﻿Vol. 
  47 
  

  

  No. 
  12 
  

  

  BULLETIN 
  

  

  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  TORREY 
  BOTANICAL 
  CLUB 
  

  

  DECEMBER, 
  1920 
  

  

  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  botany 
  and 
  the 
  Long 
  Expedition 
  of 
  1820 
  

  

  Geo. 
  E. 
  Osterhout 
  

  

  With 
  July, 
  1920, 
  a 
  hundred 
  years 
  had 
  passed 
  since 
  Major 
  

  

  Mountains. 
  In 
  the 
  

  

  May 
  

  

  specially 
  constructed 
  steamboat 
  named 
  Western 
  Engineer, 
  and 
  

   during 
  the 
  summer 
  made 
  its 
  way 
  down 
  the 
  Ohio 
  River, 
  up 
  the 
  

   Mississippi, 
  and 
  up 
  the 
  Missouri 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Platte 
  at 
  

   Council 
  Bluffs, 
  Here 
  the 
  company 
  wintered 
  and 
  remained 
  till 
  

   June, 
  1820, 
  when 
  Major 
  Long 
  arrived, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  6th 
  of 
  June 
  the 
  

   party 
  began 
  its 
  journey 
  up 
  the 
  Platte. 
  Dr. 
  William 
  Baldwin 
  

   started 
  with 
  the 
  expedition 
  as 
  botanist, 
  but 
  he 
  was 
  seriously 
  ill 
  

   and 
  died 
  at 
  Franklin 
  on 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  August 
  21, 
  1819. 
  With 
  

   Major 
  Long 
  came 
  Dr. 
  Edwin 
  P. 
  James, 
  who 
  became 
  botanist 
  of 
  

   the 
  Expedition, 
  and 
  geologist 
  and 
  surgeon, 
  and 
  also 
  its 
  historian. 
  

   Traveling 
  as 
  rapidly 
  as 
  possible, 
  collecting 
  was 
  a 
  difficult 
  matter, 
  

  

  yet 
  Dr. 
  Ja 
  

  

  specimens 
  

  

  number 
  

  

  but 
  there 
  were 
  many 
  of 
  unusual 
  interest 
  because 
  they 
  were 
  new 
  

   species. 
  Pursh 
  and 
  Nuttall 
  had 
  already 
  discovered 
  and 
  published 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  peculiar 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  region, 
  but 
  

   Dr. 
  James 
  was 
  first 
  to 
  ascend 
  above 
  timberline 
  and 
  collect 
  among 
  

   the 
  alpine 
  flora. 
  

  

  On 
  June 
  22d 
  the 
  Expedition 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  

   North 
  with 
  the 
  South 
  Platte. 
  The 
  barren 
  and 
  sterile 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  often 
  noted, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  29th, 
  when 
  in 
  

  

  I 
  The 
  Bulletin 
  for 
  November 
  (47: 
  487-554) 
  T^as 
  issued 
  November 
  24. 
  1920.] 
  

  

  555 
  

  

  