of the Upper Columbia, although it is doubtful
if it flows as much water as the Kootenay. It drains all that portion of
the country lying between the 2ocky and the Bitter Root Monntains.

Tlie Flathead River is its principal northern tributary ; risingin British
Columbia it flows south, through Flathea«l Lake, a magnificent sheet of
water, audunites with the Missoula River to form the main Pend d'Oreille.

* R088 Cox.

COLUMBIA RIVKP

JoahuA Piloher, one of the early explorers of this oouutry, sivyit of this
Flathead Lake :

It \» almnt tlilrtjr-flvo milm in length liy flvo or «lx In width, Thla lake ronimiiiii-
oatea with Ciurke'H River and ia formod by ita northern branch. It ia RiirroniidtMl by
lofty uiouiitaina, whoau aiimiiiita r>ro in many caaea covered with |ieriietiial aiiow. It
lioa in a valley, which ia oxteiutiva, rich, and would anpi>ort a cunaideraldo |)o|i(ila-
tion. Tbu valley itaelf ia covered with liixnriant graaa, iinil the foot of the nioiin-
taina with a variety of timber and vegetation iudicntiiig the rioheat miil. * * '

The upper parta of Clarke'a River iaanefkvm rugged mouutaina covered witli ainumt
impenetrable foreata of pine and oedar, but there are aeveral altuationa on tliia river
which would admit of aottlementit to u oonaidurable ext«nt ; and though not compitr-
ablu iu fertility of aoil to the rich lauda of Mlaaouri and Illinoia, yet a!iporior to nuiny
of the inhabited and cultivated parta of tlie Atlauti'! Statoa, where itowerftil uoin-
nmnitioa have grown np. The Flathead Lake and ita rich and lieaiitiful valley aru
on thia fork, and vie iu apiiearauco with the beautiful lakea and valleya of Hwitzur-
land. At the fo<jt of the monntaiua,- aooonling to Information, there ia a bolt or atrip
of fertile land, nimilar to what ia aeen at the foot of the Alleghany and Uluo Ridge.

The Saint llegis Borgia, Bitt«r Itoot, Hell Gate, Big Blackfoot and
Deer Lodge rivers are the main feeders of the Missoula.

It is a singular fact that all the large rivers of the north, in some por-
tion of theu* course, oiwu out into a lake or lakes; it is so with the Pend
d'Oreille River, the lake of the same name being an enlargement of
the river \vith a great arm to the soutli.

This lake is crossed by the forty-eighth parallel of latitude and is
situated wholly within the territory of Idaho. This river is of great
importance, ftamishing, as it does, a practicable and easy pass across
the Bitter Root Mountains for a railroad, which is being utilixeil by
the Northern Pacitlo Railroad Company. The Pend d'Oreille Lake and
the river in its vicinity are uavigable; no other portions of the river are,
as far as I have been able to leant.

At its mouth the river is about fifty yanls wide, and pours itself into
the Columbia in one fine Toaming sheet over a ledge of rocks eight or
ten feet high, which bars it across from side to side.

Pursuing its course to the southward through a most iMiautiful c;oiui-
try, the next tributary of importance comu'g into the Columbia is the
S]M)kane River, which drains a large portion of the country west of the
Bitter Root Mountains, is the outlet of Cuenr d' Alfiue Lake, and, Howing
westward, reaches the Columbia where it makes its big bend to the
west. No other struim comes into the left bank of the Columbia until
it is joined by the Snake.

Several snitUl streams draining the country of the Colville Indians
flow from the north, but none of any magnitude until the Okinukaiiu is
reached. This noble river is the outlet of a mountain-environed lukt;,
about eighty miles in length, lying between 40° 30' and IHP IW north
latitude. There are a number of beautifUl lakes in the course of the
river below the large fountain lake.

From the region of the Cascade Mountains, and draining tlieir eastern
slopes, several streams come iu to swell the Columbia — the Methow,
8. Ex. 180 11

COLUMBIA RIVKB.

Ciielaii, Eiitutqua, Wuuatohee, and Yakima, boiiig thu only ones wurUiy

of IIOtitM).

Shortly aiU'ir joining the Bnako the Columbia makvH a Kroat bend Ut
the w««t and receives "n Huecesaion tlio Walla Walla, Umatilla, John
Day, l)e8 ChutoH, Klikitat, Willamette, Oowlitz and other rivenj and
BtroaniH, and, after breaking through the CiMtcade Mountains, in a gorge
unanrpaHHeil on earth for iMsaufy and grandeur, in latitnile 46° 15' it
IHmra itH fi-itMh m^jestie flood through the whiteuai>i>ed brcsikerH of ita
biir into the placid wtwtem ocean.

11^

Mil:

CnAPTKIlVIII.

uis'wuy or thk discovery and kxiiohation of tub colusioia

my Kit.

About the uame time in the eventful year of 1402 that the indomita-
ble energy and geniuH of ColumbuH was rewanlod by his discovery of
a new world, a conclave of cardinals at Rome rewarded an almost nn-
paralleled course of hyiMKjrisy by electing Alexander VI Poihi «>f Uome.

The ti^mi>oral i)Ower of the Itoman Church Itegan about this time to
topple and to take its downward course to the pitiful condition which it
o<!CupieH at present. Alexander VI, "the incarnatiiui of the secular
Hitirit of the papacy," nnule grand eftbrts to reestablish and itcritetuato
the temimral power of the church, yet, notwitlistsinding all his eftbrtM,
this successor of Peter ap]>ears for the last time in history as theundis-
pute^l bestower of kingdoms and the ultimate tribnnal of apiieal for
Christian nations. Spain and Portuijal rosortecl to him for the adjust-
ment of their claims to the new world ; by tnicing a line on a map he dis-
posed of three-fourths of the human race, and more than three-fourths
of the world of land and water.

Never, according to mediteval ideas, ha<l a Pope exerted his preroga-
tive with equal grandeur to that when Alexander VI bestowed uiion the
two greatest maritime lowers of Europe, to each one-half of the Pagan
world of land and water and human beings; that world then just be-
ginning to be dimly seen by the light of the magniflceut discoveries of
Columbus and his successors.

Upou these extraordinary grants was founded the celebrated treaty
of partition of the ocean, concluded in 1794, by which the Portuguese
were to ei^joy ond possess the exclusive rights of discovery, trade, con-
quest., and dominion in all the seas and territories not previously be-
longing to a Christian prince or i)eople, ea«t of a meridian line passing
three hundred and seventy leagues west of the Cape Verde Islaiuls, and
the Spaniards were to possess all seas and all Pagan lands west of that
line.

The two nations having thus, under the sanction and guarantee of the
highest power in Europe, settled the conditions by which the/ appropri-

■1-

COUrMHIA KIVKB.

At«d to tliPninelvoH the entire I'agtin world, witliont i^gnr«1 to tlir* cliiiina
or (luHireH of aiiylKxtj' olxe, ciw;li oontinuMl Um Honnili for n iiavignltlo
pnMHAgn to 1 11(1 in.

The PortURiieHO wore HoonoHt HuccosHfnl, by 8ailiiiK iiroiind tli« «»ntli-
oni oxtrnmity of Afticn, ninl OHtjihliHliiiif; tlieir colonitm niul iiiHuoiKio in
nmiiy of the ro^'onH of Soiitlicrn Ania. They iiIho ol)tniiio<l pottHOHHion
of Itmzil, whicli waM fouixl to lit* to tho eant of the dividinf; iiioridiiiii,
very iimch to tho exiwiieration of the 8paniiirdH, who hiul exiMji-tod by
thn treaty of partition to have exohiHive dominion over tho (tountritw
lyiiiK t.o tho wuHt of the Atlantic;.

The SpanianlH laltored with gn>.at naniefltiioH8 and hiiccohh In pluntiiiK
colonicH ill the Went Indies, and in exploring the coiimIh in the vicinity,
whieh th<\v hooii ascertaineil to be tho Itordera of a gntat coiitlnont.

With the object of awM^rtniniiig tho extent of thin continent, they itoi-
severed in their exainiiiatioiiH, in which they were onconraged by the
coiiHtant awinrance of the uativefl of the coants and islaiwln i'UH|)eotiiig
the existence of a great sea and rich and powerftil nations towanls the
sotting Hiin.

In tlio year 1513 this great sea wa» discovered near where Panama
now stands by Vasco Niiiiok de Balboa. This was naturally Hupposc«l to
lie the Sonthern Ocean which bathed the shores of India, and us its
proximity to the Atlantic was at the same time ascertaiiietl, it was very
reasonably hope<l that the two oceans would be fonnd to be <;oiiii(H!tod
in HUfdi a manner as t^i afford a speedy and safe passage for ships from
one to the other. This hoi>o fonnd encimragcnieiit in the fact that a
Portiignese navigator namcil Cortereal claimed that in 141H) and 1500 he
sailed through a narrow channel, named by him the Straits of Anian,
into another great sea coinniiinicating with tho B«mthern or Indian
Oce4vn.

The great hope was, however, diH]H>llc4l, as the ex]>lorationH soon proved
oonoluHivelj' the entire st^paration of the oceans in the regions near the
West Indies.

In the year 1620 Fernando Magellan discovered and sailefl through
the Ktrait bearing his name, south of the American continent, into the
great o<;ean discovered by lialboa, and pro«M)eding wttstward, Iiulia was
reached, and for the iirst time in the history of inankind the worKi was
circnmnavigateil.

This route for reaching India by the Straits; of Magellan was not sat-
isfactory, owing to its length, difticiiltios, and dangers, and the search
was Htill continue<l for other and more diriMst channels frcnn tho Atlantic
to the Houthem Ocean.

The wealthy and jiowerftil Empire of Mexirx) was discoverwl in 1618,
and a few years after it was conqnoriHl for tho Spiinish Crown by Her-
nando Cortes, aft«r one of the most heroic and cniel campaigns recorded
in human annals.

When the conquest of Mexico hatl been compietcd tho Hpaniards ini-

COLUMniA RIVRR.

■I
if

miMliatoly tiinicKl their attention to tlio northwestern ooant of Anioricn.
Their ux|MMlitionH by iien nn«l huid in that direction wore nninerouB, and
(!orl«H liiniHelf set the exainpU) by undertnkinir Hcvoral of the earlieHt
at hiM own expentte and condncting one of them in {Nirson. Tlie Rni|)entr
hiul oxliort4Ml him to explore the northern Heos in Hearch of "the aeeret"
of a Htrait which ahouhl abridge the voyage from Spain to the East Indies,
and lie willingly ongagMl in the now cntcrpHseH of extending tlioBpan-
isli iHJwer into tther and as yet unexplore«l regions, and of solving, per-
ha]»s, the long-studied problem of a direct northern passage by water to
Cathay.

The iM'lief in the existence of such a northwest passage to India, join-
ing the Atlantic in the iH)Hition variously assigned to Corten^al's Stniits
of Anian, was wide spread among the maritime nations of Euroiw, and,
all joining in thu s«iarch, many voyages of discovery were niailo vilong
both coasts of North America during the sixteenth and sevenioenth
ctMituries. Many false reiwrts of the discovery of the desired channel
were circulated, the effects of which reports were to spur all to greater
exertions, and to promote very materially the explorations in the west-
ern world.

Foremost among all on the western coasts were the 8panfards, urged
on by the indomitable CQcinA. kie and his successors on the vice-rt^gal
throne of Mexico gradually extcndiMl the knowledge of th'^^ coasts. The
vacillating and selflsh policy of Hpain, however, grcatlv hindered her
own subjiHjts from pursuing their explorations with vigor, and her claim
t4> exclusive dominiou over all the wet^torn world deteired mariners of
other nations from making persistent efforts.

Until the beginning of the seventeeuth century the Spanish naviga-
tors pushed their voyages of discovery as far as they conld along the
coiu<ts of Western America, and then they ceased almost entirely for
a hundretl years and more, owing to the change in the iM>licy of Spain.
She hail ceased to desire the existence of a northwest passage from
Europe to the Pacific, because, though such a passage might in some
resiMMJts be useful to her, it would be greatly more iiyurious to her in
other respects, inasmuch as it would bring down upon her possessions
in the Pacific and Indian Seas the piratical cruisers of the northern
nations of Europe. The expetiitions of Drake and Cavendish had shown
that the circuit of Cai>e Horn did not furnish to Si>ain a complete
security for her possessions in the Pacific. Still more alarming would
have l>een their insecurity if accessible by au easy piissage from the
vicinity of Hudson's Bay.

In this connection, and illustrating the policy of Spain, it may be in-
teresting to know that in the time of Philip II it was propdse<l to cut a
canal through the isthmus of Panama for the passage of ships from one
ocean to the other, and two Flemish enginiH>r8 were sent to examine
the place with that object. They, however, found the obstacles insuper-
able, and the Council of the Indies at the same time represented to the

COLUMRIA RIVKB.

Kiiifc thfl ii\|iiri«s which Huch a onnal would oootution to tho inoiinnthy,
in noiiHcqiKMiott of \fliich liis iniyoiity deorotMl tlint no on«« hIiouIiI in
fnture attempt, or men propoee, nueh an undertaking under penaltj/ of
dfatk^

All thiH time tho Columbia waa imuring itfi undiHoovernd wiitoi'N int<»
tho Piuuflo, ivnd the HpaniBh und EnKlinh »»^ i|{»tora who voutunjd into
thiH wo«t4)ni ocoan wont blindly by it

Discovory in tin* North Piiciflc wtw revivwl by Ruiwift, who, in oonHO-
qnonco of her AHiatic ]NMHOH8ionH, very nntuntliy tnnuMi li«>r att^'ntion
to tho opiMwit^ coast of Amorioo. Tho voyage of HohriuK and Twliiri-
kow, in 1728, 1729, and 1741, led to a more exiust knowlMlg** of tho rol-
ativo beiuiiifcs of the Asiatic and American itoiiMt:fi in the IiIkIi northern
latitiules, and to the llussian eatabliahmenU^ on the Aleutian IhIiuhIh
and tho promontory of Alaska.

These events alarmed Spain and stimulated England, and the numer
ons voyages of those two nations to the northwest const eusuc<l.

I'assing by those voyages which added nuching to the knowltxlge of
the Columbia, or gave no clue to its existence, we come to the years
1774 and 1779, when three exploring voyages were made by order of tho
8i>anish Government, in which the west coasts of America were exam-
ined as far north as the sixtieth degree of latitude. The second of these
voyages was under the command of Capt. Bruno Ilecata, and he, on tho
15th of August, 1775, arrived opposite an ojtening, in the latitude AVfi
17', from which rushed a current so strong as to prevent his entering it.
This circumstance convinced him that it was the mouth of some great
river, or, i)erhaps, of the straits of Fuoa, whioh might have l>eeu erro-
neously placed on his chart. He in consequence remained in its vicinity
another day in the hope of asoertaining the true character of the place,
but, Iteing still unable to enter the oi>ening, he continued his voyage
towards the south.

On the opening in the coast thus discovered Ilecata bestowed the
name of EnaeSada de Asuncion, or Ataumption Inlet, calling the imint
on its north side Vape 8an Boque, and that on the south Caj)e Frondono,
or Leafy Gape. lu the charts publishci in Mexico soon after the conclu-
sion of the voyage, the entrance is called En SeAada de Heonta, or Hecata's
Inlet, and Eio de 8an sioque, or river of Saint Roc. It was undoubtedly
the mouth of the great river of the western side of America; the same
which was, in 1702, first entered by the ship Columbia, from Boston,
under the commaud of Robert Gray, and has ever since been called the
Columbia. The evidence of its first discovery by Ilecata on the 15th
of August, 1775, is unquestioned.

By this time the iwwer of Spain in the New World hiul become very
much reduced, owing to tlie tx>ntinual and daring warfare and explonv
tions carried on by tho gallant sailors of Britain and her American
colonies.

* Qreenbow.

COLITMniA RIVEB.

I'l

Tilt) I'lifliflo wiiM now <>])en to tlio odventurouH Hailors niid trndorfl of
nil iiatiiHiH. *

III the iiinaii tiiiiu tb« BiiiKliflh mid French, and tlioir Ainorioan de-
NmiidaiitM, hiui Iteeii piiHliiiiir their disoovories to the w(wtfn>iii tlio At-
luiitM! (Miiutta, mid oiich your hv.w HOinothing iwldod to thn knowliMlK« <>r
i\w unmt interior of Ainurio),. To tlio Fronoh nnd BvlKiaii otli«wrfi mid
iiiiHMioiiiirim iiiiiHt 1m) kIvuii thuomdit for the moat cxtvndml nnd during
(ix|ilorntionH nnd Murvcya.

From the IiidimiN Hinoiif; whom tliey Hojoumed they doriveil a viif^iio
I<iiowI(mIk*^ of n ^rtuit rivor Howiiiif to the west, luid ni>on nearly nil tlio
iiin|m of Aniericn pnbliHluHl diiriii({ the (Mirly pnrt of tlio fliKht^Hinth cen-
tury may be fonnd one or more Huch riverH repreiNtntoil. Tlieflo rivers
v/vni given the iintiie of Uiver of the Went, Hirer Thegaya, River AffniUir,
or Home other, and were reproHcntiHl on the authority of accounts re-
(■4«iviHl from the IndinnH, or of ermiicouH or fabuluna nooonnts of voyogita
along the North Pacific counts.

(Jn t. .Tonnthan Cavver, of Connecticut, spent the years 170fl-'O7-'O8
anions the Indians of the Upiier Mississippi, ai.d ten years Inter pub-
HnIumI an account of his travels, &o., in which he sevenil times si>eaks
of this as the (^^at river of the west, or the Oregon, or Origan.

This is the flrst mention of the name Oregon. Mr. Greeiihow says
that iiiu(;h labor has been exiieiidcd in vain to discover its meaning and
derivation, and that it was most probably invontfl<l by Carver.

Although it does not seem {mssible to determine with <'<>rtainty the
origin of the word Oregon, it does not seem at all probable that it is a
nicnninglcHH word invented or coined by Carver.

It has been claimed, and not without some reason, that it is from the
Spanish word Oregnw, the wild marjoram. Origanum Vulgare It, found
growing in abundance along the coasts. It also may bo from the 8pan-
inIi word Oreja, the ear, or some of it« derivatives, as Or^on, or Orejonee,
signifying dried fruits, and in the familiar language of Spain sigiiifles
iloff^H-mrt, an ear-pulling, &c. A derivative word Orejera signifies a sort
of car-ring worn by Imlians.

Carver did not write his lM)ok until ten years after he flnishod his
travels and returnu('t to England, and it is very probable that he heard
the word or saw it in some Spanish chronicle and made use of it in his
own narrative.

The expedition which left England in 1776, under the command of
tiu\ intrepid navigator, Capt James Cook, made known to the world
the immense proflta which conhl be derived fh>m the tmmmcrce in furs
between the PaciHc coastu of America and China. In this trade were
soon engaged a number of ships sailing under various Hogs and com-
mandoil by men of difierent nationalities, but principally by English-
men.

Captain Meares, sailing in 1788 under the flag of the British East
India Company, searched for Hocata's river of Saint Itoc, but, instead

COLUMBIA RIVKB.

of ftiKliuK t'v river, he fmitul in the pliioo wliero it wm looaUMl on tlie
HiniiiIhIi c'liiirUi a larffo bay, whfuh lie was iiiiiiMo to «Hnt(«r hiiiI Ut wliicli
lie gare tlie nuiiie of l)e«eption Hay; to the northern promontory hu
gave the name of (/a|M) UiHapimintinnnt, wiiich nnino it Htill tmirH. Ilu
explicitly denied the exiHtence of any Hnoh rivrr iih the Biiint IttHi.

.11 the Hunimer of 1787 the Columbia and WaiiMHffton, tHinuniindcd
by John Kemlrick and Robert Gray, were ntte<l out in iioHton for triMio
on the nortliwoNt c-oiwt. Tho Wuxliin/ton, uoininnndud liy Oray, uiimIo
the northwest ocnat in Augunt, 178t>, n the forty-Mixth d«>grt)>ia.

