ESTIMATE ON ROAD FROM FORT BENTON TO FORT WALLAH WALLAH. 363 



day. They go nineteen and a half miles, cross the Spokane, and encamp on its left bank. 



117 tk day. The wagons go 12.5 miles and encamp on a small stream in the prairie. 



118th day. They go 12.5 miles and encamp on a small wooded stream. 



ll$th day. They go 12.7 miles and encamp on another small stream. 



121st day. They go 21.7 miles and encamp on a branch of the Peluse river, after having 

 passed a lake. 



123d day. They go 21.2 miles and encamp on the same stream. 



124:1/1 day. They go twelve miles and encamp on the Peluse. 



125/A day. They go twelve miles, cross Snake river, and encamp on its left bank. 



126^A day. They go 27.5 miles and encamp on the Touchet, a branch of the Wallah-Wallah. 

 There is not a particle of wood or water between Snake river and the Touchet. 



127&amp;lt;A day They go 25.3 miles to Wallah- Wallah. The entire distance from Fort Benton to 

 Wallah- Wallah is about 650 miles. 



A more direct road leads from Snake river to the crossing of Clark s fork than the one described 

 above, and a better road might be had from Snake river to Wallah- Wallah by going by the 

 Whitman mission. There would be no difficulty in finding camps along the whole of this route, 

 except between Thomson s prairie and Lake Pend d Oreille. There are generally Indians 

 with canoes at the streams which would require ferrying. The estimates and statements I have 

 made must be considered as rough approximations; they will, however, serve as a guide in 

 case ; and before a further reconnaissance could be made, a plan of operations for the construc 

 tion of the road should be adopted. While I do not recommend any particular plan of operations, 

 that pursued in the report will, I think, suit the circumstances which may govern, or at any rate 

 may be modified to suit them. 



My acknowledgments are due to Mr. Lambert for the use I have made of his sketches ; these 

 have guided me in many details which I should not otherwise have recollected. 



Respectfully submitted. 



A. J. DONELSON, 



Second Lieutenant of Engineers. 



His Excellency I. I. STEVENS, 



Governor of Washington Territory. 



Estimate on a road from Fort Benton across the RocJcy mountains to Fort Wallah-Wallah. 



1st day. Fort Benton to the Teton 10 minutes of earth cutting. 



2d day. The Teton to a lake 10 . . do do. 



3d day. The lake to Sun river 20.. do do. 



4th day. Crossing the Sun river 15. .do do. 



Crossing of a rocky hill 20 . . do . . to remove stones. 



Crossing of Crown Butte creek, 15. .do of earth cutting. 



Crossing of a fork 15. .do do. 



2d crossing of Crown Butte creek, 15.. do do. 



3d do do 15.. do do. 



5th day. 4th do do 15.. do do. 



Crossing of Beaver creek 15. .do do. 



Crossing of four small streams. .45. .do do. 



Descent to the valley of Dearborn river, 3 hours of earth cutting. 



6th and 2d descent to the valley of Dearborn river, in which, after descending nearly to the 

 7th days. water s edge, you pass about 150 yards along the side of a hill sloping f, 3 hours 

 and 30 minutes of cutting in earth. 



