F. GEOGRAPHY. . 249 



F. GEOGRAPHY. 



REPOET OF A RECONNAISSANCE OF NORTHWESTERN WYOMING. 



The report of a reconnaissance of Northwestern Wyoming, 

 made in the summer of 1873 by Captain William A. Jones, 

 of the United States Engineers, has just been published by 

 Congress in a volume of 210 pages, with a large number of 

 plates. It embraces a descriptive journal of the route, which 

 started at Fort Bridger, via the Shoshone Agency, and the 

 valley of the Big Horn to Yellowstone Lake and the Three 

 Tetons, and thence returned to Camp Brown. 



The second chapter is specially devoted to the geography 

 of the route, and especially that of the region about the Yel- 

 lowstone Lake, previously reported upon by Dr. Hayden. 

 There are also chapters on the meteorology of the region, an 

 astronomical report, and a very detailed geological report 

 by Professor Theodore B. Comstock. Dr. Heizmann, of the 

 army, furnishes an account of the mineral and thermal waters. 

 The botany is described by Dr. C. C. Parry, and the entomol- 

 ogy by Mr. J. D. Putnam. 



The most important result obtained by the expedition is 

 the determination of a new and short route to the Yellow- 

 stone National Park, this being the result of the discovery 

 of the Togwotee Pass, which permits a direct line to the re- 

 gion in question. This pass is at the head of Wind River, a 

 little southeast from Yellowstone Lake, and constitutes a 

 perfectly practicable passage to the Yellowstone Valley, via 

 "Wind River Valley. The other passes through the Sierra 

 Shoshone are very difficult of transit. 



Togwotee Pass is in latitude 43 46' 29", longitude 110 1', 

 and has an altitude of 9621 feet above the sea. Notwith- 

 standing this altitude, the slopes approaching the summit 

 are so lon<r and regular that a railroad can be built over it 

 at a reasonable cost. The route will be available at once for 

 the construction of a wagon road. 



The present route of travel to Montana leaves the Central 

 Pacific Railroad at Corinne, and runs in a northerly direction 

 through Idaho to Montana, crossing the Bannock Mountains 



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