PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



18 82. 



INFORMATION CONCERNING SOME FOSSIIi TREES IN THE INITE© 

 STATES NATIONAIi MUSEUM. 



By I.ieut. Col. P. T. SWAI.^E, U. S. A., aa^d I^ieait. J. T. C. HEGE- 

 WAED, U. S. A. 



[Letter to General William T. Sherman. J 



Sir : I have the honor to furnish you the following information with, 

 regard to the two fossil trees iirocured from "Lithodendron" at the re- 

 quest of Lieut. Col. P. T. Swaine, Fifteenth Infantry : 



On or about the middle of May, 1879, the honor was conferred upon 

 me to carry out written instructions received from General Sherman, 

 with regard to procifring several specimens of fossil trees from "Litho- 

 dendron" for the National Museum. A sergeant, ten men, and two 

 drivers, rationed for twelve days, with teams and two heavy stone 

 wagons, were ordered to accompany me on the expedition, taking with 

 them such tools as would be necessary to procure and handle the spec- 

 imens. We made the usual drives, stopping at a forage agency each 

 night until we arrived at Navajoe Springs, Arizona. 



The country passed over was very dry and dusty, though the road 

 was in good condition, being the regular mail route to Prescott. 



At Navajoe Springs we left the road, cutting diagonally across the 

 country about 20 miles, arriving at Bear Spring near the head of Litho- 

 dendron in the evening. We had to cross several aroyas, but being 

 in the dry season, we had nothing to fear from water or marshy soil. 

 The country traversed was desolate and barren, sage-brush and pinon 

 trees abounding, good grazing and water being very scarce. Here and 

 there mountain peaks stood out in bold relief like great sign-posts to 

 guide the traveler on his way. The water, when found, was in small 

 quantities and alkaline. 



Near the head of Lithodendron, and about Bear Spring, grazing was 



good, the Navajoes having thousands of heads of sheep there which 



they drove to the spring every morning and evening ; being always on 



the qui vive for news, they thought it strange the "Great Father in 



Proc. Nat. Mus. 82 1 June 5, 1 8 82. 



