LETTER FROM CAPTAIN MCCLELLAN TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR. 25 
Nahchess Pass, I received an express from Lieutenant Hodges, informing me that most of his 
horses had given out, and that there were no spare mules at Steilacoom. I therefore at once 
determined to reduce the size of the party, and on the next day sent in the escort and packers 
enough to reduce the number from sixty-eight to about thirty, for which number I can carry 
the requisite supplies on mules. The Nahchess Pass is at the head of the river of the same 
name, (the south fork of the Yakima,) about fifteen miles north of Regnier. The lowest point 
of the divide is 4,966 feet above Vancouver; the divide quite narrow, the ascent in the upper 
eight miles of the valley 1,612 feet. The valley is frequently reduced to a mere cation, wholly 
occupied by the bed of the stream. Judging from the snow-marks on the trees, and information 
received from the Indians, the snow accumulates to great depths in the narrow valleys—I 
should suppose at least twenty feet—and upon the mountains some five to six feet. 
Lieutenant Hodges reports the valley on the west side as sloping with great rapidity for 
about twenty miles from the summit, and as presenting no great difficulties thence to the 
sound, The pass at the head of the main Yakima, (the Snoqualme Pass) some twenty miles 
north of the Nahchess Pass, is but 3,544 feet above Vancouver. On the lowest point of the 
summit is a shallow lake, about two hundred yards long, from which the water runs both 
ways. From this lake to the west the descent is exceedingly rapid. Towards the east the 
descent in the distance of about three quarters of a mile is five hundred and thirty feet to 
another lake about half a mile long; from this to the large lake in which this river heads—a 
distance of about two miles in a direct line—the descent is five hundred and ninety-nine feet. 
From this last lake (Kitchelus) there is no difficulty in the way of the construction of a road of 
any kind; the valley of the river being generally wide and level, but covered in the upper part 
by a dense growth of timber. The snow must accumulate to about the same extent as in the 
other pass; but the valley on the east slope being more open, the obstruction would be much 
less on this route. Being exceedingly pressed for time, I was unable to proceed more than a 
few miles beyond the divide in the Snoqualme Pass; as far as I went the valley was narrow 
and the descent steep. The Indians say that, at the distance of about twenty-five miles from 
the divide, the stream enters a lake, at the foot of which is a cascade some sixty feet in height. 
Lieutenant Hodges informs me that the officers of the Hudson’s Bay Company at Nisqually are 
confident that the western portion of this pass is better than the corresponding portion of the 
Nahchess Pass. But the result of my short experience in this country has been, that not the 
slightest faith or confidence is to be placed in information derived from the employés of the 
company, or from the inhabitants of the Territory: in every instance when I have acted upon 
information thus obtained, I have been altogether deceived and misled. It will, therefore, be 
impossible to make any accurate comparison of the relative advantages of the west slopes of 
these passes until we have examined the whole of the Snoqualme Pass ourselves. Near St. 
Helens the mountains are by no means so large and rugged as near Mount Regnier, yet there 
does not appear to be so well marked and defined a pass. The lowest point over which our 
trail passed in that vicinity was 3,100 feet above Vancouver; yet, judging from the appearance 
of the country near St. Helens, I think there would be great difficulty in passing by the mount- 
ain. In the portion of the range near Regnier the mountains are so thickly timbered that it 
is very difficult to obtain any extensive view, and they are so rough as to make it exceedingly 
difficult to explore them even on foot. J have examined the divides on foot, and, from the short 
time at my disposal, have been unable to extend the examination as far as would be desirable. 
Following the west slope of the mountains from Vancouver to the Cathlapoot’l river, the 
country is very densely timbered, and required constant cutting on the trail. With the exception 
of a few small tracts, the soil is poor. In the valley of the Cathlapoot’l, which we followed 
for four days, the country is quite rough and thickly timbered—the soil miserable, and no grass. 
On the east slopes, near Mount Adams, the country is generally covered by open pine 
woods, with a coarse grass, the soil not good enough to induce settlements. The last forty-five 
miles of the trail have been over barren sage plains, mostly without grass, always without 
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