JOURNAL OF LT. WILLIAMSON S SIDE EXPLORATIONS, COMPILED FROM HIS NOTES. 77 



course to a spring on the edge of the marsh, where we encamped. The river comes into the 

 marsh, curves through it, and passes off to the canon, without any visible connection with the 

 main body of water in the lake, which lies further to the southward. Doubtless, in the rainy 

 season, the water covers the whole marsh, and then the river literally passes through the lake~ 

 Several deer were killed to-day ; one of which, a very fat buck, was supposed to weigh over two 

 hundred pounds. The sick men were sent this morning, through the pass south of Mount Pitt, 

 to Fort Lane. 



August 16. We started this morning to follow up the Klamath river. Much to our surprise, 

 we came at noon to an arm of a large lake from which the river flowed. This proved to 

 be Upper Klamath lake. It was difficult to say where the connecting river ended and the lower 

 lake began. Where the tule ceased, the river ran rapidly between low hills backed by higher 

 ridges and was full of rapids. In one place there were falls from five to ten feet high. We 

 found the river everywhere too deep to ford. At the rapids, where many rocks rose above the 

 water, there were numerous deep holes ; and near where it emerged from the lake it was twenty 

 feet deep. We fortunately found two old canoes, and lashing them together, formed a raft 

 upon which we carried our baggage across. The animals swam over without accident. We 

 encamped near the spot. 



August 17. This morning the sentinel did not arouse camp at the time ordered, and it was 

 about eight o clock before we were ready to start. We soon reached the main party, which we 

 found in camp on the lake shore. They had been waiting for us two days. 



FIRST EXPLORATION AMONG THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS. 



August 28. I left Camp 37 this morning, accompanied by Lieutenant Sheridan and the 

 dragoons, to explore the Cascade mountains near the head of the Des Chutes valley, leaving 

 the main party in Depot camp. We carried provisions for seven days. We were compelled to 

 descend the river about a mile before we could find a ford. Having crossed, we took a course a 

 little north of west, and in five miles struck the main river, which was sometimes one hundred, 

 yards wide, and not fordable. Before reaching it, the trail gradually ascended, and then 

 abruptly descended to the water s edge. After following the river for a short distance, we 

 made an early camp, as I felt quite sick. 



August 29. Bartee, the guide, had followed up the creek yesterday, and found that, by going 

 towards the base of a mountain southwest of us, we could shorten the distance. We therefore 

 struck through the timber, and came to the river again in about five miles. The stream had 

 diminished so much in size that we inferred it had forked. In following it down to ascertain 

 the fact, Bartee killed a deer. I made a short halt, and sent a small party ahead to look for 

 the branch. They found it, and reported it larger than the one upon which we were. We 

 therefore struck across, and reached it at a point about a mile above the junction. It was not 

 always fordable, but we soon succeeded in crossing. A few miles from the junction we came to 

 a meadow, five or six miles in diameter, in which the stream again forked, both branches being 

 too deep to ford. We followed up the north branch to the timber, and encamped. It was too 

 cloudy to take astronomical observations to-night. 



August 30. We tried to cross the branch this morning at various places, but did not suc 

 ceed until we had travelled 1.5 miles. Before crossing we came in sight of several snow peaks ; 

 and the stream was so large, and the view towards the peaks presented a prospect so favorable 

 for a good pass, that we determined to follow the north branch, leaving the other, although 

 it was the larger of the two. Our course lay sometimes through open meadows, and sometimes 