Uray remaint^JI on the coast (! > ig 178!), ongi^^wl in explorutioim and
trading voyages, in tho oonri^o of which no ''cntenxl and hhIUmI up u
gn«t arm of the sea for fifty miles in a roiithoast direction and found
the iNuuiagc five leagues wide.^ This wits the Strait of Juan *lu Ku(;»,
disoovereil by the old Greek pilot in la02, and seen, but not cnt(>red,
by Iterkoley in 17A7.

In the latter p;irt of tho year (1780) Gray sailed in >; rionnind <»f tlio
Columbia to China, which he reached in Dei'^inlier, and from thonce
sailed ariHind the Cajie of Go4n1 IJoi>e, and arrived iu liostoii AnguMt
lU, I79U, having carrie<l the flag of the United Htates for the llrMt time
around the worhl.

Kendrick, in comnuwd of the Washington, ittu'.Mnetl and niiwlu ex-
andnatioDs of the northwest coasts, and niust bo consideied as tlie first
penton lielonging to a civilized nation who sailed entirely tlirougli tlio
Htraits of Fnca after its discovery by the Greek |tilot in 151)2. lie Hailod
to the eastward through the Strait of Fuoa, then nortliwestwanl tlirougli
the Stniits of Georgia and Queen Charlotte's Sound to the I'acillu, thus
cMtablishing the insalation of Vancouver Island.

In September, 1790, Gray, still in connnand of the Columbia, saileil
from lioston, and in Jane, 1791, arrived on the northwest coast and re-
muine«l, trading and exploring about Queen Charlotte's Island, until the
Mpdug of 1792, when he took his departui-e on an exiieditiou soiitliward
along the coast. Returning to the northward, he, on the 2Uth of April,
met Vanoonver near the Straits of Fuoa, and, amon^ other things, in-
formed him that in the latitude 40° 10' he had lieen off the mouth of a
large river, where the outsetting current was so strong as to prevent his
entering it, although for nine days h^ tried to do so.

Vancouver and bis lieutenant, Broughton, hml just finished a very
curefnl examination of the coast trom Cape Mendocino to the Straits of
Fnca; had noticed the Deception Hay of Meares, in latitude 4(*o W, and
that here the sea changed from it^^ ;.>taral to rivor-coloreil water, but
did not consider the oi>ening worthy his attention, and from tlio lino of
breakers deemed it inaooessible. He records his emphatic disbelief iu

COLUMBIA BIVEB.

t --'■

the exiMtoiice of any Hafe port or large river aIon{; the part of the coast
examino<I by him.

Aff .* parting with tlie English ship, Gray sailed along the coast to
the Huiith, ;l«terniinpd to soItp the question of the existence of the river,
lie wont first into a safe and commodious harbor, now known as Oray'a
IJarlrar, and on the lltli of May he eutere<l his desired port, running in,
with all Kails set, between the breakers (which had been pronounced
impassable by Mcarex and Vancouver), and came to anchor in a large
liver of fresh water, ten miles above its month. He afterward, keeping
ai.ing the northern bank, proceeded up the river for twelve or fifteen
miles further, at which point, having taken the wrong channel, he turned
back and spent a week in vain af'empts to gee back to sea before he
Buccocded.

On leaving the ri^^er. Gray gave it the name of bis ship, the Colum-
bia. Attempts have been made to fix upon it the name of Oregon from
Carver's indistinct narrative, but have not succeeded. Gray gave the
name of Point Adams to the southern point and Gape Hancock to the
northern point at the river mouth.

This first discovery and eutranee into the Golnmbia Eivor by Gray,
an American, gave the United States their principal claim to the terri-
tory drained by tlie river, and is thus a very important episode in the
history of the river and of the country known as the Oregon region.

After leaving the Columbia, Gray fortunately met with the Spanish
Commander Quadra, to whom he gave an account of his discovery and
a chart of the mouth of the Columbia. In the controversy which after-
ward an)se between the United States and Great Britain for the i>08-
session of Oregon, " it was this chart that outflanked the schenung of
Vancouver and gave the broad estate of silver-tented Hood to free
America." •

In October of the same year, 1792, Lieutenant Broughton entered the
month of the Columbia in the Cliatham and found tlici-e the brig Jenny,
from Bristol. Broughton examined the river for about one hundred
miles from its mouth, going up it in a small Iwat to about where the
town of Vancouver now stands.

The discoveries of Gray, Vancouver, Broughton, Kendrick, and others,
added largely to the knowledge of the country and attracted the atten-
tion of mariners and merchants.

Many vessels were now employed in carrying on the trade with the
Indians. This trade, owing to the peculiar relations existing among
the nations of Europe and their colonies, both with each other and with
Cliiini, was almost entirely in the hands of citizens of the United States,
and it is certain that previous to the establishment of Astoria in 1811
many vessels entered the Columbia.

Alter the transfer of the French possessions in America to the United
States in 1803, the government of our country, under the enlightened

* SimpDon.

COLUMBIA RIVER.

and far-8eeiug Jefferson, became imbued with the d'>'uro of obUiiiiing
»n lusuarate knowledge of its new western territory, with a view to the
ultimate objects of colonization and commerce. In furtherance of this
desire a number of exi)6ditions were fitted out, whoso explorations re-
sulted in geographical discoveries of great importance.

B,v far the most important of these expedition's was the one intrusted
to the command of Gaptains Jjewis and Clarke, who were directed to
ascend the Missouri, cross the Bocky Mountains, and trace tlie Columbia,
the gretit river of the west^ from its sources to the sea, and determine
thus the most direct and practicable water communication for thu pur-
poses of commerce.

Proltably no two men ever had a t^isk given them of greater difllculty
and magnitude, and involving the exerciw of more skill, wisdom, intre-
pidity, discretion, and all manly attribut«s, and whiuli, after an " ex(H>ri-
enceepiciu the grandeur of its unwitnesseil valor," was carried to a
complete and successful termination, than hivd these two men, Captains
Lewis and Clarke.

The history of man furnishes few instances in which so mucli has been
added in so short a space to the geographical knowledge of the world,
and which has stood the test of time like that gathered and recorded by
them. These travelers began the ascent of the Missouri in 1804 and
spent the winter of 1804-1805 at Fort Mandan. The next season they
continued up the Missouri to the tliree forks, calle<l by them Jetfer^on,
Ma^lison, and Gallatin; they continued on up the Jefferson Fork and
crossed over to the west and struck the Salmon River. This they found
they could not descend, owing to its deep oafions, falls, and rapids, and
so they went north, and after great suffering among the mounf/ains they
retichcd th» Kooskooskee or Clearwater, where it is navigable for canoes.
They made boats and proceeded down this stream to its junction with
the Snake liiver, and on down this great branch to the main Columbia,
which they explored to its mouth, reaching the Pacific in Dccemlwr,
1805. They remained during the winter of 1805-1806 near the mouth
of the Columbia, and returned the next season by nearly the same route
by which they had come.

Thus, only seventy-five years ago, wa« this river in its upper portions
first navigated by white men. Their dug-out canoes are now replaced
by stately steamers bearing great lotuls of precious grain from the uiost
fertile regions on the earth, *^hen occnpicil and roamed over alone by
savage men and beasts.

For crossing the plains and uiounttiins the iron horse has replaced itM
more frail and fleshly brother, ami the scream of c*eam is now heard
proclaiming the doom of savagery and the advent of civilization and
reflneraeut.

Mr. Aster's attempt to found a fur-trading empire on the Columbia
and its tributary lauds and streams is the next important era in the his-
tory of the Columbia. One expedition was sent by sea and one by land.
8. Ex. 186 12

COLUMBIA BIVEE.

: s«

Thti tirHt, in the ship Touqiiiu, sailed from New York September 8, 1810,
auti arrived at the mouth of the Colnmbia on tho 22d of March, 1811,
and untoring it the party established their fort and trading itost, to
which they gave tho name of Astoria.

Tho land oxiMxIition under Mr, Wilson P. Hunt was organized at Mon-
trual, Mackinaw, and Saint Louis, which latter place it left October 21,
1810. Tlie party siMjnt the winter of 1810-'ll on the banks of the Up-
I>er Missouri, and from thence starteil in thn spring of 1811 acroes the
mountains and reached tho headwaters of the Bnake Kiver, down which
thuy tritMl to make their way. After complicated and almost incredible
Huflurings from hard travel, cold, thirst, and liuuger, and annoyances
trom tho insolence and craft of tho Indians, suritassing all that is told of
any equally well appointed body of travelers west of the Itocky Mount-
ains, finally, on January 21, 1812, the jwrtiou of tho original party re-
maining with Mr. Hunt came in sight of tho Columbia Biver near the
mouth of the Umatilla, and proceeding down it arrived on the ISth of
February at Astoria.

It was not, however, until the 11th of May, 1812, that all the strag
gling members of the party got to their desired haven at the mouth of
the great river.

While tho land exiHidition was thus straggling i>ainfully across the
mountains and down the great southern branch of the Columbia, and
tho Astorians were engaged in preparing and laying out their future
homes and trading with the neighboring Indians, the Northwest Fur
Company hi^d not been idle.

In 1810 an expedition under Mr. David Thompson, the astronomer
and surveyor of the company, started from Canada with the hope of
reaching tho mouth of the Columbia before Aster's parties, of whose
plans they were cognizant, and forestalling them in the occupation and
traile of the country bordering the river. This party experienced so
many difliculties and delays in crossing the Uocky Mountains that they
wem obliged to winter near tho headwaters of the Columbia under the
tiftysecond ]KU^llel of latitude.

In the spring of 1811 they hastened down the river, building huts and
raising tiags at various places by way of taking {Hissesslon of the coun-
try, and arrived at the mouth of the river on the 15tli day of July, and
found, much to their chagrin, that they had b'sen forestalled by Aster's
sea party.

Mr. Thompson and his party wore the first white persons who had
navigated tho Cpiwr Columbia, or traversed any part of the country
draincil by it.

Eight days after Mr. Tliompson's arrival at Astoria Mr. David Stuart,
one of the Astoria partners, with a dcta<-limeut set out on a voyage up
the river to eitablish a trading i>ost in the interior. The place selected
wivs the level prairie at tho junction of the Okinakane and Colnmbia,
which point was reached on the Ist of Septembei', 1811. This i)ost was

COLUMItlA RIVER.

occupied for many yonrs uiid wiw lui iuii>ortant, center of the fin- trade.
Now, however, no white men live near it, and it han Imwh so completely
deatroyod that not a vestige of it remains.

In the following year, 1812, Fort Spokane, or, as it wiis commoidy tlen-
ignatoil, Spokane llonsc, wan established by a party of Astorians nn<lor
Mr Clarke. . This was sitnattMl near the Junction of the 8|>okane and
Little Spokane Kivers, p» they an<i now designated.

.Trading (Mists ha«l previously buen osttvblishe4l by the Northwest Fur
Company in the (•Mathoml and Koot^tnny ctmntTies.

From Fort Okinakane and Sitokane House, parties supplied with
goo4ls were sent out to trade with the Indians and collect furs, and to
examine the country, ]>artioularly in reference to its fur-pro<lucing
qualities and the character and numlior of its Indian inhabitants. In
the autumn of 1811, after building the fort, Mr. Staart left Okinakane
and proceeded up the river of that name, tracing it to its sonrt-e; he
then crossed over to the Thompson llivcr and winterct! amonp a im>w-
erful nation called the She-Waps (now written Shuswaps). 'le re-
tunieil to Fort Okinakane in March, 1812, and brought the first authen-
tic information concerning the country which ho hail visited. From
Spokane House Mr. Fillet conducted an exiieditiou into the Kootenay
country and gained much information concerning it. As illustrative of
the hostility existing l)etweeu the different fur companies it is recorded
that he met and fought a dnel with Mr. Mantour, the agent of the
Northwest Company — pistols at six paces — in which afiair neither were
mortally wounded.

Mr. Farnham, from the same {tost, crossed the Bitter lioot and Cteur
<l'Al(^ne Mountains, and visite<l the Selish or Flat Head country, seeing
much of the region and iMlding largely to the store of knowle«lge con-
cerning the basin between the Itocky and Hitter lioot Mounuiins.

Mr. McKenzio cstAblislied a temporary trading (mst among the groat
Sha-hap-tan or Nez rerc6 nation, antl luarniMl what he i^miUl al)out the
headwaters of the Snake. These Indians, however, wenv found to ite
more «levotod to war and InifTalo hunting than to the hard drudgery in-
cident to the taking of beaver. They were rich in horses antl able to
]>rocuro all their necessities by the sale of their steeds. In conscquenc;e
the trading post among them was abandonc<l.

A number of books have been written and published giving accounts
of the atlventuros and expeditions of these early fur tnulers, which con-
tain much valuable information, and are interesting remling as giving
the first accounts of large portions of the country. The most noteworthy
of these works are the volumes of Alexander lioss on the "Fur Hun-
ters of the Far VF<»<," Ross Cox's "Adventureii on the Columbia,'" "Fran-
chere^H Narrative,^ lioss's "Adventuret of the Jimt settlers on the Oregon
or Columbia River.'" AH tliew men were clerks and partners in the fur
companies of whose transactions bhey treat. To these must Ite wldeil

COLUMBIA RIVER.

t! I

Antoria, Wasliington Irving's cliarming acoontit of Astor'a groat enter-
prise.

In the fall of 1813, the fortunes of war then raging between the
TJnitefl States and Great Britain compelled the transfer of the Astor
or Piiciflo Fnr Company to the NortJiwost Pur Company, whioh, from
this time, carried on the trade with the Indians which had been com-
menced by the former.

From this time onward for many years the history of the Cdumbia
River country is the history of the operations of the Great Northwest
and Ilndson's Bay Companies, and of the efforts of private parties to
get a Shan* in the proflts of the fur trade.

The quarrels continually going on between the companies and pri-
vate parties caused attention to be directed to the country, and itlnngan
to be talked about, and emigration schemes to be discussed.

In 1818 Fort Nez Perc6, or Walla Walla, was built on the Columbia,
about eleven miles below the Snake, where Wallula now stands. This
it was de8igne<i to make the headquarters of the fur trade cast of the
Cascade Mountains.

In 1821 the Hudson's Bay V nipany and the Northwest Company
were merged into one, and the muted company then worked with all its
energy, pushing its trade, aud holding its monopoly against all comers.

In 1824 the headquarters of the trade was amoved from Fort George
or Astoria to Vancouver, and the old Fort Vancouver was built. This
was tlie chief and central point of the commercial transactions of the
entire Northwest for many years.

Missionaries began now to arrive and settle among the Indians, and
a few ndventnrour, emigrants to drift in, some by sea and some by land.

The (Government of the Unite<l States sent agents to examine into and
report up<m the condition and prospects of this western Columbian
country, and the exiiediency of erecting a military and naval establish-
ment on the Columbia began to be discussed among the authorities at
Washington.

The geographical knowledge of the cx)nntry was greatly augmented
in the years 1832-'33-'34 by the examiuationa and surveys of Captain
Bonneville. He spent the winter of 1832-';i3 about the headwaters of
Salmon River, and learned a groat deal about that section of the country.
During the winter of 1833-'34 he visited the Columbia, passing down
the Snake River Valley through the Grand Bonde and over the Blue
Mountains to Walla Wp la. He returned to Bear River, and again in
1834 he ma<ie a second visit to the Columbia.

Captain Bonneville's maps are the first to correctly represent the
hydrography of the regions west of the liocky Mountains, and deter-
mine the existence of the great interior basins without outletit to the
wean, to prove the non-existence of the Buenaventura and other hypo-
thetical rivers, and to reduce the Willanjette to its pr.ti)er length.

The exploring exi>edition under Commander Charles Wilkes of the

COLUMniA RIVER.

United States Navy filled np with antheiitin information another great
blank in the maps of this western country.

The expedition arrived in Orepon in 1H41, wlion a party under Tjiou-
tenant Johnson was dispatohecl up the Nisqually, crossed the Cascmlo
Mountains near Mount Kanier, and reached theColnnibin near the ntoutli
of the Wenatchee. Tiience they jirocealed up the rivt v to Fort Okina
kane, on to the month of the Spokane, and np to Fort Colvillo. They
then tnrned south, and going through the Golville Valley, visiting Walk-
er and Eel's Mission, and reached the Kooskooskia or Clearwater a1>out
forty miles below where Lewis and Clarke struck it, and kee]»ing to the
west went to Fort Walla Walla. From Walla Walla the party kept up
the Yakima Kivor to its source, and crossing the mountains reached the
Nisqually and the point from whence they started.

In this expedition the Columbia was surveyed np as far as the Walla
Walla, and a party was sent nj) the Willamette Valley, and crossed
over to the sources of the Sacramento, which river they followed down
to the Bay of San Francisco.

The next givat explorer to api^ear upon the scene is Capt. John C. FrC'
niont. This active, energetic, and inti-epid man, who has lieen duhln-d
the Or eat American Path Finder, and whose travels and a<lventures have
been more talked abont and written about and popularized than have
those of any '•ther American explorer, in 1843 crossed over from the
Great Salt Lake Basin to the headwaters of the Snake Hiver. lie fol-
loweil on down this and Boisd itiver to the mouth of the lattttr, where
he crossed the Snake and kept on down it to Burnt Itiver, np which he
pioceeded to ics sources, and then crossed the Blue Mountains and en-
t«re<l the valley of the Walla Walla, and followe<l it to its Junction with
the Columbia. From this point, at whii>h was sitnatt'd old Fort Walla
Walla, or Noz Perc6, he traveled by land and water to Fort Vancouver,
where he arrived in November, 1843.

Leaving Vancouver after a short stay, Fremont proceeded to the
Dalles, and thence up the valley of the Des Chutes until near its head,
when 'le left it and crossetl over a low tiud)ered country into the upiter
portion of the Klamath Basin. Here he turneil east and visited Sum-
mer Lake, Lake Abort, and Christmas, or Wanier Lakes, and thence on
to Pyramid Lake and the south. The latter part of his jonrnt^y was
jHirformed amidst the snows and cold of winter, and his party iMTformed
almost incredible labor, and suft'ered terrible hardships.

During all the long years in v;hich the Oregon n^gion was 1)eing first
exjdored and settled, a dispute htul heen going on between the United
States and Great Britain in regard to its ownership, which at diH'orent
times waxed so fierce that it threatened war between the two countries.

Fortunately an arrangement was finally arrived at, and the l»oundary
line Ix^tween the British and American possessions fixed at the forty-
ninth parallel of latitude. On the 15th of June, 1H4G, the tritaty was
signeil which gave to our country the extrusive Oregon region, com-

COLTIMBIA RIVER.

V ,'

posing tho present State of Oregon, and the TerritorioB of Wasliington
and Iilulio. This groat region was organized into a Territory by act of
(Congress, api^oved Angust 14, 1848, and on Maroli 3, 1849, General
JoRepli Lane, the first Territorial governor, arrived at Oregon City, and
proclaimed the inaiignration of the new regime.

About this time strange rumors began to circulate through the popu-
lous portions of the East; rumors from the regions of tho setting sun, far
Iwynnd the Rocky Mountains ; mmors of rivers and mountains of gold
in the t)eautiful sunny land so lately wrested from the swarthy, cruel
Spaniards. Days and months pas8e<l on and these mmors, ever in-
creasing in their grandeur, flew to the East, and soon there were to l)0
seen countless multitudes slowly and laboriously crossing the plains and
mountains, or crowded in ships, coming by Oajie Horn or the Isthmus,
all coming with inflamed imaginations to worship at the fateful golden
sbrino.

In the minds of those inclined to wander, there was then no room for
Oregon and her nnromantic prospects ; the lust for gold and swift and
countless riclios inspired all and left place for nothing else. So Oregon
and her noble river wore left waiting, waiting during many a month and
year, for the allurements of her golden southern sister to prove to many*
a myth and a delusion.

