Oregon and California: The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and California |
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abundant afternoon animals appearance Arapahoes artemisia ascended barometer basin beautiful boat bottom buffalo California camp Carson clear Columbia continued cottonwood course covered creek crossed dark deep descended distance elevation emigrants encamped fire foot fork Fort Hall Fort Laramie frequently gold grass green ground groves Gulf of California halted height hills horses hundred feet Indians journey Kansas river lake Laramie Laramie river latitude left bank longitude lower miles morning moun mouth mules night noon observations obtained party pass peaks pines plain plants Platte river pleasant prairie Preuss Purshia tridentata rain range ravine reached region ridge right bank road rock Rocky mountains route Sacramento salt sand sandy shore side Sierra Sierra Nevada snow soil South Pass springs stream summit sunrise sunset Sweet Water tains thermometer timber to-day trail traveled trees valley village willow wind yards
Popular passages
Page 105 - ... a thousand feet below, and, standing where never human foot had stood before, felt the exultation of first explorers. It was about two o'clock when we left the summit; and when we reached the bottom, the sun had already sunk behind the wall, and the day was drawing to a close. It would have been pleasant to have lingered here and on the summit longer ; but we hurried away as rapidly as the ground would permit, for it was an object to regain our party as soon as possible, not knowing what accident...
Page 304 - Leaving a signal for the party to encamp, we continued our way up the hollow, intending to see what lay beyond the mountain. The hollow was several miles long, forming a good pass, the snow deepening to about a foot as we neared the summit. Beyond, a defile between the mountains descended rapidly about two thousand feet; and filling up all the lower space was a sheet of green water, some twenty miles broad. It broke upon our eyes like the ocean.
Page 329 - We had now begun to understand some words and with the aid of signs easily comprehended the old man's simple ideas. "Rock upon rock — rock upon rock — snow upon snow," said he; "even if you get over the snow, you will not be able to get down from the mountains.
Page 329 - I wanted to see the whites," said he ; "I came away from my own people to see the whites, and I wouldn't care to die among them, but here"' — and he looked around into the cold night and gloomy forest, and, drawing his blanket over his head, began again to lament. Seated around the tree, the fire illuminating the rocks and the...
Page 107 - ... in our country, I engraved on this rock of the Far West a symbol of the Christian faith. Among the thickly inscribed names, I made on the hard granite the impression of a large cross, which I covered with a black preparation of India rubber, well calculated to resist the influence of wind and rain.
Page 103 - ... came winging his flight from the eastern valley, and lit on the knee of one of the men.
Page 104 - On one side we overlooked innumerable lakes and streams, the spring of the Colorado of the Gulf of California ; and on the other was the Wind River valley, where were the heads of the Yellowstone branch of the Missouri; far to the north, we...
Page 324 - I acquainted the men with my decision, and explained to them that necessity required us to make a great effort to clear the mountains. I reminded them of the beautiful valley of the Sacramento, with which they were familiar from the descriptions of Carson, who had been there...
Page 51 - Our road to-day was a solitary one. No game made its appearance, not even a buffalo or a stray antelope; and nothing occurred to break the monotony until about 5 o'clock, when the caravan made a sudden halt. There was a galloping in of scouts and horsemen from every side— a hurrying to and fro in noisy confusion; rifles were taken from their cover; bullet pouches examined: in short, there was the cry of "Indians,
Page 8 - Kansas late in the afternoon of the 14lh, where the river was two hundred and thirty yards wide, and commenced, immediately, preparations for crossing. I had expected to find the river fordable ; but it had swollen by the late rains, and was sweeping by with an angry current, yellow and turbid as the Missouri.