GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. . 3 



Tlie sceuery of the Tetou Eange is truly alpine in its cliaracter, ap- 

 proaching that type more nearly than any other known in the West. 



Leaving- the Teton Basin, the party proceeded up Henry's Fork of 

 Snake River, and at its source, surveyed one of the most interesting and 

 importaut geographical points in the West. At the head of Henry's 

 Fork are four remarkable passes, representing the four points of the 

 compass, with Henry's Lake located in the center. TheTargee, or East 

 Pass, is 7,003 feet elevation, and forms one of the gateways to the Mad- 

 ison Valley and to the sources of the JMadison and Yellowstone. Hen- 

 ry's, or South Pass, is about G,250 feet elevation, and opens into the 

 great valley of the Snake Eiver from the Atlantic slope. Eed Eock, or 

 West Pass, is 7,271 feet elevation, and connects the great valley of the 

 Jefferson Fork, while the Eaynolds or North Pass, 0,911 feet elevation, 

 leads into the valley of the Lower Madison. These remarkable passes, 

 thus linking the Atlantic with the Pacific slope, are so smooth that a 

 carriage could be driven over them at a high rate of speed. In a prac- 

 tical point of view these passes, as well as the Snake Eiver YaUey, must 

 soon become of great importance to the West. 



The Snake Eiver and Henry's Fork Valleys form by far the most feas- 

 ible routes for railroads, connecting Montana antl the entire Northwest 

 with the interior basin and the Pacific slope. Compared with the pres- 

 ent stage-routes to Montana, a road by this valley would be from one hun- 

 dred to one hundred and fifty miles shorter, and would open up for settle- 

 ment avast areaof arableaud pastoral land. The immense forests of pine 

 timber would be made available, and I am convinced that in a few jrears, 

 on account of the scarcity of good timber in the interior basin, this will 

 become one of the most important lumber regions in the West. If the 

 railroad which contemplates connecting Corinne, Utah, with Helena, 

 Montana, passes up Henry's Fork, it will render available two thousand 

 five hundred square miles of pine timber. All the wonders of our great 

 National Park can be seen in one day's travel on horseback from this 

 route. 



About ten miles northwest of Henry's Lake a new lake was discov- 

 ered, which i\"om its peculiar character merits some notice here. It is 

 called " Cliff Lake " on the map, from the fact that it seems to be con- 

 fined to a deep fissure in the basaltic rocks. It is triangular in shape, 

 its length about one and a half miles, and half a mile in its greatest 

 "width. Several streams of considerable size flow into it, but no outlet 

 could be discovered. High, nearly vertical walls inclose it on every 

 side. 



From Henry's Lake the party crossed the water-shed by way of the 

 Targee Pass into the Madison Valley, and passed up that stream to the 

 Fire Hole Basin, where both of the parties met on the same day, Au- 

 gust 11, though starting about two mouths previously from points sev- 

 eral hundred miles apart. The Snake Eiver division remained in this 