Soon, among the comfortless, hungry, blood-stained camps of Califor-
nia, it 1)egan to be talked about that gold could be procured from the
soil and amidst the plains and forests of Oregon ; gold procured, not in
a wild and burning struggle, at the expense of all noble and Christian
attributes, but by honest, faithful labor, sure of reward, amid the com-
forts and quiet joys of home, surrounded by the refining and loving care
of woman. Then the tide of emigration turned Columbia-wanls, and
it has never ceased; those who came, came as the Pilgrim Patliers to
build up a substantial empire fonnde<l on the oidy true and certain foun-
dation, the honest homes of honest men and women.

And now the curtain rises again, and another grand idea is uplifted
and takes liold of the minds of all men who are interested in Oregon,
and in the unity and prosperity of onr whole country. It is the idea ot
uniting the Eaat and the West, wedding them together by tlie iron
bands of a traus-contincntrl railroad. To find a proper route for the
iron horse to travel through the groat interior country, government aid
was invoked and cheerfully given, and in 1863 was organized the Pacific
liailroad surveying expedition, which, more than all others, has added
accuracy and extent to our knowledge of the geography of the northern
and northwest portions of the United States.

To Gov. I. I. Stevens, of Washington Territory, was assigne<l the
general charge of the surveys lietween the forty-seventh and forty-ninth,
and to Capt^ George B. McClellan, of the Corps of Engineers, was as-
signed the western division, who 9 duties were to explore the passes of

r-ti

COLUMBIA BIVEB.

•6

the CuMsudu KauKo, meeting the eastern party Itetweun that range ami
the Kooky Mountains.

The rei)orta and maps of the Paciflu Itailroad SurvuyH are unibracuti in
Uiirtcen quarto volumes, and contain a vast amount uf uutheutiu and
valuable infonuation.

During the continuation of these surveys, in 18S3-'5<l-'55, the Colum-
bia itself ana many of its branches were examined and surveyed.

Lieut. John MuUan, in chiu-ge of one of the surveying parties, operated
extensively in the region lying between the llocky Mounttiiiis and tliu
Bitter Itoot Mountains, and down by the Koos-koos-kia to Walla Wallii.

Lieutenant Saxton, accompanied by Lieuts. Arnold audlVImtfevlj, went
from the Dikllus via Walla Walla, Palouse, H|Hikane, and (Jtuwr d'AICme
liivers to Clarke's Fork, Bitter Itoot Fork, and thence to the mission
of Saint Mary. Lieut. Macfeely returned to the Dalles by the Nck Pei-ce
trail up the Bitter Itoot and westward through diiUouIt mountains to the
Koos-koos-kia.

Lieutenant Douelson left Fort Benton and traveled in a southwesterly
dire<^tiou, crossing the main range of the Bookies at Cadotte's Pass,
thence down the Blackfoot Fork to Saint Mary's. He then passinl from
the Bitter Itoot to the Jocko, and, following the lu.^ti^r to its mouth,
entered the valley of Clarke's Fork, followed it to a point twelve miles
below L»ke Pend d'Oreille, crossed to the Spokane Kiver, and proceeded
about twelve miles west, where he joined Captain MuClt^Uan's party.
Thence following an Indian trail, crossing the Snake at the mouth of
Palouse, the party went to Walla Walla.

Mr. A. W. Tinkham and Mr. F. W. Lander ma<le reconnaissances t^-oin
Fort Benton westward to the Columbia waters. Dr. (jeorgo Snckley
descended the Bitter Boot, Clarke's Fork, and Columbia Kivers in a
canoe, making several portages and arriving safely at Vancouver.

The main jiarty of the western division under Capt. George B. Mc-
Clellan left Vancouver and proceeded in a northerly direction to the
Cathlapootl ; thence in an easterly direction south of Mounts Saint Hel-
ens and Adams; thence northwest, crossing the Atalumm, Nachess, and
Wenass liivers, up the valley of the Upper Yakima to the Yakima Pjish
which was examined; thenoe he proceeded to Kittitas; thence north
to the Columbia ; thence up its right bank to the Ukinakane, which wtis
examined up to Osooyoos Lake. From Osooyoos Lake the party crossed
the dividing ridge and reached Kettle Uiver, which they followed to the
Columbia at old Fort Colville ; thence they followed up the Colville
Valley and over to the Si>okane, where, being joiuo<l by Governor
Stevens, the whole party »»roceede«l to W Ua Walla.

Lieut. S. Mowry examined a route leading from Wenass Kiver in a
southerly direction to the Dalles of tlie Columbia. Lieut. 11. J. }Io<lges
joined McClellan's party at Kittitas, having marched from Fort Steila-
coom. His course was easterly to the Stkamish Kiver; thence along
that stream to the Naohess Pass; thenoe along Nachess Kiver.

COLUMBIA RIVEB.

\f' •:

Mr. Tiiikliain, with ten Walla Walla Indians, in January of 1854,
croNNed tliu (JiimciuIu MountitinB by the Bnoqualaniie Pasa and followed
down tlio 8nu<|uuluiiiie River to ISeattle.

Lieutenant Giover niatle a winter journey in January and Fubnniry,
1851, with a do^-train, from Fort Benton, via Fort Owen, Clarke'H Fork,
and Fort Walla Walla, to the main Columbia Kiver.

1m the fall of 1854 Mr. Doty, with a party, left Fort Benton for Olyni
)>ia. Ue went ap the Teton Uivor and eroaaed over to the Bitter Itoot
Uivor. Leaving the Bitter Boot Valley, he proceedetl by way of the
Uaint.l{v{;iH Borgia Uivor to the Gwur d'Al^ne Mission, whence he pur-
Muud a H()uth\testerly course to Fort Walla Walla. Leaving Walla
Widla, he went up the Columbia to the Yakima Kiver ; thence up that
stream to its source ; tlieuce through the Yakima Pass to Olympia.

In 1855 an exploration and survey for a raUrosul route from the Hiiu-
rameuto to the Columbia was uiatle by Lieutenants Williamson and Ab-
bot, of tiie Topographical Engineers. As a matter of curiosity, I may
here state that the escort of this expedition was commanded by Lients.
II. G. Gibson, George Crook, J. B. Hood, and P. H. Sheridan, all soon
to achifvc great distinction in the civil war. The Des Chutes and Wil-
lamette liivers and their valleys were very carefully examined by parties
of this expedition.

A great mass of information concerning the geography of the Colum-
bian Basin and other portions of the great west had been collected and
wits on Ale in the departments at Washington. Most of this was in the
form of reconnaissauces, and few of these possessed any groat accuracy,
and the geographical positions were very uncertain and ofttimos con-
flicting.

To Lieut. G. K. Warren, of the Coriw of Engineers, was given the task
of compiling all this information on a map of the country between the
Mississippi liiver and the Pacific Ocean. Uis instructions were to —

Mil
J, [

Ciirufiilly i-uoil ovory report and examine every map of Borvey, rooonnaissancfl,
1111(1 travel which could he obtainml, to oscortaiu their several values and to oniltotly
the authentic information in the map.

This <luty he completed, and submitted his report on the 1st of March
185tS. liis tiisk involved an immense amount of patient, i>aiu8taking
research and care, combined with the soundest judgment, and was most
successfully performed, a-'d the map was for many years the foundation
for all the maps of the great west.

Since the publication of General Warren's map the knowledge of the
geography of the Columbian Basin has increased, not so much by any
new discoveries of magnitude as in accuracy and detail.

The land surveys under the Interior Department have added much to
our knowledge of the settled portions, and the scouts, reconnaissances,
and itineraries of ofticors of the Army have added much more to our
knowledge of the settled portion and of the wild regions through which

I? .

COLUMBIA BIVER.

the AruiyiH genunilly obliged to movo iu ita coiiHiuto and doaliiigH with
the IiuliiiiiH.

Ill tliu rou4)iitl.Y piililiHliod iiiii|i of tlie Milititry l)H|uirtinuiit ot'tliit (Jo-
lunibia, wliicli euibritcuH ucurly all of tliu ColiiinlHun Diutiii lying within
our 1'erritory, coinpiled by nio whilv on duty oh uhiuf onginoor (»f thu
de[Hirtnient, I have given nil thu toiiogrophicHi and euononiiu intor-
nnition whioii I nouhl obtain. It :i- foundtnl on the moHt itMtent Wat-
Department map publiHhu<I by the Clii««f of EngineerH ; the fiund Oni<-.u
niajm and laiul- HurvcyH up to 187U and '80, the Northern I'lutiliu and
other railrwul survoyH, the map of Lieut. Itolwrt I'ietcher, illuHtrating
Gonund IIowanl'H Nez I'eree campaign, numerouH rtteonnaitwancAM and
■itiuerariu8 of officers which hiul never been (Hiinpiled, and inlbrnuition
derived from converHations with ofllcerH and others familiar with jMir-
tioHH of the country. To thin was a<lded the surveys made by myself
and assistants in 1878-'79 and '80. These surveys extend over the coun-
try iu Southern and Central Oregon east of the Cascades and lying along
the Dcii Chutes and John Day rivers and Klamath, Bummer, AlHtrt and
Warner Lakes ; the Great I'lain of the Columbia in Washington Terri-
tory and Idaho, e8i)ecially the hitherto little I lowu regions of Moses
Lake, Moses Cou]6o, and the Grand CoultSe, the quadrilateral lying Itu-
twcen the Snake, Salmon, Clearwater, and South l<'ork of the Clear-
water iu Idaho ; Southwestern Oregon ; and the regions of the Skagit
and Sauk rivers iu Washington Territory.

A great deal of kuowle<Igo is obtained vneix year from various sources,
and it is ho|)ed that an edition of the map, with all imimrtant changes,
may bo imblishcd every two years at least

In compiling this map I conld not help being struck with the great
lack of information concerning cerUtin itortions of the country which it
is intended to represent. There are large aresis containing many hun-
dreds of square miles which are comparatively unknown, and what lit-
tle is known is of the most inaticurate and untrustworthy character, and
that which is put uiKtn the mai>8 is largely hypothetical.

The regions to which I would particularly allude are thu Olympic
Mountain region ; the region Iwunded on the north by the international
boundary line, on the east by the Itocky Mountains, on the south by thu
Columbia and Wunatchce rivers, on the west by Puget Sound ; tho
regions of tho Saint Joseph and Clearwater rivers in Northern Idaho ;
and esi>ecially the regions of the Salmon, Weiser, and Tayette rivers
in Central Idaho.

There ai-e thousands of stjuare miles in these regions of which no ac-
curate information has ever been obttdned. These i-egions nuty at any
time become the theater of Indian wai-s iu which a certnin knowledgu
of the country wonld be of inestimable value and save the goverinnent,
iu money alone, more than it would cost to make a satisfactory survuy
of all the unknowu portions.

Gommertiial enterprises are poshing chcir way into chese regions, im-
S. Ex. 186 13

COLUMBIA RIVER.

|N>rt«iit traiiHiNirtiitioii roiit«H may piiHH tliniiiKh them, and nil br»noh«M
of tlio ^MVorniiMMit lut wull »h lii-r priviito vitiKvim mid coritorationH will
WMiii nM|iiiru itcMHiiplHU) nnd tliontiigli kiiuwItMlgv oftliu whole uoiiiitry.
I thoraforu call uttoiitlori to thoHO iiiikiiowii uud oiiBurvvyud ivgiuiiH,
and the iiuuti of iiioiiuy to carry on the iiocvHtuiry cxuiiaiiatioiiH uud
HiirvcyH therein, aud U> flx the Keographicul iNwitiouH of a number of ini-
]H»rljuit aud central {MtintH in the department by aHtrouomicul obticrva-
tions and comi>utatious.

CUAPTKU iX,

I
III

U'\

't\

THE UEOhOUlVAL HISTORY OF THE CASCADE MOUNTAINa AUD THE

COLVMlllA ItlVER.

In onior to nndemtniid and fully compn;liend the various featuren of
tbiH country, it ih higldy deairablo and etwential to know it« gindogical
history, its building up, and the changes which h'lvotakou place reduc-
ing it to its prcHciit condition. This is depicted with groat distinctness
u|)on itM face and in it^ deep caiions, and is easily read by the student
of nature.

If wo turn Imck to tho tlrst pages of the geological history of tliiH
continent, we shall see that at the beginning of the Pal(x>Koic era nearly
all our present land was under water, not having yet emerged from the
primeval seas. In the area of the United States two strips existed,
forming the nuclei about which has been built the land as we now
see it. One of tliesi>, strips was the Appalachian Mountain chain ; the
other the Itocky Mountain chain. With the former we have nothing to
do except to draw ih)m it lessons applicable to the latter. By the Itocky
Mountain chain is not meant simply a range of iMiaks, but a grand and
wide l)elt of country in form of a gigantic fold, from which, in later
times, the present ranges and iwaks have been sculiitiinxl by erosiou.
All to the west of this chain, whore now stand the Sierra Nevula, Cas-
mule, aud Coast ranges, was buried beneath the occitn. Many rivers
existetl then eiiting away at the western sloiies of this great uplifted
range, and deiiositing tho d6bris along the shores of the pristine sea,
fonning thus sedimentary dei>osits of great depth and extent.

This doiiosition of sediment went on during the Paleozoic ent, and
the whole Triassic and Jurassic iMjriods of the Mesozoic era until an
enonnously thick mass of off-shore deiwsits hitd aeonmulated.

This groat marginal se&bottom became the theater of iutouse aqneo-
ignoous action in itH deeply-buried strata, producing a lino o." wotikness
which, yielding to the horizontal thrust prodncod by the secular con-
traction of the interior of the eaith, was crushed together and swollen
up into tho Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges at the end of the Juras-
sio period. The Cascade range thus prodnoed was for ftom presenting

COLUMIilA RIVF.n.

any Riinilnrity to tlin rnnf^e an wn now hoo It. Ah far aH enn Iw aHoor-
taincd, it was a mnge of not vory gnat liniKl't, bnt probably liiKlu^r to
tlift Honth than to tli« north. Tliin ran^o oxiHtcil for nnknown mnturioH,
and in iU tnrn wan tlio tlioator of ttroHion and of ]ilant ((rowtli, and wiih
roani(Ml ovor l>y the wondurnil nxtinot aniinalH of tlifl On^t4UM'4)nH and
Tertiary iM^riodn. It wan not yot «»vorod by tlie Rroat hiva flow and nionn ■
t4iln mngo Hoon to lio durnirilMxl, bnt ioHtaiul Ity foniHtA of (H>niferH and
oakH.

Wliero tlin Cohimbia River breakH tbrongli the (^aaciMle Monntains
them are fonnd, iN^noatb the overlyinp: lava:

Pirat. Along the watiir's edge, and for aJ»on( fifteen feet npwanl, a
very eoarne oonRlonierate of roundml iiorphyritie i><d)ltl(>M and lN>wldera
of all Hi/.eR up to five or Hix feet in diameter, cohering by an iniperity.tly
lithifled earthy paste.

Beooiid. Altove this conglomerate is a very distinct, irrejjnlar, <ild
gronnd mirface lied, in whieli are found Hilittifleenetrating into the
bowlder material Iwnoath and evidently in iiitu. This is undonbteilly
an old forest ground surfnee.

Thinl. Itesting directly on this ground surface, and therefore inclosing
the erect Hlum]>s, is a layer of stratified sandstone, two or three feet thick,
(illeil with Iteauti^il inipresHions of leaves of several kinds of foii^st
ti-ees, possibly of tln^ very trees about whose silicifled bases they are found.
This layer is not (toHtinuous, like the ground surface on which it restA.

Fourth. Above this stratifled leaf-licariug layer, rests a coarse con-
glonoerate similar to that iMmeatli at the water-level. ScattertMl alutut in
the lower part of this upper conglomerate and in the stnitilled sand-
stone, and sometimes lying in the dirt-l>ed lieneat.' are fragments of
tninks and branches of oaks and cx)nifers, in a sibciflcd or liguitiziMl
condition. They are evidently silicifleil drifb-wood.

Fifth. Above this last cx>nglomerat4), atul re»ting upon it, rise the lay-
ers of lava, mostly columnar basalt, one aliove another, to a height of
more than 3,000 feet.*

All these facts were noted and stndie<l by Professor Le Oonte, who
drew the following onler of events fWtm them.

First. The region of the Cobunbia Itiver was a forest, probably a val-
ley, overgrown by conifers and oaks. The subsoil of this forest was a
O/oarse Iwwlder drift produce<l by erosion of some older rocks.

Secxjud. Uy excess of water, either by floo<Is or changes of level, the
trees were kille^l, their leaves shed and buried in mud, and their trunks
rotted to stumps.

Third. Tumultuous and r'tpid deposit of coarse drift containing drift-
woo«l, covered np the forest ground and the still remaining stumps, one
hundred, perhaps several hundred, ^"at in thickness.

Fourtli. The surfitce thus formeil was eroded into hills and dales.

'Piofesaor J. Le Conte, in Aiuerioau Journal Science and Arts, 1874, Vuluuie VII.

100

COLUMIilA RIVRR.

Fifth. Tlinn fnllowcMl tho ontbunit of Invn in Huccc^Miivn flow^., porliniw
for II loiiK |»orio4l «>f time, and the Hilicillnutidn of llio w(mmI anil the
t!««in«nt4tti<)n of tlio ilrilt by tlin |M«r«»)lutinn of Uio hot all(iilin« watora
coiitniniiitf Hilica, liH linpiMtuH no ooninioul.y in Hnblava tlrittit.

Hixtli. Finally foll(»w<Ml tlio phm-chh of vntHion, by which thr. prnmint
Hircani channelH, whether main or tribnt^iry, havo liocn cut to their
eiiorinouN depth.

The pn'ut, uiaHNOH of Hedinient Hont down to the Hea n-oin the pHnuiry
('iiNiMtde ran^ts forininK a thick off-Hliorfl de|K)Nit, ptve rine in itM tnrn
at thif end of the Miocene to the n])lieaval of the Coaat ranKO« and, eoinci-
dently tliurewith, the (JiUMuule MonntainH were rent ahniK the axin into
enorniouH tlHHiiroH from which ont|K)nred the ^riiud lava IhMxlH, bnihIinK
higher tlie inonntainH, and covorinK the country for K>**)ttt diHtAitctut.

ThiH \h jmtbably the ;n^Hiderit and inoHt extniordinary lava How which
ever t<Mik plac^^ in the world, covering; uh it thm* an area of almnt
2(H),04X) Mpian^ ndles of the WcHtorn UtatcH and Territ^iricH. Cyonuneuc-
iiiK in Mitldle Oalifornia aH Reparatn HtroaniR, in Northern ('alifornia it
iMHtonicHa flood, coniplet«ly mantling the Hmaller ii:e<|naliticH, and How-
ioK around the greater inequaliticH. In Northern v'n^gon and Wiwth-
iugtini it lMJc«meH an abaolutoly univoraal flooil, beneath which the
whole original ftu;o of the country, with itfi hills and dahw, monntaiuH
and valleyH, lie bnritMl Heveral thousand feet. It citvent the griMtt^'r
]»ortion of Northern California and NorthwcHtern Neviula, nearly the
whole of Oregon, WaHhington, and Idaho, and num far into BritiHh Co-
lumbia on the north. The average thickneHM of this tremendouH Hood
Ih jtrobably not far from 2,<KH) feet. This is Hhown where the Cobnnbia,
DttH CliuteN, Bnake, Halmon, and other rivers cut through it U» gn>at-
CHt tliicknesa is not less than 3,700 feet, as dcmonHtratotI by I'rofessor
liC Conte.

To produce thisononnous tliioknessmauy sncccMHive flows took place,
and very long iieriods of time must have ola]tse4l during which the vol-
canic actions were going on.

