GENERAL REPORT ON WESTERN DIVISION. 191 



dose of which he received a handsome present. He expressed very friendly feelings, and I have 

 no reason to doubt his sincerity, for, in a number of instances, he displayed an honesty not often 

 found among Indians. 



Having finished the talk with the chief, I started to overtake my party, which had moved 

 off s.ome two hours before me. The trail led up the valley of the Wenass, for a few miles, and 

 then crossed to the Nahchess. At the distance of a mile above the main camp the Wenass valley 

 becomes quite narrow, the hills closing in ; the grass continues good ; the valley destitute of lim 

 ber, with the exception of the usual scanty fringe of cotton-wood and willow, until the trail leaves 

 the main and passes up a lateral valley covered with an open growth of yellow pine. About 

 half a mile above our camp were some quite large and good potato patches ; indifferent corn 

 and melons are also cultivated here by the Indians. Above this point the soil appears to be 

 quite poor. The ascent of the dividing ridge is long and broken, but never very steep for any 

 long distance, although the elevation of the summit is great. The mountains are generally cov 

 ered with yellow pine, never thick, nor with much underbrush ; sometimes they present tracts of 

 bare lava. The descent to the Nahchess is quite steep, and is generally wooded with the same 

 timber. The soil on the divide is of the most inferior quality. We encamped this day about 

 half a mile from the Nahchess, on a small spring branch. I will now, for a moment, omit the 

 description of the Nahchess valley as we travelled up; merely state that on the 25th we reached 

 and encamped upon the summit, and then take up the description of the valley from its junction 

 with the Yakima, without reference to daily marches. 



To the distance of some twelve miles above its mouth, this valley varies from one mile to two 

 miles in width, with one or two low terraces. There is no timber here ; the fringe of bushy 

 cotton-wood and willow being too insignificant to deserve the name. When the valley is not 

 covered with volcanic stones, it is, to all appearance, of the most miserable soil, generally covered 

 with wild sage, and having but little grass. The hills are quite precipitous where they border 

 the valley, and increase in height as they approach the main range. At the distance from the 

 mouth above mentioned, the character of the valley undergoes an entire change. The hills by 

 this time become mountains, close in upon the stream, so that the valley from here to the head is 

 reduced, as a general rule, to a mere canon, occasionally widening out for short distances. The 

 stream winds with very sharp curves. The canons are often, for a mile or two in length, occu 

 pied to their whole width by the stream. The walls of these canons frequently rise vertically to 

 the height of 400 feet, the mountains coming boldly down to their edges. The walls are of solid 

 rock generally trap, or a compact igneous rock. The Indian trail is a very bad one avoiding 

 the valley, and keeping to the mountain-sides, where the ground is very stony; the ascents and 

 descents long and steep so much so, that it would not be possible to construct a wagon-road along 

 the mountain-sides at any reasonable expense. The road would, therefore, be forced into the 

 valley, and necessarily be located at times in the water, besides requiring an almost endless number 

 of crossings. Independently of the impossible grade necessary near the head of the valley, the 

 amount of side-cutting in rock, embankment, sharp curves, deep cutting, and short tunnels, would 

 render the construction of a railroad too difficult and expensive, if not impracticable. The timber 

 (yellow pine) commences in the valley, about eighteen miles from the mouth. For some distance 

 it is open, and, with the undergrowth, thick only in places. The nearer the divide is approached, 

 the thicker the growth becomes the underbrush and fallen logs more troublesome and the yel 

 low pine gradually gives place to the white spruce, balsam-fir, &c., until, near the summit, it dis 

 appears. In all the openings of the valley the grass is good. Some fifteen miles east of the 

 summit there is a chain of small marshy prairies, with excellent grass ; and upon the mountains 

 immediately south of the pass are some five or six prairies of a larger size, and similar nature, 

 through which the trail passes. It may be well to mention here, once for all, that the Indian trails 

 in these mountains seldom follow the valleys ; they generally keep to the higher ground, where 

 the woods are less dense ; for the Indian prefers riding over a mountain, to the labor of cutting a 