Along (he I>(^s Chutes, on the Simko lliver both alN>ve and Itelow
L(^wist4Mi, and on tlie Columbia Itelow Itock Islan«l Biv]tids, and in other
])la(;us, the colunnmr bnAalt lies in horizontal layers, well-nmrketl jdains
inti^rrupting the continuity of the vertic:d columns. Magnificent exam-
I»leA of this structni'c are found in the basalts of the CiihcmIo range. In
tlu* (irand Cou]<^e the basaltic walls are il-oni 300 to (MM) feet in height,
anti iH^tweeu some of the layers there is a w»ll-marke<I stratum of soil,
evidently formed dui-ing a period between two successive flows of lava
by the disintegration of the lava rock.

During this long period of the Casciule eruptions, the Coast range was
\mng slowly elevateil, and became, in its turn, the theater of local vol-
canic action. In all probability this htasil action was not very severe,
except i)erhaps in the case of the Olympic Mouutains and those in
Northern California and Southern C -^gon.

COMIMIIIA RIVKR.

101

ir tlin tlienr; of tlio formntioii or mniintitiii nliiiitifi by iJio n<]iuM)i(iii«>niiH
nrtioii tnkiiiK place in <liM«p «lo)iOHiUi of •MMliiiieiit on ninrKinnl wu Ik»I-
loniH in tnie, it Ih to W ox]N)«te<l Mint at mtnw tiiii« tlinro will In^ itiiollior
nin^c <>lov»tm! Titini tlie i'urillfl to tlio wont of tlio Vonnt rnugi'^ ; imil il
lliiM Intti^r followN tiM' exHni|il« of itM prolotyix^, the (lofMuuloH, it will
inve birth to luvii iUmnIh ori^rwIit'lniinK tlio WillHinvttv nnil n\\ otlii^r viil-
leyH lying Itetweon tlio two ninf^eH.

Tlio |iPrio«l of the grcut flnNuro oniptionN in tlio CikicndcA tlrow t4) a
cloM> by tlio flKHiiros iMHMtniinK bUMtknl up; tlio volciini« iiction vmn con-
r«*.ntrat4Hl in Honio f<iw localitioa, nud tlio |icrio«l of flHHiin^ (M-uptiooM wiih
clmnKnl to a ixriml of craU^r oniplions. Tliowt crater oniplionH con-
tinned for a loii); |M)rio<l, in Hoino oamw even into onr own tiiiieH. anil t^i
tlicni wo owe the upbnihlinf; of tlioHO lofty hiiowcIiuI i>eakH wliioli mteni
to III! to have lieen forever loekeil in the olnbra(M^ of eternal winter.

('oinnieneinR at tlio aoutheni liounilur.y of UroKon, the ilrat of thene
lieakH IH Mount I'itt, which I afimMuleil in 1K7H, anil fonnil it a iHuuitifiil
cone Hliaiieil ntnicture, coin])OfMMl ondroly of volcanic rock, llankeil on
all Hiiica by nniiierouH ontlying spam anil foot-hill raiif^. AlM)iit it>«
luuie are mvoral Hniall lakoH, probably of };liu3ier origin. Thifl peak I
fiMiiMl to lie W,8I8 f«wt above nea level.

Forty milea north of Mount Pitt Btanils Mount Scott, the next promi-
nent peak of the range. Itetween thefle two ]ieakH the range in Nome-
what hiw, with aevival well-ileflnoil iieaks however, the highoMt of which
iH Union Peak, directly west of Fort Khunatli, and which is 7,208 fiwt
high. Tlie beautiful level baain, lying at the head of Klamath Lake,
ill which is Bituated Fort Klamath, ia 4,108 feet above the (tea. Tnivel-
iiig along on the eiuitern nloiiea of the (!aHcadeH we found the noil to Ih«
eoiii|M>M><I of very light voUMUiic sand and aahea, interHperHeil with haHal-
tie bowlders, and with hero and tliore an exponcil niaHH of riH'.k ntHein-
bliiig a trap dike.

Mount Soott, which wo found to be 0,010 feet almve the noa, liaa tl o
Hame general featurea which oharacteriise all the Caacaile MoiiiitaiiiH in
the aonthem part of the range. It ia of volcanic* origin, and in cxivered on
it« eaatem aide with the aahea and light d^bria which have 1i«<mi carried
over from the weat, and which form a comparatively eaay fllo|io to tlie
^.;.mniit. On the weat the blufi^ ant alnioat iH^rpendicular wiiila of
igneoua rock, ragged and torn, among which nestle great ma>.HeH of
8IIOW, HhelteriMl irom the aummer aun, and forming rcaervoira of waU\r
which irrigate lieautiful patchea of green in the lowlanda at tl.eir feet.
To the aoatbweat, following down along theae walla, our gave at ItiNt
reateil upon one of the moat remarkable and iiitercating fcivturea of na-
tnre'a handiwork. In the calm atillneaa of an exquiaitc Huiimier'H day,
lying in *«e denae and lonely wilderneaa, we aaw Mystic or (rater lAike,
a great ei iticflly ahai»ed baaiii of water which we cHtimat'Ml to lie live
niilea lon^ ind three niilea wide, witli unbroken clitT walla varying from
500 to 2,0u0 feet in altitude, crowue<l with pinea and flrH. A little conical

102

COLTTMBIA RIVER.

jRlaiid, like ft ciiulfir-cono, coveretl with ficattoring troes, is the only oc-
impftiit of thiH weird lake. There is probably a subterraneous outlet of
the lake in Sand Creek, which flows to the east, and is absorbed in the
waters of Klniiiat h Marsh. Monnt Scott is nndonbtc<lly a portion of the
eawUirn rim ot i lie ancient crater, the remainder to the west having been
carried away by erosion, assisted probably by other cause*. Crater
Lake, with its conical island, occnpies the center of the crater of this
gigantic old volcano. The rim of the lake t/O the southwest has an
altitude of 7,14.3 feet, and at this point the lake is about 500 feet Iwlow it.

It seems highly ])robable that along the eastern slop^ of the mount-
ains, l)etween Mounts Pitt and Scott, were forine<l the glaciers which,
moving to the south, scooiK>d out the Klamath Baain and the Klamath
Lakes.

The portion of the mountain chain from Mount Scott on the south tm
Diamond Peak on the north was a region of numerous volcanoes and of
very extensive local lava flows. It has a very high average elevation, and
in it all the principal rivers of Western Oregon have their soui-ces : the
Willamette, running to the northwest; the Dcs Chutes running to the
northeast ; the headwaters of Klamath Biver, running to the south antl
breaking through the range and flowing to the west ; the Rogue Itiver,
flowing to the southwest; and the TTmi)qua, to the west and north.

The great local outflow to the east fonns the divide separating the
headwaters of the Des Chutes from those of the Klamath system of
waters, while the outflows to the west form the Calnpooia Mountains,
separating the Willamette from the Umpqua waters, and the mount-
ains se])arating the Uin})qna from the Rogue River waters.

Diamond Peak is 8,807 feet high, and is another typicjil high peak of
the Cascade range. The peak itself gives evidence of Imng the south-
east portion of an old crater rim, from four to seven miles i]i diamef<>r,
now very much broken away to the west <ind fllleil with a great ma«s of
snow which has crevasses and partakes very largely of the nature of a
glacier; I think it can truly bo caiieil a glacier on a small scale. About
Diamond Peak are scattered here and there volcanic cones and little
conical monticules, evidently parasitic volcanoes, and several flne lakes
are seen from its summit, the largest of which is Odell Lake, the source
of the main fork of the Des Chutes. This lake lies to the east of the
peak, and is supplied by the melting of the great snow fields about the
eastern portion of the Diamond Peak cluster. It is a very wild, roman-
tically-beautiful sheet of water about five miles long and four wide.
There is no grass on its borders, and the fallen timber, the bogs, and
the dense thicket* of brush and tamarack make it almost im]>oasible for
I)ea6ts of buitlen to reach its shores.

The main or west fork of the Des Chntes, issuing from Odell Lake, ha«
cut for itself a deep and wide canon among the erotled hills in which to
flow. Following down this stream wo came to where it opens out into
a lake, surrounded by tree-covei'ed clifls, with bottom lauds and mead-

:i'

if?

CO.XJMBIA BIVEB.

103

OW8 of couHiderablo ext«ut, aiul exteusive nmtl flatis neat thu lake. Fol-
lowing arouua itH westerii Bhoru wo found that it Liul no viNiblu ouMvt.
Thuro were watermarks twenty feet above uh on the lava blutl't* of the
uortlieru and northeastern shores of the lake, and dnring thu u'lghi we
liuard rnuiblings among the sharply-cnt rovk^< couii>osing tlio bitill's.
We fonnd the next day that these lava beils for noil tui impassable bar-
rier, extending unbroken for about four miles to tl<e north, and at their
end we found foaming out from beneath the great an;;ular l)owldorH tiie
clear cold water that wo had soon lose itself in the lake fifteen miles or
more to the south. <

The lava rock comt>osing this barrier to the waters is extremely hard
and close-gniined, in fact almost obsidian, and is bi-oken into irregular
blocks with very sharj), clear-cut edges. It seems to have come from
some volcituo to the south, Iwtweeu the east and west forks of the l)es
Cinites. Its recent origin is shown by the fact of its iiaving dumme<l up
the stream after the latter htui cut for itself a deep and wide canon IhmI,
and also by its having such shar]> edges aud unworn, new api>earance,
ami having no iiccumulatiou of soil of any kind on its top.

That there wc^re volcanoes away to the east of the Cascade nmge
there can be no doubt. Mr. Ksirl observed wcll-deline*! cratei-s and
local lava Hows iu the Pauline aiiu Walker Mountains, which are com-
posed largely of obsidian. It is Jighly probable, and I believe that in
time it will bo demonstratjoil, that there were many volcano and fissure
eruptions in the desert country of Southern and Central Oregon, and
also within the limits of the Great IMain of the Columbia.

The Three Sisters are the next marked i>eaks of the range. There
are, in fact, five well-deflneil peaks, and it seems highly pi-obable that
they ure all portions of a grand old crator-rim, twelve miles in diameter,
now bit)ken and woru away. Further examinations wil! Ije retpiired to
deinonstnite whether this is so or not. Various small volcanic cones
are iu their vicinity and lying between them and Mount Jeilerson.

Mou it Jetl'ersou follows next aud then Mouut Hood, both being true
volcanic cones.

Pei-s(<ns who have visited Mount Homl say that near its summit there
ar<; places where hot sulidiurous gases still escape, and there i»e very
many '>a ho cfaim to have seen smoke in large quantities issuing trom this
mountHiin. To the north of Mount ilooil the Columbia Kiver has dug it«
way through the Casctides, Ibrming for its use one of the moijt magniti-
ce'it mountain canons in the world, cutting through the entire thickness
o! 4,000 feet of the overlying lava aud far into the previously formed
conglomerate upou which it rests.

To the north of the Columbia the range widens out considerably into
a region of high, grassy mountain plateaus, of deep cii.nons, lieavily
timliered sIoimjs, and volcanic peaks. Among the latt<;r, now do;i«l and
shrouded iu suow, but once alive with the terrible foi-ai of the volcano,
are the huge, stately masses of Adams, Saint Uelens, and Itanior.

104

COLUMBIA RIVER.

■I'

The poriod of volcanic oruptiouH is just over iu these inouiitainH, if it
can be coiiHideitMl a>; yet entirely over. Iu a journal of a journey across
the continent to Oregon in 1843, the author states that Mount Haint
lleleits burst into a burning volcano iu 1843, and was still burning on
the Kith of February, 1844, when he described it thus:

'I'liit iiioiiiititiii liiirniHl iiiont iiia)r<>i'icv"tly — (lunw) niaHKUH of Hoioko roHO up in iiii-
iiiniimicoliiiiiiiH, mill wruiUhud Mm whole crest uftho peak in Boniburiind iiiiUwivocloiiilH,
:mi(I in the uvuning iU lire lit up the lluky mountain side with a Uood of H«ft yet
brillia:it rudiiuioe.

The jiccount is in a '^rintetl reiwrt in the Portland Library, but the
uaute of the writer i not given.

Judge Thornton, writing of Mouut Saint Helen's, says:

It iH un itutivc volcano, near 4U" 2<J'. It iv D,550 feet high. TIiih mountain wan in
a HtaUi of oru]ition in the year 18:11, The fact is alHrnietl by Dr. Uawiner, a iliHtin-
guiHliuil iiaturaliHt qf Kngland, who was iu Oregon at the time, as also by gentlemen
coniievteil witli the lIiiilHon Uay Compivny. With the exception of a slight nxl, lurid
nppxi.rancu, the day was dark, aiul so completely was the light of the sun shut out by
the Hmoke and falling ashes that candles wore uecossary. The weather was pert'ovtiy
calm and without wind; and during several days after the eruption the tires, out of
dooix, burned with a bluish Uame, as though the atmosphere was lille«l with snlphur.

Ored'blu peinonH in Oregon have informed uio that they have on several occasions
since s(^ ii the lire and smoke of this volcano.

The Ue ,'. Josiah L. Parish, who is connected with the Metho<list ^ sicm in Orogoii,
informed me that he witnot- mI on one occasion a umst remarkabU eruption of the
mountain. I regret, however, that, not having noted his relation in my journal, the
date of the eruption and the principal facts conueote<l with it have been obUterat«d
from my memory by events to which my att«ntion has since iMicn called. I only
remember that no earthquake was felt, no noise was heard, and that he saw vast
colnunis of lurid smoke and lire shoot up, which, after attaining to a certain eleva-
tion, spreitil out in a line narallel to the plane of the horizon, and presented the ap-
pearance of a vast table, supported by inimenHO pillars of convolving Uame ami
smoke.*

Tiie Kev. Samuel Parker, afterdescribing the eruption of Saiut Ueleus
ill K:3I, remarks that —

The Indians say that they have seen fires in the chiuims of Monut lloo<l. Tilki, the
lirst ehiitf of the La Dalles Indians, who is a nuin of more than ordinary talents, said
he had freiiuenlly seen tires in the llssures of rock in the last-mentioned mountains.

It is possible, however, that all this smoke and lurid glare, &c., might
have come from great W(K)d fires which have f,wopt over largo sections
of the hervil;- I'imbered country about Snint Ueleus and Mount llanier.

This r.ountain region is very rough, being deeply cut up with rugged
and sleep canons. On the western sIoi>eH it is covui-od with niagniilcont
forests, principally of fir, the trees growing to an immense size. (Jiio
tree lying on the ground was measured by one of Commander Wilkes's
parties, and found, at t«n feet from its base, to bo thirty-five feet in cir-
cumcumference and tblee hundred feet long. The general elevation of
the plateaus is from 3,(KK> to 5,<K)0 feet above the sea; they are untim-
beitnl aud covered with good grass. General MeOlellan reported that
'Oregon aud California. Thornton, volume 1, page 250.

'III! iniKvmvnflM

COLUMBIA KIVEP,.

105

upun theso niountain plutoaus tboru was a great oxtuut of beautiful and
rich pasture land a >.d a delightful climate.

On the oautern slopes the forests are more oitou, and consist of pine,
fir, and white cedar.

The ^achess Pass has an elevntion of 4,900 feet aoove the sea, and in
the upper part of its course the Nachess liiver flows through a very
narrow cafion four hundred feet deep, the walls l>eing of solid, compact
volcanic rock.

There have been several very large local outflows of lava from thio
part of the main rang«>. Several of these go to make up the eastward
stretching ridges forming the Simcoe Mountains. Out of thestt lava
flows extended to the oiwt just south of the forty-seventh parallel, crossing
the OolumhiaBiver and forming Saddle Mountain, which uxtends to the
eastward and is lost in the general surface of tlie Oreat IMain.

The base of this Saddle Mountain outflow has all been worn away by
the Yakima and Nachess systems of waters, and by the ghusiei's whiuh
must have come down scooping out the valleys of these rivers. Where
the Columbia cuts through the outflow, just north of Priest Itapids,
the bluff's are close together and stand out very prominently, viewed both
from the north and south. The name of the " Sentinel lilufl's " was be-
stowetl uiwu them.

The Yakima Pass, m about latitude 47.p, crosses the mountitiiis in a
region of deeply-embosomed beautiful lakes, the high clitl-like banks of
which are crownetl with splendid forests of pine, flr, and white cinlar.
These lakes in all probability owe their existence to ghiciers which in
former ages swept down the valley of the Yakima.

To the north of this puss very little is known concerning tlut nmin
chain of the Cascades. It is a region of high and rugged mountains,
more Jagged and rough than the regions to the south, heavily tiinlmred,
and with a number of lakes and deei>Iy cncanoned streams. There
seems to have been a volcanic center between the Yakima and the We-
natchee and lying aliout midway between the lakes of the Upi>er Yakima
and the Columbia, from which outpoured a grand flood of lava to the
eivst and south, forming the elevated range between the Wenatchec and
the Yakima, known as the Wenatcheo Mountains, and crossing the pres-
ent channel of the Columbia and forming Uiulger Mountain on the east.

To the north of the forty eightii parallel, which is about tlie line of
the Spokane and the westward flowing portion of the Columbia, the
country changes, bcwmiing more independent in its mountain forma-
tions, and joins on the east with tie ea i tier rock mattn-ials of tli*'. west-
ern spura of t**.: "ocky Mountains. Near the mouth of the SiK)kano,
and ci'ossing that river in a tlirection northeast and southwest, there is
a great vein of granular magnosian limestone. (iraniUs is also found in
this vicinity underlying the basalt.

About the mouth of the Colville liiver the rocks are very largely
oomiwsed of limestone. The Columbia at the Little Dalles and Ket-
S. Ex. 18fl U

106

COLUMBIA BIVEU.

tie FallH cuts throujrh the liiuestoiio, which, to the wcHt, Heems to be
covered up benetith hillH of basaltic rock. Thiu liuiOMtone in of good
quality for building imr[)OHeH and for lime.

There in a luagiiiilcent field for the geologist iu the exploration of thiu
region lying along the boundary lino between the Givsciulea and the
Itocky Mountains.

The natural conBe<]nence of the upbuilding of the Sierra Nevada
and Oasciule Mountains was the formation of a grand interior basin.
The waters of this basin collected into secondary basins, some of very
large extent, and were carried off by the rivers which have cut a way
from the interior to the sea. The Ooluntbia and its tiibutarios drained
the northern portion of this great basin, and it was at this i>eriod,
doubtless, that the Salt Lake of Utah assumed its old colossid propor-
tions and found its outlet by the Snake lliver.

The commencement of the Tertiary period saw a great basin between
the Itocky Mountains and the up-swollen primary range of the (Jascades,
esiMicially in the i-ugion south of the Blue Mountains. This reg'tn was
covered with fivsh- water lakes and marshes, which were af'arward over-
tlowu with lava. This lava has since become denuded in places, expos-
ing the Tertiary biHls, and fumishiug evidence of the former condition of
the region by the fossils found therein.

At the end of the Miocene the Coast range was upheaved, and the
lava Hows from the Cascade fissures commenced, but it wsts a long time
before the lava Hows reached the entire extent of the basins of Oregon,
which continued to exist and Im) endowed with lite away into the riiocene
perioil. The ft)Hsil beds of tlie John Day country and those near Christ-
mas Lake in Southern Oregon are the principal ones that have been
found in the country.

Tin TO is no evidence of which I am aware of any Tertiary basin
north of the Blue Mountains. Iu the cailon of Sniike liiver, a little
below Lewiston, the basaltic layers, aggregating 2,000 feet thick, rest
on granite. Above Lewiston, on the Snake, 1 uund the same thing, as
well as on the Upper Columbia near Lake Chelan, and the mouth of
the Spokane.

It has been demonstrated to the satisfaction of geologists, and well
stated by Professor Le Conte, that during the whole of the Tertiary
period there was a gradual upheaval of the whole western half of the
continent by which the axis, or lowest line of the great interior basin,
was transferred more and more eastward to its present position, the
Mississippi liiver. Probably, correlative with this upheaval of the
western half of the continent, was the down-sinking of the mid-raciflc
bottom, mdicated by the coral reefs there existing. Also, as a conse-
(lueuce of the same ui»heaval, the erosive iwwer of th^ rivers was
greatly increased, and tins wore formed those deep canons iu which
they now How. Thus thi> uuwn-slukiug af th ) mid-Paoiflc bottom, the
upheaval of the racific side of the contiueut, and the down-catting of

fl:

COUIMniA RIVER.

107

th« rivCT channolH into tholr woiidorfiil cnfionH arc closely connected
with each other.

Wo may picture to ourselves that, at the on«l of the Tertiar>' and the
cointnenceniont of the Qnat<'niary, the hnndreds of volcanwm of tlMi
Cascailes wore bolchinff forth their fire and smoite and liquid ro<ik;
the sea entering and occupying tlio regions of Pnget Sound, the ^^'il-
lanietto Valley, and all the intervening country; the Coast range, with
hero and there a Center of volcanic activity ; and in the interior a vsvst
sea of cooling, hardening lava, through which tho rivers ran in ex-
tremely deep channels, some of them deeper far than they are now.
Extremely heavy rains pi-evailoil, wearing away the monntains and
washing tho debris down into tho Willamette Valley and all tho low
areas near the coast.

During tho Quaternary iwriod tho high-latitude earth oscillations,
prtHlucing the (Glacial, Ohamplain, and Terrmie op(M!hs, are very well
illustrated in this northwest«rn country, and especially in tho Upi>er
Columbia lliver.

During tho (ilacial epoch, when the mountains wore being chiseled
out by the moving ice, glaciers, largo and small, 8we]>t in dift'eront
directions across tho great plain of the Columbia, grindiUfj away at tho
solid rocks, partially filling the coulees, and strewing the country for
many miles with a thick bed of bowlders.

Probably tho largest of these glaciers was one which formed in the
region of Pond d'Oroille Lake, swept to the southwest across the Spo-
kane Plains, receiving tho C(«ur d' AlAno glac''ira, and on across Hang-
man's Creek, the Four Lakes country, and still on t,o the southwest,
spreading itself out like a great fan, an<l grinding up the rocsks and
8prea<ling bowlders over the Spokane plains, and the area south of
Bmlger Mountain and Crab Creek, and rendering its aid in forming llie
ancient Columbian Lake, t« l)o hereafter noticed.

The top surface of these Spokane plains is composed of small jiebbles
and some loose soil ; underneath, for a depth of many feet, the material
is of rounded bowlders froi> six inches to one foot and more in diame-
ter, closely jamined together and tho interstices filled witii soil.

During the Champlain epoch following, this Spokane plain was cov
ered with a great lake, leveling off the ui)per surface of this bowlder
formation, filling up the cavities with earth, and sprea<ling over the
top the layers of pebbles and soil. To the north of the plain there are
several well-defined terraces, indicating the dillerent sizes of this lake,
from tho greatest tr, the final and least size, afttir which it was finally
drained away in the succeeding Terra<iO ejioch by the Spokane Kiver
cutting its way through the obstructing rocks, and forming it« deep
caflon below.

A study of the Yakima country shows the existenco of a grand
glacier fed by numerous branches altont the heiuls of the Y.ikima nn«l
N.ichess, and their tributaries, and moving to the south and cost.

108

COLTTMBIA RIVER.

Undonbtcdiy, thronghont tho CoHcacIo MountAinH, niul the monntahis
of tho. iiortli, tlicro wore many gliiBifirs of great size. Lake Olielan wan
Hiirely rcooimmI out by a giant glao.inr. Tho Okinakane Valley has ter-
rai'es, anrl gravel and bowlder beds, Hiinilar to those of the Spokane.
Tlio lake enlargementH of the northern rivers, tho Okinakane and OSoo-
yooH lakes of the Okinakane, the Arrow lakes of the Columbia, tho
Kootonay lakes of the Kootenay, tho Kaniksu Lake of the Vermillion,
the Flathead, Pond d'Oreille, and Ooeur d'AIAno lakes, all are probably
of gliu!ier formation.

In the southwestern portion of tho Great I'lain, sonth of Badger
Mountain and Crab Creek, surrounding Saddle Mountain, and embrac-
ing within it« limits tho lower portions of the Yakima, Walla- Walla,
and Snako Rivers, and Moses Lake, there is a region lower than tho
surroumling eountry, and which w.os undoubtedly a lake during the
Champlain epoch. It is largely covered with rounded bowlders of all
sizes eml)eddod in a loose, light, powdery soil, very diflicnlt for animals
tn traverse. It is also a region of great sand hills and dunes. Moses
Lake is fonned by the waters of Crab Creek being dammed up by a
great sand drift which has placed itself across tho old drainage channel
of the creek. In the northern portion of this old lake l)od the bowlders
and loose soil rest upon the volcanic rock, which, a little further north,
is ex])osod, and has large areas without any earthy covering. Just
north of Saddle Mountain the waters of Crab Creek have cut deep
cauons throngh the powdery alkaline soil. Tho walls of these canons
and ravines show plainly by their stratification the swlimentary methml
by which the land was formed. I was not able to find fossils of any
kind in this {dace.

To the south of Sa^ldle Mountain tho Columbia has cat throngh this
lacustrine sediment, forming at the White Bluffs perpendicular cliffs
along the left bank of the river fifty to three hundred feet i:' height.

Judging from the character of the soilimentary deposits, this old lake
ao«ms to have lieen the receptacle of all the volcanic ashes and cinders
ficattored over the country, and washed into it by the rains and streams.

Along the right bank of the river the accumulations have all been
carried away, lotiving a low flat plain. I have endeavored to outline
this ancient lake as far as practicable, and propose for it the name of
Lake Lewis, aft«r Capt. Merriweathoi Lewis, the leader of the explor-
ing i>arty which first saw any of tho heatlwaters of the Columbia.

Th Champlain and Terrace epochs have loft very marked evidences
of their existence in tho canon of the Colunibia, espncially in that por-
tion of it between the Colville and Spokane rivers and the Okinakane
and Wonatchee rivers. In both these sections of tho river there are ter-
racesof all elevations from five to five hundred feet, aggregating aheight
of more than two thousand feet alwvo the present river. I counted
twenty-two of these terraces at one iwint in descending from tho Great

COLUMniA RIVER.

109

riain to tho rivor opitonito Lnko Cliolnii. Tlio rivor lioixi flows nt a
dnpth of 2,500 foot bolow tlie lovol of tho Great I'laiii.

Alwut Lake Oliolaii and in tho Korgett and aniphitlicatroUko vatUwH
of tho niountaiiis forming the right bank of tho rivor thcHo toiTaco
plateaus are seen. About the mouth of tho Spokane th(^ tcrraoos aro
extroinoly distinct and marked; Camp Spokane is situated on one ol
them 400 feet al)cve tho liver. Along by Lake Chelan, and in many
otlier ])laces, the bed of the present rivor is compownl of l)o\vhlers ex-
tending down to an unknown depth. All those facts go to show tliat
previous to the Champlaln epoch the cafion of the Columbia was outt«
its pntsent depth, and in some places far below it; that duHng the
downwuril oscillation of the Champlain eiwch this caiion was filled up
by debris, bowhlers, &c., to a height of 2,000 feet above the i)resent
river surface; and that at this time there was a great lake in tho south-
western part of the Great Plain of tho Columbia. During this ejKMili
also the Grand Coulee was occupio«l as a se<;ondary channel by the
Columbia, and the deeply cut cuiions of Moses Couldo, Wilson Creek,
Kenewaw Itun, Marlin Hollow, Lake Creek, Crab Creek, &c., wire oc-
cupiitd by large streams pouring their waters into the great Columbian
Lake.

When the downward movement of tho Champlain opwsh came to a
close, and tho upward movement of the Temvco eijoch commenced, then
tho Columbia Itegan to cut its way down through its old elevated be«l
of bowlders and drift with which its previously-formed canon was fllled,
and the waters began to draiu away from tho Columbian Lake. The
Columbia Canon being very narrow, tho terraces only remained where
they were protected from erosion by tho jutting clitt's of rocks forming
recesses. This must account for their lack of continuity.

To the west of tho Cascmle Mountains, in Washington Territory, there
aro beautiful illustrations of these post-tertiary higli-latitu<lo oscilla-
tions in the numerous inlets, passages, canals, and straits making n)>
Pngot Sound. These complicated channels are without doubt the work
of glacial erosion at a period of greater elevation than the present.
Subsidence fdled them with water from tho sea, which also spread over
the land far to the south. Numerous gi-avelly prairies between the
Columbia and Puget Sound, and tho Suoqualmic, Steilaguamish, and
other flats, attest tho presence of a much more extended sound than
now exists. A partial re-elevation has brought tho soun<l to its present
beautiful and interesting pro|)ortions.

Looking at the map of the Columbian Basin, and having a personal
knowledge of tho country, tho question naturally arises, why did tho
waters choose their present courses, and liow were the tremendous
canons through which they flow formed t llio basaltic rock comi)osing
these canons is extremely hard in some places; notiibly in the canons of
Snake Iliver near the Salmon liiver it is alnu)8t a^^ hanl and compact as
solid flint or obsidian. Tho rocks lietween high and low wat«r have a

110

COLtTMBIA RlVEn.

]»o1iNli(>(1 vitridtMl appcamix^o, ami it sooins to mo that for wator to wear
tliroiii^li tItiR Hnnko llivor Cafioii of iiioro than 3,000 fiiot of oxtn'inoly
hanl ro<!k for 200 miles in length woiihl take an inoonccivablo lnn(!;t,)i of
time. Tiio same may be said of the cafion of the Upper Golumbisi, the
cafioii of tlio Des Oiiutes, of the Salmon, and the tremeiuloim gorge
wliere the (Jolumbia cuts tliroiigli the Cascades.

It wouhl seem that these canons were not commenced nntil aft«r the
last of tlio lava flows making np the aggregate thickness of the lava
over the country, for those lava Hows show continuity and horizontality
from one side of the ca'ions to the other. Of O/onrse, if a clninnel was
once formed, any subsequent flow would fill it up with lava and fon;e
the water to c»minienco its work all over again.

(;(«rtain ap])oarancos an<l studies of the Coul6es of the Groat Plain .
wouhl indicate that they are of fissure formation. Moses Conine, with
walls from two hundred to four hundred feet high, heads abni]»tly in
the (Ireat Plain, forming a complete and perfect cul-de-sac. This seems
iiicom])atible with its being entirely a chaviuol of erosion.

In the Grand Goult^c, the Steamboat Itock, and the formations almiit
the middle pass of the Oouhse, are indicative to mo of its Iteing a grosit
fissure. And so of the other coulees and cafions, now either dry or ox)n-
taining small streams, which do not seem to have ever been of suffici-
ent size to cut tlio canons inclosing them.

I must subscribe myself to the belief that the courses of many of the
most d«}ci)ly encauoned rivers of this country were det«rmine<l to a
very gi-eat exttiut by their waters finding and collecting in great fissures,
aiul that these fissures were formed during the late Tertiary or during
the u|)ward oscillation of the Glacial eiK)ch.

CHAPTER X.

THE aiiF,AT PLAIN OF TITE COLUMBIA.

The northern portion of the interior Columbia liivsin, known as the
Great Plain of the Columbia, may l)e described as that area bounded
on the west by the Ciiscadc Mountains, on the south by the Blue
Mountains, on the east by the Bitter Hoot and Coiur d'AlOne Monnt-
ains, and on the north by the mountains of the Moses and Colville In-
diiin reservations, and those in the triangular area l)etwcen the Colum-
bia and Clarke's Fork. This area is about 145 by 155 miles in extent,
and contains approximately 22,000 square miles, or 14,080,000 acres, an
area twice the size of Maryland, and as large as Massachusetts, New
IIam])shiro, Connecticut, and Rhode Island together. This section is
also known in i»opular parlance as the " Bunch-Grass (Country," from
the fact that nearly all the plains and hills thronghont its extent are
covered with this most hardy and nutritious grass.

;.|

!*.■-

L—

i,m \t i» ii iii '[ ii nMiii ft B aii W i

COLUHUIA UIVEK.

Ill

III the spring un«l uurly HUininur wlioii it w livvmn ttiuljiiiuy it iH vury
Hwvot luitl imliit4ibl«s and ctittlu eat it with avidity. During the huiii-
iiiur it riimiiH, and tiio hoat of tho niiii and duarth of luuiHtuit) diy il iiit
and VA}loT it a rich yoUow browu; but iu thitt condition it iH own iKttlur
for «t«ck tliaii it was in its early groen statu. 1 liavo been told by au
old iiionuer piuskur, who for many years pa^skod throii^'h the country,
that his animals would keep in better condition on buuch-grasH alone
than they would if fed on ortUnary hay and grain. "Bunch graj^s" has
become the synonym for things gooil, strong, rich, and great: the
bunch-grass country is the best and linest country on earth ; bunch-
grass cattle and horses are the sweotest, fleetest, and strongest in the
world ; and a biuich-gniss man is the most suiterb being in the universe.

Over nearly the whole of this Great I'lain of the Columbia theii; is
now sitreiul a rich and fertile soil, varying in depth from a few inches tu
hundreds of feet This soil has been jtroiluced by the grinding action
of the ice and drift of tho Glacial cikmsIi, by the water-wearing of the
Ohamplaiu epoch, an*l from the disintegration of the rocks during the
liwtand present existing Terrace ei>och ; by thoiiction of summer's rain
and heat, winter's fntst and cold, and the chemical decomi>ositiou arising
from exposure to tho atmosphere.

Tho eastern portion of this plain has a much groiter thickness of soil
than the western, and this is owing undoubtedly to the gn^ater amount
of umisture in the atmosphere, and to the soil brought down by its
streams from the mountains on the east and south. Soil arising fmm
the disintegration of volcanic rocks is known to possess in a high de
groe the qualities and mineral constituents iiotMlod by plants. The
most fertile soils of France, Italy, tho Sandwich Islands, and California
are of this nature, and tho wondrous harvests in some localities in the
biinchgrasH country show that, its soil has no superior anywhere.

Early travelers over these sections formed aiul recorde<l various opin
ions concerning the quality of the lands. They wero influenced in their
views by the season of the year in which they traveled.

To one now who travels over an uucultivatetl jwrtion of the counti-y
in tho spring and early summer nothing can be more promising than
its appearance around him on every side. Tho valleys and rolling hillK
stretch away covered with a luxuriant growth of green and tender grass,
and the varied hues of the multitudinous flowers add color and great
beauty to the scene. The soil is moist, showera of rain fall frequently,
and little streams and trickling springs are seen in all directions. After
awhile comes a change; tho showers cosise, the clouds disajqwar, arnl
nothing iuterirosos between the burning rays of the sun and the parch-
ing earth. Tho grsiss loses its cool, green hue, the flowering plants be-
come shrunken and withered, tho springs and rivulets become small or
extinct, and the soil dry and «lusty. During this latter period of the
summer and fall the traveler wouhl form a very pcwr opinion of the land,
and declare that it was not capable of raising tho crops required by

112

COLUMBIA RIVER.

iiiiui. IIo would givti it credit fur being a good grnziiig country when
wiitvr could be prociirtxl, but that m iw fur lut his rocftinniendiitioii would
go. ThJH JH procJHoiy the ruputution that thia country IiaH hml for many
yuara. Within a Hhort time, however, fanners have «loinon8tnite«l that
the high and «lry liill land is better for crop raising than the colder and
more organic soil of the valleys, and exi)criment and demonstra'.ion
have marched along togotlutr until it is proven that over noitrly the
whole of this (Ireut I'lain of the Columbia the cereals — wlieat, barley,
oats, ilax, i%c. — grow and return abundant harvests.

An increase of moisture seems to come with an increase of cultiva-
tion, and every licre that is |)lanted, tended, and harvested, lulds to the
total agricultural acreage of the country and its capability of grain-
prmlucing. This has iMicn abundantly proven in Nebraska and other
sections east of the Itocky Mounttiins. After Fort Kearney was estab-
lished in 1848, the government, emphtyed a skilled fanner for years to
live there and try to raise vegetables for the troops and grain for the
public animals, lint agriculture was a coni|*leto failure owing to lack
of rain. Now all about the old fort are thousands of farms on all of
which abundant crops are raised. This change has Iweu pro<luced by
the westward progress of settlements, carrying along an increased raiu-
tUll.

In s(mie localities on the Great Plain it is still a question whethui the
land will produce or not, ivs no exiwriments have been made. It is a
fact that it takes about three years to test the soil thoroughly in any
portion of this country. The tirst year the crops of grain aro light, sw
the bunch grass is not rotted, and tends to choke out its civilized rival.
The second year the same thing takes place, but to a less extent The
third year, however, the grass has been pretty well killed and the sod
rotted, and the soil proi»erly comminuted and prepared for its work,
and this yosir's yield will generally tell its value.

It woidd be iralicy for the great railroa<l companies, owning immense
boilies of land in the country, to make these tests in difiierent localities,
and by this means prove to the inquiring settler what quality of Ian«l
it is which is ott'erc«l to him. In a great many cases, undoubtedly, in-
tending settlers are forced away by the uncertainty as to the produc-
ing power of the soil and the lack of time and means to test it.

The two great drawbacks to the rapid settlement nd growtli of the
country are the lack of an abundant supply of watci and lack of wood
for fuel and lumber. In regard to it as a grazing country, it may be
said that there is gniss in the greatest abundance for thousands
and tons of thousands of cattle and horses, which cannot be ettten oil'
owing t«> the lack of water. But in this same country in all probability
a sutticicncy of water can be hatl, either from natural sources or by
diggin,;;, to sui>ply the needs of the people and animals engaged in culti-
vating the soil.

The volcanic rock underlying the country is, I believe, well adapted

It ■'

COLIIMHIA UIVKR.

113

to tlio HtorftKti of wiitor falliiif; uim>ii it und purcolatiuf; tlin)U){li Hh hiiiiUI
tiHNuruH iiiiil iiitvrHtiCUH to tlio i^roittur (iHHiinw iind onuskH Ik)Iow. In
iMuirly uvery plucc whura it liiis hovii tried, water hoM beou x>rouurud by
digging.

SAOE-OBUSn LANDS.

S»Kfl-l>ru8h bas bncoiiio alinoHt a Rynonyiii for worthlcHHrutHH, iiiid to
H»y that a ]»iecu of land iH Ha|i;e-briiNli Iiind uondeiiiiiH it at «iiu;h in llio
iniiidH of many iHM>pl». Rut ttiiH iH not riKlit; for wliile a ^roat deal,
]>rolml)ly the greater portion, of the Hagu-hruHh land of tlio country ih
poor and comi)aratively worthleHs, tliero are large troetn e^von-d with
HagobruHh which are of the flneat quality. The little, Hliort, Htuut^Ml
sagebruHh, hucIi an growH about the inoutli of Snake Kiver and the
Central Oregon doHerts, in irulicative of very poor, unpnxiuctive soil,
lint far ditteront is the case when the Hage-bniHh is thick and Htrong,
tttanding from four to twelve feet high, a» it does in the vicinity of Honey
Ijake, SurpriHe Valby, and many other placcH in California and Neva<Ia,
and in jmrtionK of the Grand Conl()e and Biulgor Mountain country.
This kind of aage-bruHli has l)oeii found by exi>erienoe to grow only in
the richest soil, which, when brought under cultivation, ])roduc(SH tlie
greatest harveata. When I visited Honey Lake Valley, a few years
ago, the people had already adopted the expression ^,hat the bigger the
sago brash the bettor the land.

Sage-brush is very hanl to ertulicate, th)m the fact that no matter
how thick it stands tire will not run in it. Its moat fatal enemy, strange
to say, is graas. I have been inforniod by old settlers about The Dalles
and otiier places that largo areas which aro now covered with bunch-
grass were, when they flrst came into the country, covered with sage-
brush. They describcfl the metho<l by which the bunch-grass over-
comes and replaces the sage-brush, and which subsequent observation
of my own induces me to believe. This is as follows : If wo have two
contiguous areas covered, one with bnnch-grass and the other with sago-
brush, the grass grows in among the-brush for considerable distances,
enveloping the roots and lower portions of the brush. At some time lire
comes and sweeps over the f rass, burning it to the ground. This tire
does not injure the grassroots, which spring up again as green and
hardy as before. Not so the sage-brush ; the fire has killed it, and in
a short time the old stalks and roots rot away and the bunch-grass com-
pletely usurps its place; and so the struggle goes on until the whole
area is coveretl with grass.

In ortler to show the cxtraortlinary fertility of this region of the
Columbia River I give below the statistics troxa *he United States Cen-
sus office of the average yield, per acre, of the cereals grown in 1«7!> in
the State of Oregon and Territories of Washington, Idaho, and Mon-
tana, comprising those regions drainetl largely by the Columbia Biver
and its tributaries. Montana is included in this region for the reason
8. Ex. 186 15

114

COLUMHIA KIVRR.

that, whilu nioHt of the Territory Ih tlruiiuMl by the MiHHoiiri, ii large
proportion of the (;iiltivate<l land is ou the heailwater Htreunm of the
(Joliiinbiu, in the MiHMoula KitHin.

Cermli vf tka United SUtlen ; aiwrftye field per erop of lilt\).

OmKnn

Wmhlngtim

IiUlm

Montana

A viiraKK fnr whiiln r«Klnn { mnan for abitvii
ATiir»K« wliol* UulUdBtatea

Barlny.

8S
83
30
33
3SI

Biiok-

whiMit.

Indbu

r4>ni.

OnU. I Rjro.

Whrat.

17
M
M
27
83
13

Kroin thiH it Ih soon that the av«ir!ig(i yiehl of barley per atire in this
('ohnnbia conntry is 50 jior cent, greater than the average yield in the
whole United BtatoH, inclnding thin region ; the average yield of bnck-
wheat in liO {wr cent, greater; the average yield of Indian corn in 11 \wir
cent. U'hb; the avenige yield of oat« in 40 per cent, greater; of rye, is 04
per cent, greater, and the avenige yield of the most inijwrtwnt cereal of
all, wheat, is 77 ywr cent, greater than the average of the i iiit«d StatcH.

I give Inflow the average yield of the cereals i»er ivcre of the cereal
cropn of 1870 for the principal agricnltural States of the Union, and
th(«e whose averages are the largest.

Arkaiiaaa

Caliriirnla

IHknta

Illinuia

Indiana

Iowa

KanaaH

Kentucky

MiMitaclniat^tUi..

Miohlj^n

MliinoHota

Minminri

Kebraaka

Now York

North Carolina .

Ohio

rennsylvauia...

Toxaa

Virginia

Wiaconain

Barley.

Bunk-
wlieat.

17
22 ,
•i'i i

a> I

2S
23
26
10
IS
22
U
80
IB
13
17

Indian
com.

Data.

Ky«.

Wheat.

11
IS

18
10

9
10
16
19
11
12

5
18
13

jirfBU

COLITMIilA KIVKK.

116

The Btatistius ivKAnling tliti pro4liivtioti of IriHli potattHw in tlin St»U«H
aiul TurriUirivM whore they ure prinoi;<(Uly riiiseil Ih k^voii in tht« rolluw>
iog table

WMlliB«««l.

C'aUfcnbi.

nibwU

llMMckaartU ...

r- ..iKHi

MfaUMMte

NaWMka

New HaapaUn.

Maw Jmajr

KavYaft

OU*

PpBnajrlTaaia ...,
Kkodeldaad...

Vrnooat

AOM.

«,IKIII
II, IM
U,4TI
113,176
151, IM

ni.iws

l3t,3M
71,4Ifl
S3,aM

(1,41«
?H,M7

w,aw

41,683

UO,0(KI

lAMl

1«S,43»

6,a8«

S8,8I»

IW,2«a

•.IMO

Bwhala.

1,«M, 177
l.SM.BSn
4,5M,MS
■i, IW4, IMI

ia,a«i,7a7

«, 232,24(1
g, 063, 6117
7,MW,62S

a, 070, 3»»

10, »33, 060
^ IM, 676

2, ISO, ma

3, 868, t.m

a, 66S, 7«3

33,612,918

12,710,216

16,284,810

606,700

4 438, 172

8,600,161

664,086

Ylolil p«r

163

123
83
NO
60
08
83

113
IH
81

101
76

113
HS
«6
78
88

101

114
86
U

Theae statistics are only given to show the great fertility of the soil
in this country drained by the Coliiiiibia, its mhiptability to support a
large population engaged in agri«;ultural pursuits, and the enoriiioiii>
cro|>H which its immense Heritage must yield as soon an a i>opiiIati(iii
siUlicieut for their cultivatiou is attained and nieaus of traim|)ortatioii
provided. Tliis country is far away from the seat of government and is
very little known, but it is bound 8o<m to force itself on the attention of
tlie txMiutr)- as one of the graiidtwt portions of our domain, unexcelled
by any in the productions of the earth, in the lieauty, extent, and yield
of its waters, in its iiiountuins clothed with splendid foi-ests and enfold-
ing mines of the useful and prt>ciou8 inutiils, anil in its climate.

Id consequence of its great and sure promise our legislators should
look upon it with liberal eyes and grant abundant aid to all desirable
works of public improvement which may be undertaken to facilitate
trausiwrtation, sure of a prompt and rich return in the increiuuMl ]iros-
l>erity and loyalty of the i)eo])le.

From the interior water-ways, the Columbia and Snake Rivers, should
be reinovetl, as far as prncticuible, all the rocky fetters which prevent
and hinder full and free navigation. Commerce will require it, the
l>6ople will demand it, and it must bo done sooner or later.

In order to partitularixe a little in regard to this gi-eat jilain of the
Colombia, let us sujiiMise that {Mirtion north of the Buuke and Clearwater
to be tlivided into four nearly equal parts by a line drawn due south fh)in
the Big Beml of the Columbia, near Camp Spokane, to Snake Kiver, and

116

COLUMBIA RIVER.

I< A>

a due ea^it and west line tbrougli the soutborn end of Big or Colville
Lake.

The northeaHtcrn portion may be designated as the Spolcane section ;
tlie southeastern as the Palovse seetion; tho nortliwostorn as the Grab
Creek and Grand VoulSe section, and tho southwestern ai the Mows
Lake or Desert section. To these must be added the section south and
west of the Snako or the WaUa Walla section; the one south of the
Clearwater and oast of the Snake, or the Letciston and Mount Idaho
section ; and tlie one to the west of the Columbia, or tho Yakima section.

THE PALOUSE SECTION.

The lands of this section are nearly all of gooil quality, and are being
rapidly settled. The section is well watered, the main streams being
the Palouse, Cow Creek, Kock Creek, Pine Cieek, Union Flat Creek,
Itebel Flat Creek, Potlatch Creek, and the head waters of Lahtoo or
Hangman's Creek. These streams all flow through deep canons with
narrow valleys or through deep dei>re8sions bonnded by rolling hills.
Besides these there are numberless smaller streams.

('onsiderable «c«6 land exists in the western and northwestern jiarts
of this section. The land so designated by the people of the ccmntry is
that where the original volcanic rock is eximsetl and uncovered by any
soil. Patches of this exposed rook exist scattered through the most
fertile regions. This is the most fertile, most thickly settled, and best
known of the fou; sections north of the Snake. Several line towns have
been start<Hl in this country; the princijtal one, and the one which is
destined to be<!ome quite a railroad and commercial center, is CoZ/kr, at
the junction of the north and south forks of the Palouse. Probably not
more than one-tenth of the land in this section is taken up and occupied.

The western jwrtion is devoid of timlwr, but in the eastern portion
about the headwater streams of the Palouse and Ilangumn's Creek,
plenty of line timber exists.

One of the most singular and prominent features of this s"^ction is
Steptoe Butte, a perfect cone, elevated about 2,()0() feet above the sur-
rounding country, staiuling quite alone, isolated from any neighboring
Iteak or range.

Another singular feature of this section is the fact that a number of
the streams run in a direction paniUel with the Snake. Union Flat Creek
heads about six or eight miles from tue Snake Biver, t« the northeast of
Li'wiston, and then takes a northwest<'rly course, and for seventy miles,
until it Hows into the Palouse, keeps at about the same distance from
the river. Rebel Flat (Jreek, Wdlow Creek, and the main forks of the
Palouse all follow the same general direction, making to a great extent
th«^ same bends. It is pnibable that glaciers moving in this genei"al
direction nnist bo assigned as the causes of this i)arallelism.

The falls of the I'alouse form another of the interesting objects of
this secition. In the lower portion of its course the Palouse Hows through
a deep fissure in the basaltic rock, portions of which take fantswstic forms,

COLUMBIA RIVER.

117

as towering piiuiaoles, &c. At the falls the river descends porpeiulio-
ulaiiy for about 120 feet ini,! a nnTOW basin, from wliicli it flows off
tlirougli its deep canon for about nine miles to tlie Hnake Itiver. The
salmon ascend only to the falls; and the Pahvse Indians have a legend
which tells of the wickedness of the Indians higher up the country, and
how the Great Spirit in his displeasure plaiced the falls as a barrier to
the further ascent of the salmon.*

THE SPOKANE SBOTTON.
This section is more variod than inty of the others. In ita southeastern
part is C(Bur d'Alfme Lake and the fine timber-covered «'ountry sur-
rouiuling it. In it« northeastt^rn and eastern part are the gra\'elly Sjui
kane Plains and the fertile prairies embedded in the nortluuit wocxls.
Us western portion comprises some of the finest farming lands in the
Territory, among which are those known as the Deep Creek, Four Lakes,
Upper Crab (Jreek, ITawk Creek, and Cottonwood Spring Countios.
(tordon Prairie, &c. The c>i<okane Itiver runs through this section,
giviUf; water transportivt.on for the timber from the great forests about
its headwaters, and furnishing one of the flaiost wat^^r-powers in the
world. The main line of the Norther!i Pacific liailroad runs diagonally
through the section. Along the Spokane Kiver, below the falls and upon
its small tributaries, there is a gooil deal of titnber, wliic^h wi'il furnish
the inhabitants and settlers with woo<l and lumborforauuinber of years,
until more railrotuls are built and the commerce in gra<ii,fuel, and lum-
ber becomes established.

Due west from Spokane Tails an«l extending in a westerly <lire<'tion
is the divide, between the streams which flow north into the SiMikane
and south into Cnib Creek. This divide is no higher in appearantn^ than
the country' to the north and south ; it abounds in sjjrings and swales,
where the waters collect and then flow away ivs rivulets and brooks
through the gently-rolling hills at first, finally becoming more deejtly
en(^anoned iis tlsey nei>r their destination at the great<>r river or <!reek.
Of course thone flowing north into the Spokane cut more deeply thiui
those flowing south. This divide is of importance in the economy of
the country, ns it funiishes an excellent route for araih'oa<l, which will
pass through an extremely fertile and desirable country, ami be easily
a«'.cessibli» from both sides thro-igbout its entire length. This railroad
is one which in the near future must <!ertainly be built. Its stsirting-
point must be at the falls of the Si)okf>i<e, from where it will stretch
away westwanl to the Okinakane and vicinity of the Wenatiilu'c, bear-
ing in one dirtiction its loads of gmin to be ground into flour for shipment
to the great world, and in the other direction the fuel, himlH>r, and mer-
chandise required by the inhabitants of the country through which it
])assos.

Among the singular features of this country are the Spokane Plains.
Lying along the banks of the Upi>er 8iK)kane, and extending «»ft' towards

• St»n!ey.

118

COLUMBIA RIVER.

slv

Pend (VOroille Lake, there is a system of nearly level plains 'Ising one
above the other into terraces towards the north. These plains are <)om-
po3e<l chiefly of gnivel and bowldera, and the vegetation on them is
slight, and the / j^re not well adapted to farming purposes. The higher
tcr^races seem to Ite much better than the lower ones, as there is more
goo<l rich soil intermixed with the gravel on them.

It would be a mfstakc, however, to supiwBe that the le plains are value-
less. They are well adapted to grazing purposes, and throughout there
are large ])atches and strips where the rich soil has (collected in sufli-
cient quantity and depth to give most excellent farming lands. Some
of the garden farms on these fertile patches are already famous for the
quality antl quantity of their products.

Uiwn this gravel plain, just above where Hangman's Greek joins the
Simkano, is situated the city of Spokane Falls, and it certainly is unex
celled in the whole world as a town site. There will never l)e anyniud,
and pavements will never be needed in this 1>eaatiful place, which is
already assuming the dignity and business appearance as well as the
name of a city. The Northern Pacific Railroad here crosses Hangman's
Creek, and first reaches the Spokane liiver; several other railroads
have been projected which, when built, will make the town an important
railroad center. Its situation and natural advantages must make it a
place of consequence, and great things are predicted of it.

The climatfl is truly delightful and of the most undoubted healthful-
ncss. In the vicinity are all the elements which go to make up an
attractive place of residence; beautiful scenery of varying plain and
mountain, prairies, and timbered hills, lovely lakes for boating, fishing,
bathing, &c.; a picturesque ri\ sr abounding in the finest trout; unex-
cellcti rides and drives, and hunting of all kinds, from prairie shooting
to deer, elk, and bear hunting among the summits and gorges of the
mountains.

(3uMir d'Alene Lake is an extremely beautiful sheet of clear water, well
stocked with the finest trout and surrounde<l by beautifully formed,
timlH)r-covere<l mountains. Its main feeders are the Gceur d'Alene and
Saint Joseph rivers, flowing from the Bitter Root Mountains. On the
banks of these streams and in their vicinity there are splendid bmlies of
timber, which at some time must become very valuable. These rivers
are not ni.w in a good condition to run logs on, being blocked up with
fallen timber, which will have to be cleared out before they cau be used.
Once cleared out during high water, logs cau be take' down without
limit or trouble. The lake l<es at the same general level as the lower
Spokane Plain, and is an old eroded basin formed at a i)eriod of greater
elevation than the present. Aliout eight miles down the Spokane River
ft-om the lake there is a very great contraction of tlic river at the Littl'»
Falls. This has had the etfect of slowing up the waters between it and
the mouth oi" the lake, and depositing a large amount of gravel, iK'-bbl"''-
aud bowlders, thus damming back the waters into thii. eroff/u '.i;i: 'i

•M>

if'

--m

COLUMBIA BIVER.

119

and forming the lake. Litiie bottom land lies along the lake, and the
banks are generally steep and high.

In the Four Lake country there are three small lakes, whose waters
are strongly impregnated with the carbonate of smla, and which have
been dubbed the Medical Lakes. The water has jv very soapy feol and
effect, ar.d is delightful to bathe in. The eft'ccts of a strong and con-
tinued wind storm on the lakes is very curious; the water is l»sho<l into
a soapy foan> very white and light, which coUcHsts on the banks to a
deptis, at times, Oi several feet.

THE OBAB OBKEK AND OBAND COHL^E SECTIONS.

This is a portion of the country which is and has been very little
known. Its remoteness has deterred settlers from going to it. Before
I first went into the section, in 1870, 1 could obtain very little infornm
tion in regard to it. Then, all the inhabitants were three or four cattle-
raisers living along Crab Creek — " I'ortugce Joe," living on Kenewaw
Run, and " Wild Goose Bill," on the heailwators of Wilson Creek.

The establishment in 1870 and abandonment in 1880 of the military
jtost of Camp Chelan, caused many i>ecple, in t' e capacity of tcivmstitrM
and other government employ<5e, as well as th. military, to go ovjr the
country, and a knowledge of it has been thus acquired and dissemi-
nated, and now there are cpiite a number of settlers v* ho have Rono into
the country to make themselves homes. Of course it cannot become
much of an agricultural country until a market for its products is
aff«)rded by the construction of a railroad into it. This section has
n.ever sei>med to enter into the minds of people except ''«s a broken and
almost desort land, but I oueak from a knowledge acquireil by traveling
over nearly the whole of it, and I shall not hesitate to characterize it as
a very fine agricultural and grazing section. The country l)etween
Crab Croe?r and the Columbia is well watered by streams hea<liiig along
the divide already mentioned, which lies quite near the Columbia ; thc«e
streams flow with more or less water, acconling to the season of the year,
through valleys of ^"^rying width, ir a southwesterly direction, to Crab
Creek. The land ab^ut the hea'is of these creeks and that lying
between the creeks along theii- hmor course is of the ilncst quality,
growing the most luxuriauL b'rrch-grass and giving every evidence of
lieiug a magnificent grain country.

In 1880 I laid out a wagon-road from Kitzville, on the Kortlu^rn Pa- '
cific Railroad to Camp Chelan, a distance of one hundred and seven
miles. Over nearly the whole of this distance I found the bunch-grass
growing strongly and well, and the soil of undoubted fertility. The
rolling hiiis to the south of Crab Creek for a distance of from five to
twenty miles ai« of the same exellent quality as those to the north. Of
course there is some poor laud in the area east of the Grand Coulee, but
as a whole it is scarcely to be suq)assed.

The Grand Coulte is the most singular, prominent, and noted feature

■■;?■;

120

COLimBIA EIVEK.

of this [lortiun of the country. It commences on the Ooluiiibia between
thenioiithH of tlie Sans Poil and Nespilem rivers and extends in a south-
westerly dii-eution for flfty-flve miles, when it merges into the bowlder-
covered, prehistoric (Jolumbian Lake meistioned in the geological chap-
ter of this report. Except at one point it is a deep chasm, with vertical,
imptissable walls, averaging about 350 feet in height. About midway
between its extremities these walls are broken down, entirely so on
the east, and so m 't so on the west that a wagon has no difflculty in
ascending. The ct .' » is partially filled up by the broken-down

hills. The cause of li. .k seems to have been a flood of water or

icecou)iiig in from the no ..east and flowing off down through the cou-
lee chasm. Many rounded bowlders are here found in the soil, and
great rocks of large size, which could only have been transported by the
agency of ice. To the north of tiiis middle pass the bottom is quite
level ; it luis some springs and small ponds, and can be traveled with-
out difliculty. It is in some places nearly four miles wide. The southern
portion is very narrow, and the bottom is lilled with a succession of
lakes, the northern ones being of clear, white, sweet wat«5r filled with
fish; toward the south the lakes become more and more strongly im-
pregnated with alkali, until the one at the end of the coulee is of the
most detestable tinpalatable nature. At its junction with the Columbia
the coulee is ci-ossed by a very bad wagon-road, and a trail crosses it
about seven miles from the Columbia. The only other place whore it
can be crossed is at the Middle Pass mentioned above.

I first called attention to this Middle Pass in 1879, and located a
wagon-roml iwjross it in 1 88«. It is the only phtce where, by any means,
the coulee can be crossed by a railroad trom the Columbia to its end
near Moses Lake. The southern portion of the coulee from this point
cannot be crossed or traverseil owing to the lakes and steqp walls.

To the west of the Grand Coulee there is another running nearly par-
allel with it, known as Moses or Little Coul^. This has a number <>!
si>riiigs and much good hmd in it. Thd laud butweeu the two coulees
is ii;ostly rich and covered with Imneh grass. This Moses Coulee comes
to an abrupt end, inclosing a little lake.

Foster Creek, with its many branches and fertile soil, lies to the north.
Many sjtrings and little lakes exist throughout this i)ortiou of the sec-
tion under discussion. There is every inducement in the way of natural
advantages for thousands of settlers in this portion o^" the country.

West of Moses Coulee there is a coudsiderable area of tiudjer land,
and the vegetation indicates a rich soil, but water is not plentiful. It
may be obtained by digging, but this has not been tried, and hence is
uncertain.

In the southwestern portion of this section lies Badger Mountain.
This could only be called a mountain in a country as flat as the Great
Plain, and does not deserve the name. It is a loug, rolling divide, whose
sides are cut by gullies, iu many of which springs aie to be found. The

COLUMUU UIVEB.

ISI

soil of this mouutain appears to be exceediugly rich, aud, iudoed, if I
was aslced to name tbu richest, most fertile area iu thiis whole Columbia
Basiu, I know of none tliat I would uame before Badger Mouutain.
The vegetation is indicative uf its fertility, being, besides bunch-grass,
rose bushes, choice-cherry bushes, haws, willows, &o., all growing thick
and strong. The country is well watered, and will, in time, have an easy
outlet by the Columbia Uiver, and deserves the attention of everybody
having the great transportation and ether interests of the country iu
hand.

Throughout this section the Groat Plain lies about 2,(H)0 to 2,500 feet
above the river level, aud It is extremely diiUcult to get &oui one to the
other. West of the Qiaud Conl6e, the only practicable luilroad route to
the Columbia, that I am sure of, is by way of Foster Creek.

By this route an excellent grade can be made to the river. It is iws-
sible that by the wa^y of Moses Coulee, or the southern side of Badger
Mountain, an easy way to the river may be discovered.

The commercial center of this section will probably be somewhere iu
the vicinity of the Middle Pass of the Grand CouliSe. Another and
greater center will, in the future, be located near the mouth of the
Okiuakane.

THE HOSES LAKE OB DESEBT SBOTION.

This last one of the four sections which I have been considering, can
be dismissed with a few words, and those almost entii ely of condemna-
tion. It is a desert, pure and simple, an almost waterless, lifeless
desert. A few cattle exist along the Columbia, where they can reach
"the river for water, n id some more along the lower Crab Ortek below
Moses Lake. This section is much lower than the remainder of the
Great Plain, and evidently was a lake for hundreds of years^ forming
deiH)sits several hundred feet in thickness, and which are plainly shown
at the White Blnflfs and Crab Creek Coulee.

A large portion is covered with bowlders embedded in a loose, light,
ashy soil ; other portions are covered with drifting sands, and, taken
all in all, it is a desolation where even the most hopeful can And nothing
in its future prospects to cheer. jj.

Crab Creek sinks soon after receiving the waters of Wilson Creek, and
rises just above Moses Lake, of which it is the only feeder. At this
l)oint the water is passably good to drink. Moses Lake la stagnant,
alkaline, and unttt for any use. At its lower end are great saud dunes
and sandy wastes.

The water seeps through this sand aud rises again a few miles to the
south and flow^ southwesterly to Saddle Mouutain, where it is tumetl
to the west, siui^ing and risiug several times. I do not think that it
now ever reachet> the Columbia. Below Moses Lake the creek water
is alkaline, filled with organic matter, and uni.»alatable.
S. Ex. 186 16

122

COLUMBIA RIVER.

fi.'):

\vm,

The following account of a journey across the two westeni sections of
the Great Plain is from my report to the Chief of Engineers in 1880 :

In AngiiBt, 1979, I left Walla Walla and proceeded to Wallula, and tbencu np the
Columbia to the White Bloifa. At the head of the long island, we leit the river to
look out for a practicable route for a wogou-road to the military camp, tlion iu the
vicinity of the mouth of the Okiiiakane, on the sappositiou that it was to bo perma-
nently located there.

We reached the top of the bluffs, which are hero about 540 feet high, by going up
through a long guloh greatly beaten by cattle. The soil is dry and is ground to
powder by the feet of the cattle wherever they make a path, and is not well suited
for a road. We however fouud, a short distance down the river, a gulch, up which
the ascent to the top of the bluffs is easy and gradual.

From the summit the country spreads out, gently rolling, as far as the eye could
•'each, to the northeast and east. To the north and northwest a small monntain chain,
devoid of timber, stretched itself ih>m east to west across our way. It is called Saddle
Mountain. The country was covered with a luxuriant growth of bunch-grass, with
here and there a traot of sage-brush. The soil is of firm and excellent quality. Quito
a large numbeT of cattle wore seen, all of which had to descend to the river for water.

Proceeding somewhat to the northeast, to skirt Saddle Mountain, we soon found our-
selves getting into a country more sandy and more rolling, and our mules and horses
had greater difflculty in getting along. In the afternoon, being on the lookout for
water, we made for a green-looking spot off to the east, hoping it was a spring. In
this we wore disappointed, and we continued on our way nntil nine o'clock at night,
when, not finding any water, we unloaded and made ourselves as comfortable as pos-
sible without it. The next morning before dbylight we took up our laborsome march
through the sands of the desert and traveled until about two in the af)«moon, when,
as our animals were sufferinfr intensely from thirst, and as we wore uncertain about
what lay before us directly vrurth, we concluded to strike to the westward, as from
all the indications it was more likely to give us a supply of water. About three o'clock
we came to an old road, which gave indications of having at one time been well trav-
eled, and we turned and followed it to the northward, trusting that it would take ns
to water.

At five o'clock our animals seemed utterly unable to carry their packs any further,
and so wo unloaded them and piled up our baggage and kept on without it. About
nine o'clock that night we came to a small alkali pond, which, vile os it was, seemed
like nectar to ns and to our poor horses and mules.

The country we had traveled was covered partly with sage-brush, bunch-grass, and
weeds, and was utterly waterless and lifeless. Not oven the cheerful coyote lived
there, for not one lulled us to sleep or molested our abandoned provisions and camp
equipage. The next day we found the flno spring which feeds the alkali pond above
mentioned. I afterwards learned that it goes by the name of Black Rook Spring.
Here the face of the country changes to a certain extent and becomes more broken up.

Block Rock Spring is at the head of a ooul(te which extends off to the soutliwest, and
probably as far as Moses Lake. From Block Rock Spring we kept to the north, and
in about nine miles came to Crab Creek, which is here quite a stream, flowing through
a rich bottom half a mile wide. Up the stream the bottom narrows and becomes a
ohasra, formed by the perpeniicular and overhanging wails of bosoltio rock. Lower
down the bottom became a marsh, entirely filling the space between the basaltic wails,
in which the creek sinks to collect again further below. Where we crossed it the bottom
was good, and the descent and ascent from the great table land wore comparatively
easy. A goodly number of fine fat cattle inhabited this valley and the a4Joining high
grounds, and no doubt fine gardens could be made and nearly every garden vegetable
raised.

Leaving Crab Creek we went nearly northward, taking as a guide the Pilot Rock,
a mass of rock about thirty ieet high, bat which, on account of the general flatness of

COLUMBrA RIVER.

196

the country, can be noon for a great diatnnoe in every dirootion. Stion wo oroased
Konewaw Sun, the dry be<l of a winter stream, now containing a Rcaiity Hnpply of
water in liticos and HpriugH. Leaving tliia we oroatiod shortly afterwards Wilson
Croeli, a flne little stream flowing tliroiigh a rich bottom. It and Konewaw Rnu aro
deeply imbedded below tho general surface of the Great Plaiu of the Columbia, have
fine soil and abundant grazing in the bottom and the a(\jn(:ont hills and npiwr plains for
groat numbers of cattle or horsea. The scarcity of timber of any kind for fuel and
building pnriMMes is, and must always be, a great drawback to the settlement of this
section. Kiieping on over the part of tho Qreat Plalu lying between WHnou Creek
and the Qraud CouMe, a rich rolling country oovorod with a luxuriant growth of
bunuh-grasH, we deficonde<l by mistake into the Cold Spring Couldo, down which runs
the great trail of tho Indians from the Spokane country to tho Wenat<thee and Moses
Lake countries. We climbed out of this coultSe, and, passing over tho broken and
rooky summit between the two coulcSes, we descended by a long gradual slope of about
three miles Into the Qrond CoultSe. The Pilot Rock was right above us, on the west-
ern bank, to the north. Here In this vicinity is the host place to cross the coal6u for a
roail going east and west. The bottom of tho conldo Is uneven and more than a thou-
sand feet above tho present level of the river. Tho sides show no water-marks. We
went north through tlie oonl<^, Its porpendlcnlar walls Terming a vista like some
grand old rained, roofless hall, down which we traveled hoir after hour. The walls
are about 300 to 400 feet high. At about seven miles trom th< river a trail crosses the
coiil^, and we turned here and wont to the west until we sttuck Foster Creek, down
whicli we kept, following the wagon-road made by the trtiiiis which preceded us,
to tho winter camp, and which ci-'^iies the collide at its Junctkn with the Columbia
River.

Some good ranching land lies along Foster Creek, and all over the northern portion
of the Qreat Plaiu kunch-grass grows in the greatest luxnrianoo. There are nunier>
ous little ponds, which, fed by springs, keep a supply of water all the year, and also
nnnierous springs of excellent water.

Pursuant to Instractlons trom General Howard, Lieutenant-Colonel Herrlam and I
began a search for the most suitable location for the new post. We examined both
sides of the river £it>m the month of the Okinakane to Lake Chelan, and decided that
the most adrantagoous sight, taking everything into oonsldoratlon, was at the outlet
of Lake Chelan, the plateau on the north side of the lake and river. An unlimited
supply of timber and pure water is at hand and available for every i<'<rpooe. Lake
Cholau is a wonderfully beautlf^il sheet of water, about sixty miles long, acconling to
the Indians, and from one to five miles wide. It seems to be, and is In fact, a dammed-
up mountain cation of the most rugged and pronounced description. The water Is of
diamond-like clearness, and yet in places no sight can penetrate to the bottom of its
liquid depths. It is supplied from mountain springs and {h>m tho melting snows of
the 91088 of snow-capped mountains lying about it.

In a dug-ont canoe paddled by old In-no-ma-aotch-a, thochiof of the Cholans, and his
two sons. Colonel Merriam and I went up the lake about twenty-fonr miles, and found
it to Increase in nigged grandeur and beauty at every paildle-stroke. Walls of granite
rose in places almost vertically for a thoiisaud foot above the waters and down below
them farther than the eye could reach. Elsewhere tlie steep mountain walls were
covered with fine plno and fir and dense undergrowth. Game was abundant, ita evi-
denced by the game-trails and tho report) of tho Indians. At one of our landings
Colonel Merriam killed a black bear and saw two others. We were sorry not to lie
able to go any farther up the lake. It Is the most grandly beantiful body of water
that I have ever seen. Lying about two hundred and fifty feet above the Columbia,
It discharges Its waters through a gorge, a oloft-llke channel u mile and a half long
and only a few feet in width.

After deciding upon the location of the post, I left the temporary camp to go to tba

\\-

184

COLUMBIA RIVER.

|ii

Bpokane Fall* and Fort Cn>nr d'A!Ane. The conntry travenml wait nearly all rolling
bnncli-grasH land of the riohnat deacription, and tlio moat of whioli will, I believe, bo
available for raiaing grain,

WALLA WALLA SEOTIOK.

The Wnlla Walla p,oction, bounded on tlie north by the Snake and Go-
Innibia Rivers and on the Hontb by the Blue MonntainH, is too well known
for ony dencription here to l)e necessary.

YAKIMA SECTION.

The Takima section is snffioiently described in another iiortion of this
report.

LKWISTON AND MOUNT IDAHO SECTION.

Tlie Lewiston and Mount Idaho section alone remains to be notico<l.
Tills is bounded on the north and caHt by the Glearwatcr, on the west
by the Snake, and on the south by the Salmon Biver, and altliough it
can scarcely be considered a part of the Great Plain of the Golumbia, it
is intimately connected therewith.

Denudation has done a wonderful work here. One standing on the
highlands to the north of the Glearwsiter and looking to the south sees
Craig's Mountains as a level plain, covered with timber. This platean
of Graig's Mountains has an elevation of 4,300 feet above the sea and
3,000 feet and more abovi its encircling rivers. The rivers have cut
through this elevated plateau, and the local waters have washed it down
into gradual slopes toward them. Standing on the easteni edge of this
I)lateau and looking to the east, one can contemplate the almost incred-
ible work that has been done in sculptiunng the country to its present
form ; he can readily see that the plateau on which he stands is a frag-
ment of an immensely greater plateau which at one time extended iiu-
brokeuly away to the east, to the distant summit chains of the Bitter
Boot Mountains, and that tlie great canons of the rivers surrounding
him, and those seen in the distance, in which flow the many branches
of the Glearwatcr and Salmon, have all been excavated from the pla-
teau on which he stands. Any conceivable time will api)car to him too
s' '•rt for the work before him.

Upon the plateau of Graig's Mountain the frosts are too severe to
allow of agriculture, but in all the low country about it the soil is of
extreme richness. A large portion of the section is taken up by the
Lt^wai or Nez Perc4 Indian Beservation. To the southeast of Graig's
Mountain lies Gamas Prairie, a very fertile region, in which are situ-
ated the towns of Orangeville and Mount Idaho.

The only outlet of this Gamas Prairie country is by the wagon-road
over Graig's Mountain, which is excellent in the summer and autumn,
.but almost impassable during the winter and spring.

COLnMBIA niVER.

125

CHAPTER XI.

T/IK OSOGIiAPIIWAL NOUXNCLA TVRB OF THK COL VMBIA RI VKB BEO ION.

The subject of the geographical names of a country, their originn,
meanings, inodiflcations, changes, loss, and flnal ailoption is one of ab-
sorbing interest, e8i)ecially to the student who wishes to trace the history
of his country ttom its earliest settlement t4) its full development.

The geographical names in this country of the Columbia are derived
from the following sources :

1. Indian names.

2. Names given by <he e&rly navigators of Spain, England, and the
United States.

3. Names given by the early explorers, as Lewis and Clarke, Bonne-
ville, Fremont, and others.

4. Names given by the early fur traders.

6. Names given by the flnal and permanent settlers.

In regard to the first of these sonrces, it is of course highly desirable
to retain, ns far as possible, the names of places as given by the Indians.
This is, however, often rendered extremely difflcnit, from the fiust tlint
the same thing may receive different names from different tribes, or even
from the same tnbe, and that Indian names often are simply generic,
ap])lying to all or many things of the same sort. As example may be
cited the different names given to the Willamette by the different tril)08
living along it ; the Snake, also, where it flowed through the ralouse
Indian country was called by them the Palouse ; where it flowed through
the Nez Perc^ country it was called the Nez Perc6, and through the
Snake country the Snake." Indian names are often of such extreme
length that people cannot be induced to retain them. Thus the Ne-hoi-
al-pit-qna Eiver ha^ become changed, by common consent, into Kettle
River, and is so called even by the Indians themselves. TIio settlers of
a country rarely have sufficient regard for their savage neighbors to
wish to retain their nomenclature, and the consequence is it is soon com-
pletely replaced by one, as a general thing, very unpootical and common-
place.

The Spaniards have loft few names to commemorate tlieir exph)ra-
tions along the coasts of Oregon and Washington. The names givttn by
them, generally in honor of some saint or in commemoration of some
church festival, have been replaced by others given by the Englisii and
American navigators who succeeded them.

Many of the names given by the early explorers still remain and will
continue so to do. Where they are not Indian names tliey were gen-
erally given in honor of some public functionary, or some of their own
men, or descriptive of some peculiarity or occurrence.

•Miillati.

-:«■( *,r*Ki

126

COLimnii, RIVER.

Tlio nnmen piven by tlio ftivrly ftir titMlorfl aro chiefly French, iM the
voyageurn woro mostly Froiioh OanutliaiiH, and arc, as a g«meral thinf;,
(leRcriptive, aH for instanoo, the 7>e» Ohutet River or Im riridre aux
0hut4», tlie river willi fallH; " Leg Ballet (let MorU," the Rapidn of the
Dead or Death Tlapids, &c. These namen have in many iimtanceH l)eon
elianged into thei.'* Kugliah Bynonymn, as the Ckaudiire lias l)ecomo
Kettle FalU.

The names wliich are Anally adopted and live, belong to all the pre-
cc<ling classes and to the last class, or those given by the pennanent
settlors. The great m(\jority of these latter names refer lr< some char-
a(;t(^ristic, and its many places have the same characteristics it results
that there are a great numlwr of Willow, Kock, Trent, Mill, Salmon,
and Cottonwood Creeks, &o. This multiplicati<>i< of objects bearing
the same name is a groat inconvenience at times. Many names are
given in rt^nombrance of localities in distant States and foreign lands,
as Portland, Albany, Damascus, &c., or in honor of some distinguished
citizen of the world, as Colfax, Astoria, Mount Jefferson, Abert Lake,
Vancouver, &o. Many are given in honor of the first or some promi-
nent settler in the locality, as for instance Wilson Creek, Prineville,
Powell's Valley, Applegate Creek, Bitzville, &c.

Some names show in a high degree the poetical and religions a8])ira-
tions of those giving them, as for instance Aurora, Zion, Sweet Home,
Sublimity, Buttcroup, Olad Tidings, Corvallis, &c.

Tn the works relating to the Columbia region I have fonnd a great
diversity in the manner of spelling certain names as well as in the
names themselves, nnd as there have been articles written about some
of those names, and the pro])er mode of spelling eiiem discussed, I give
in the following pages such information in regard to them as I have
Iteen able to gather.

The proper and complete study of the geographical names of this re-
gion would take vastly more time and labor than I have l)een able to
devote to it. It is to be hoiteil that some one may take up the subject
ami carr^- it to completion.

OCBUB D'ALfiNE.

This name, which literally translated means " heart ofawl^ was ap-
pHoil to the Indians living about the lake which now bears this name,
by the French voyageurs and partners of the Hudson Bay Company.
These Indians used to come to Spokane Honse with the furs which they
had gathered to trade. Tliey brought them of such fine quality and In
such quantity that the Hudson Bay Company deemed it desirable to
establish a branch post among them, and made them a proposition to
that effect. To it the Indians replied " No ; that their country was so
Itcautiful that when the white men saw it they would want it for them-
selves ; that they were willing to come to Spokane House and trade,
but that they did not want the white men to come into their country."

COLUMUIA BIVER.

127

Thuy were, nioruovur, very Hharp and onto at hurgaiiiiiiKi»ii«l wcreuon-
Hidered the '' Yankees" of the Indian ritce. The wliit«H*i;avo tlieni the
name of Oosur d'Alfinoa, " Awl-heartH," " yiuirii-heurtH," or " Poiutod-
huartfl," as imlicativo of their ohariMitera aa 8linr|t«r8 and cheats at Itar-
gaining, and on iux)ouut of tlieir p<«r8iHt«nt refusal to allow tlie wliitu
men to come Hinnng them. Thia origin of the name was given niu by
Father EuIIh, of the (Jheiiiakane Mission. It is al)out the same ivs that
given by Lieutenant Mullan. Cwur d'Aldne Lake was called by ita
Indian name of Bketch-hugh Lake, by Alexander lloss.

A. N. Armstrong, a writer on Oregon and Washington Territory, in a
book written in IMTiG, gives the following explanation concerningtheaii-
pellatiou Oceur d'Alfine, as applied to the *' Skitauuih or Couur d'AKino
Indians" :

Ainoii({8t thu flnt trMluni that vUited this tribe wiw u Canndiaii of a oIinh), nig-
gardly dlHiMNiltlun. The nutivos wnro not long In dlttuovcring thU, and made in tliuir
own lunguago atlorUivu rvniark roHpuuting him, tu tho oD'ovt that "thu whlto ninn hiMl
the heart of an awl," nienuing that ho hod a contraotvd, illiberal diii]Mmition ; the
term " awl" being UMud by thoui as wo Honiutimus use tint word " pin," to donute u
very trifling obJe<it. The interpreter rendered the iientenue " C<uur d'AWno," greatly
tu the amnsonient of the trader's companions, and frciu that day to this tho tribe has
been known as the Ciuur d'AlAne Indians.

I am inclined to give the latter explanation credence over the former,
as it seems to me more reasonable, and from tho fact that the oarly tra-
ders did go among those Indians and trade with them, and a mission
Wiis established on thoir lauds, to which they did not seriously object.

lioss Cox, one of tho first party of the Astorian fur traders to go into
their vicinity, and whose book, published in 1832, gives about the lirst
account of the country ever published, says :

The Pointed Hearts, or, as tho Canadian 9 call thorn, los Cumrs d'AlAnos (Hearts of
Awls), are a small tribe inhabiting the shures of a lake about ■'iO miles to thu eastward
of Sp/kano House. Their country is tolerably wrll stocked with b«»vcr, deer, wild
fowl, &e., and ittt vegetable productions are similar to those of Spoksno. 8ome of the
tribe occasionally visited our fort at the latter pliuw with furs to barter, and wu made
a few excursions to their lands. We found them uuiformly honest in their tralUc, but
they did not evince tho same warmth of friendship for us as the Sf<»kauvs, uud ox-
pressed no desire for the establishment of a trading {Hwt amoi '>i <, They are in
many respects more savage than their neighbors, and I have bo«>.. > .i.jc of them often
eat deer and other meat raw. They are also more unfeeling husbands, and frequently
beat their wives iu a oniel manner.

VXLOVSE,

This word seems to be a corruption of the French word pelousc —
greensward, lawn, &c. It is very descriptive of the country to which
it is applied, which is a rolling bunch-grass covered section. It is writ-
ten " Polouse" by many old writers. Notwithstanding these facts there
la a strong probability that the word from which it is derived is an In-
dian word. Lewis and Olarke call the Indians inbaibitiiig the country
to the north of Snake Biver in the lower part of its course the Selloat —

128

OOLUMUIA RIVEB.

}MUalu. I'uIIuliH (uul Pnlouae are very aiiiiilttr iu Hoaml. A1«xni>«ler
llOHH, whuii about to Hturt on a trip »ftvr fUrH, iu iiuiuinj; over tbe In-
(liuuH witli liiui HiHsalcH of a Palooche, wliiuh iit uIho Hiniilar to I'uloiiae.
ItoHH uIho H|Mtul<H of tliu ludiuuH liviug aloiiKBiiaku Uiver as tlie Pnllet-
U)J'alla$, the Siiaw-im-ap-teuH, au«l tlie ratcluoh, &c. I'uIIuh aud Paw-
lucli botli are vury Minilar in aoand to Pulouse.

Tlie Iiitit4)ry of the wonl would then Beeni to be that it is an original
Indian word similar in sound to the French word pelouae, whiuh, on
acc«)unt of the early inhabitants being largely French, oanie to be con-
vjdered as the original word, and that this, in the course of events, was
changed to the spelling now generally adopted, Palouse.

Tlic names by which the Palouse Itivur has been known, as given by
dilt'ercnt writers whoso works I have consulted, are as follows:

Avqiiu-ayu-aeep. Iiiiliun iittiiio. Mullan.

Druwyur'ij Uivur. Lowiit and Clarke.

Puvilioii llivur. A. Kuan.

I'uviim Rivor. Irving.

PulonHO Rlvor. Paul K»no.

Paluoe or Pavilion Rivur. Paul Kano.

Pulouso and Palooao. Mullon.

Pelouso, St«iito«.

PuluuHU. Wright.

Polonso. Pacific Railroad Roporta.

Pulnso. Pocillo Railroad Roporta.

Pavilion Rivur. Ruv. S. Parker.

PalooMO. AnuHtrung.

HPOKANB.

■ , ■

!:iij

- '.^i; :

V*3 T

i .

Whcthi'r to put the final e on this word has been a much-discussed
question, and bos divided the people of the Spokane region into two
]iarties. A majority, however, seem to desire tbe e, and so it will Anally
be adopted, in all probability, and go down to futurity. There seems to
be about as much authority for spelling it one way as another. The
only clew that I have been able to obtain to the meaning of the word iis
in the book of Itoss Cox, where he speaks of the chief of the Indians of
the region as Illm-l^oJcanSe, which means the " Son of the Sun." From
this, and from the nature of the country in which they lived, it is fair to
infer that their tribal name meant something like Children of the Sun.
They lived principally on the great sunny plains of the Spokane, while
many of the neighboring tribes lived iu the woody, mountainous regions
of Cceur d'AlCno, Pend d'Oreille, Kootenay, and Oolville rivers.

I have been told by men long resident in the country that the original
word was pronounced with a slight vowel syllable e at the end — 8po-
kan-e. This vowel syllable, indistinct at best, was soon dropped by the
busy whites, who love not long names.

In an official Oongressional report submitted January 19, 1822, and
in one submitted May 15, 1826, the post at Spokane is called Lanton

COLUMUIA UIVKU. 129

Hiid liMiiton. ThiH iH pnibubly ttiu tuuiiu wonl an ImU-Uh), niuiitiuiicil
by Miillun an thu Indian name of llanKniaii'ti Cruok.

In H|>eakinK of tho AHtorian tnuliiiK uHtubliahnunitH tliumt n«iK>i-t8 Hay :
"One of tbrne HubonlinaUt eatabliHbnutiitt) appitarH to liave b»(eii at tb»!
mouth of Ijcwi8 River (Fort Nez PertXj or WaUa Walla, where Walliila
now HtandH); one at Lantoii (8i>okane Ilouse, near the Juiietion of the
H|M>kano and Little Hpokauo riverH); a third on the Columbia, 00() inilutt
from the ocean, at the confluence of the Wantana Itiver (Fort Okiiia-
kane) ; a fourth on the East Fork of liCwiH River (I l>elieve thia wtw on
the Clearwater at the mouth of Tmpwai Creek, where the Indian agency
now IH, but I am not oerUtin); and the fifth ou the Multnoma (Willa-
mette)."

The following are the metbodu of HiHslliug the word Hi^okaue, aM
aiKipted by dififerunt writera:

Hpokan Ofliulal tranttt. [.iipuni, i'ucillo Fur Coinjtmiy to North-
went Fur C'lHiipany,

Hpokan Kou Cox.

8|>okaiie War Deiiartraent uiai>, IKVi.

8|H>kaiie Couiniixlorc Wilkmi.

Spokein Knv. 8. Parkiir. TIiIh writor, who viHittMl tlio country in

1K)6, says: "The nitirin of thin nation in Konerally will-
ten 8|iokan, aomutinieH Spokane. I culluil thuni HiiokHiiH,
but thoy corrected my pronunciation itiul Haiti Spiikmn,
and this they repeated sovoral tinieH, until I watt con-
vinced that to give their name a correct pronunciation it
should be written Spokein."

Spokan Orecuhnw.

Spokain ...McVickar.

Simkaii Nath. J. Wyoth'8 report, 1889.

Spokane..... Roltertsou.

Spokane Thornton.

SiMikane A. Kow.

Spokan Franchere.

Spokan Irvln);.

S|>okaii Natioual Railroad Memoir.

S|Kikan ArniHtroni;.

Spokan St. John.

Spokane Pacific Railroad KeportH.

Spokane Mnllan.

Spoken Robertaon and Crawfonl.

OKINAKANE.

I have never been able to deteruune the meaning of thiH v/ord. It
haM iMien »i)elle<l in a great variety of wayH, and it iH diflicult to adopt
a spelling which will be natisfactory to all. The above is the spelling
as adopted in the Pacific Railrotul Survey Reports and the Northern
Boundary Survey Reiwrts.

The Okinakane is caUe<l the Wantana River in Congressional repoi-ts
of 1822 and 18!^, referring to a military establishment at the mouth of
the Columbia.

S, Ex. 186 — 17

180 COLUMBIA RIVER.

The following show the niodcT of npolling the word by diiferent au-
thors :

Otohonankano Lewis and Clarko.

Oknnaakau Official transfer papura, PaciHc Fur Conipanj to North-
west Fur Company.

Oakloagan Koss Cox.

Okonakan Franchore.

Oknnagr.n War Department map, IBIiH.

Okaungan Cusliing's Rep-^<-t.

Oknagan Nathaniel Wyeth.

Oknagen Nathaniel V/yeth.

Oakenagen H. J. Kelly.

Okonagan Commodore Wilkes.

Okanagan Rev. 8. Parker.

Okinagan Orcenliow.

Okanagan Ro1i(;rtHon.

Okonagan Thornton.

Oakanagnn..... A.Rosii.

Oakanazan A.Rom.

Oakinackeu A. Rosfi,

R<' « B.tys Indian name for Okinakane Lake is 8a\vth-le-
Iniii-tak-nt.

Okinikaine V.';.rner.

Oakinagan Irving.

Okanagan National Railroad Memoir.

Okanegan National Railrotul Monioir.

Okinakane Paoiflu Kailrosul Reports.

Okanagan Paul Kane.

Okinakane Northern It<inndary lieport.

Okinakane Mnllan.

Okinagan - McVii^kar.

Okuanagans Kobertnon and >.'' awfurd,

Okonagan R. M. Alartin.

Okanagan Armstrong.

NKZ PEBC:S,

As applied io the Iiidiiin tribe, Ih a iiiiBiionier. Lewis and Olarke rcMord
their arrival among the (Jliopunnisli or I'ierced Nose Indians, «* they
call thcm.ielvc*. No writ<;r has ever accused them cf piei'cing their
noses, aud it is certain that they never did so excei)t in very isolattjd
cases, if at all. They have b« :u described by a number of early ex-
plorers, but thip custom has never aeen muutioned. It is certain that
they do not do so now.

PLAT-HEAD,

A» applio(^ to the tribe of Indians inhabiting the country about the
heiMlwfttbfS of the Columbia auu Missouri, is a misnomer. These In-
dians novrr were guilty of the deforining habit of flfittcnijig t'>e hi <ids
of their children. Mauy writers have described them and none ha\e
mentioued the custom, although it has been repeatedly describe<J as
being practiced by the Lower Columbia Indians. Their Indian name,

COLIIMIUA ItlVKR. 181

as they call themselves, is ffelixh, acconlingr to most writers, the mean-
ing of wliich I do not know.
The Rev. S. Parker, who traveled among them in 183.'), says:
I wii« (liHappointcl in «enin« nothing poeiiliar iu the Klathoa<l Iwliiiiw togivo tlium
their immo Who gave it f. them, or for what rcwon, in not known. The name given
tlioni by the Nc/, Porc68, which is ,Snil,p dons not signify tlatheail.

COLUMBIA EIVER.

The Golumhiu River was first called the Oregon, from the mention of
the name by (Jarver.

Iv 1575 it was called AHHumption Inlet, by Hecota. In the ch;*rts of
his voyage, soon after published, it was called Ennefiada de Heeeta, and
Rio de Nan Roqiie.

In 1789 it was called Deception Bay, by Meares.

In 1792 Gray called it the Gohmhia. Captain Clarke says that in
1805 the Indians called it the Shoeatilam, and another tribe callwi it
ChocUUhm, both being the same name, <iifferently pronounced, in all
probability. This Indian name very probably signifies Water-friend, or
Iriendly-water. In the Chinook language Chuck signifies wat«^r, and
ttUtcmn friend ; hence the name Chuck-tillicum, or Shocatikum.

SNAKE Bn-EE.

^ The Snake River was called Lewis iliver by CapUina Lewis and
Clarke. Its Indian name was Saptin, ar Sahaptiu, Shoshone, I'alouse,
Ne« Perc<-', or Cho-punnish River, the name varying with the different
Indmn tribes inhabiting its bordering country.

YAKEMA.

Yakima har. been spelled a variety of ways :

^'J'"'*^''""' Jt^owiH and C'lnrl«''» tv]mrt.

E-yaflit-ini-ah A. K<»hh,

*^'""""' National R.ailroad memoir.

yatkai>',n Rotw Cox.

^"■^"oa. PaciHe Kailroad RcpoHN.

'''''I'*'*"'* LowiB and Clarke's mrt^j.

'l'*I"»*«l'> Hector and Bober... ,'s map.

Tapetolle l^'inley's map.

Eyakema War Dopartniei lunp, imH.

Eyakenia Robertson.

Yakimii, Commodore Wilkes.

Eyivkama I'aw! Kane.

'^likimn. Thornton.

DES CHUTES.
JkJt Ohuten Rirer, called Tm Riviere auw Chuten by Frdmont and the
early French voya^eurs, often called Falls River by the early settlers
and finally changed t« Des Chutes River. Its Indian tiame wa«- '

To-wah-na-hiooks According to Lewis and Clarke.

To-war-nah-cooks According to Finlev's map.

To-war-njv-he-em.ks. ...... According to BectoV and Boberdean.

^'^«'-"""' Acconllng to Alexander Ross.

132 COMIMHIA I.MVKR.

.. ,: ' iriLVTILLA.

UnMtilUi has been spelled as follows :

IJmatallow War Pcpartiiient map, IHflH.

yoii-iua-talla Alexander Koas.

Uniatallow Alexander Koos.

Uniatalla Irving.

Euo-tal-la Irving.

Yonr-nia-talla Rector and Roberdean's map.

Uinatilali Fremont.

Umatilla National Railroafl Memoir.

Umatillali Mnllan.

Umatilla Mnllan.

Umatfllla Rev. S. Parker,

HANOMAN'S CEEEK.

This beantiful creek took its detestable appellatioti from the fact that
on its banks in 1858 Colonel Wright caused to be hung the Indians
captured by him who had been guilty of murder and other crimes.

Its Indian names given by Mullau were Nedlewhauld, Nedwhauld,
Lahtoo, or Oanias-prarie Greek.

It would be highly commendable to the people of the section if they
would «',hanpe the name from Hangman's to Lahtoo or Nedlewhauld

Creek.

BOOK CBEEK.

In Eastern Washington Territory Mullar says tills was known to the
Talouse Indians as the Wah-rum, ur.d to the Spokanes as the Oray-
tay-ous, aud the upper part of it as the Sil-seip-o- vet-sen, or Sil-say-
poowest-tsin.

UNION FLAT CBEEK.
TndJnn name, Smokle Creek. Mullan.

PINK CRKKK.

Indian name, Tngossomen Cre*k. Mullau,

STEPTOE BUTTE.

Named for Colonel Stept^e, who wa« «lefeated on the Butto by the
Spokane and other Indians, called Pyramid Butt« in the Pacific Uail-
road Reports.

It.s Simkane and Ccenr d'AlAne Indian name was Se-emptee-ta, and
its Palouse aiul Ne/- Perce nami m\s E-o-mosli-toss. Mullan.

WENATOHEB.
Calhd—
Wall na-acha. by Lewis and Clarke.
Pisscows, by Alexander Itoss.

COLIJMHIA RIVER.

133

Pisquonse or Wenatslmpani : Pacsiflc Ilailroiwl Ileport«.
Piscoiis : War Department map, 1838.
Piaclioiw : Commodore Wilkes.

Waiiiape: Oalled by some of the lutiiaiis, aceonliiig to (Commodore
Wilkes. None of the early writers called it tli«» Wi Matcliee.

METHOW.

Called—
Meati'ow and Buttle-mnle-emaneli or Salmon Fall River, by A. Koss.
Barrier River: ComnKMlore Wilkes.

lawyer's caSon and opsbk.

Nf«med for Lawyer, a liend chief of the Nez Porces.

TACOMA.

Tiumna is the Indian name for Mount Ranier, and signifies the A'owr-
inhing hiew.i. This name was given it probably both on account of its
shape and from the fiict that it is a great <enter from which rivers flow
in every direction, nourishing the land ai; i sn|)plying fish. This is the
immo of the highest iind grandest monntaiii in Washinulon Territory,
and it is the hope of many peo))1i' that when a State is formed of the
Territory it may re«!eive the nan l'A('()MA.

i it

wmmm

MAP OF THE UPPER COLUMBIA RIVER,

FROM THE INTKRNATIONAL BOUNDARY LINE TO SNAKE RIVER,

OiV A SCALE OF ONE INCH TO TWO MILES.

26 SHEETS AND AN INDEX SHEET.

FROM SURVEYS AND EXAMINATIONS MADE IN 1881,

LiKur. THOMAS W. SYMONS, CoiU'S of Knoinkkiis,

Chkf Engineer, Department o/theColumbia,

AND

ALKUKD DOWNING,
To])Oijraj)hival Assistant, V. S. Army.

Drawn by A-LB^KKD DOWNING-.

ThoHc Hhcota ftii^ uiiiiilHsred riinset^iitlvBly from tlin boiiiiilAry to Snaka Kiver, »ud lam be loiDed
together into one alioct if dosircKl, HbowliiK the river cuntiDiioiiiiIy.

1:J5

'»

I'i

SHEET. 1.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

-«l.i A *

SEN. EX. DOC. No. /$.(i M SESS., 47th CONa

SEN. EX OOC. Na. /.$£, M SES&, 4nii COM.

sen. tx. ooc. Ht- tss, M sta, »«, cwa

su.tx.aK.ih.(9tMta».,4j*com.

|i V

.M-'

SEN. EX. DOC. No, /AS, Itt SESS., 47th CONft

'fe- ■' '1 : l-^ — T

>.,?*!«:

^^A-P^'

i.**^

::^»--

'^sl :'i

»vT-- 'fc^^ ^qf ;

•^:t lit

ir* jVack

/. * •

SuU

SfN. EX. DOC No. /8S. 10 S£SS.. 47tli CONS.

'&■

SfN. EX. OOC. Ha 786, ht MSS., 47ft CONG.

; ! i\

h !

V
'i

.. ' ^ /•

S£N. EX. DOC. No. / S S IM StSS, <7lh COHB.

VM. EX. OCC lk..tas., M KSt, 41* CON&

mmmm

r,\

ntU I '/i A o

SEN. tX. DOC No. lU., W StSS., 47lli CONG.

SH fX. OOC Do. /8«. W S(», 4M COWL

.1«J

.„l^iftM 1' f. ~M»yp'/»»yy»»

^-^tf^' ^•'■■^-'■3-"<k''--

Ji.

Ait/ir/ifft- IhZiv

*■' SS"} -'

-Jt i A A »

UH. EX. OOC. N^ /S6 , M SUS., 4701 COW

L IX. ooc. No. f 86, hi SIS&. 4nii com.

5:*„._:

SiSSjitv-

^^WWWTi

r'A— -^ • Jf/oef^-^u^

** ^ ■ ^ » ' 4 a , , ,,

SfH fX MC. N. ?86, W StSS., 4?(t C

\-ti-i4

it'.

' Tfri '' ■ *"* - -fiT

SW. EX. DOC. Ho. /«6. W StSS., 47lt, cmH

^W'

:i^L.

1 S''-' '^'.

i I

•i f/tifltr

UN M. OOC. fte/Sa

"'.'"%^ ,xVll;;,'i//,

fit

11,

ntiU J S A t

SEN. EX. DOC. No. /Sft hi SES&, 47* CONG.

<<>,

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

11.25

UilM 125
■U 1^ 12.2

140

lllll

1.8

//,

^/\

■^ . \r^

-y

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

ti WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14510

(716) •72-4503

%Ti'^

<i^

!ICN. EX. OOC Hr 'M, M K», 4M Cmt.

■■H

SU. EX. OOC. II* /S6, M SCS, 47» COW.

1
-1

so.

SEK. EX. OOC N«. fS6. f: SESS., 4nii CMt

li-i,

•

Vkmmimi

■

' i

■

« »

•1

'v.. S^fTr 3ru.th. TZA.itt.
} •■■'''■!'?

SeoU

t mUm

sen EX. ooc. ii*/.9jS, m s(ss^ 47tt turn.

•i

SCN. EX. OOC No. IS6, M tut. *m OIM

». n. oocik /.Ml . ki stn, 4nii COM.

ii ;

■iBilliHIBiliii

Mifi

UN. EX DOC. N^y.Sfi. M SCSI, 4»>

iggg_.

iHii

SHEET as.

sn. OL DOC. )h /.S6. M ssxt., 4,1* am.

9fH

RlTZVll

Portion of tlieMapof MILITARY DERARTME

of River Surve

SEN EX. DOC. No. 186.., 1st SESS., 47th CONG.

7Nl(f5 I I I I

, ?

ScAlt

/ /Y %...JL

EPARTMENT OF THE COLUMBIA sTiowingJocaiion

rev Survey 31ieets

ScaU

'.6

Jf /ni7f5