75 



at that point, but an improvement takes place below this point, in the 

 depth of the water on the sand bars in low stages, as you descend to its 

 mouth. 



Along the banks of the ]\Iissouri the bluffs are generally clothed 

 with various species of trees as far up as the mouth of the Platte ; 

 above this point the timber is generally confined to the ravines and 

 bottom lands. These bottom lands attain a width of from ten to 

 fifteen miles after we get above Council Bluffs, which is almost 

 continuous to the mouth of James river. Throughout this section 

 the edges of the banks are lined with heavy cottonwood and other 

 trees, and fuel for steamboats can now generally be found cut up and 

 prepared for their use. 



At James river the bluffs close in so that the general width of the 

 space between is only from one to two miles all the way to the Upper 

 Big Bend, near the 48th parallel. Here again the bottom lands 

 become wider, and continue at a width of from three to six miles to a 

 point about fifty miles above the Yellowstone. In this last section 

 there is also an abundance of large cottonwood timber, and the appear- 

 ance of the river is quite similar to what it is at Sioux City. After 

 passing the Niobrara the steamboat's crew will have to cut the wood 

 required for generating steam, and the only scarcity will be in finding- 

 dead trees at such points as the boat can land at. Abundance of fuel 

 exists everywhere, if the'wood was cut beforehand and hauled to suit- 

 able landings. The portion of the river most deficient in wood is 

 between the mouth of the Little Shyenne and Cannon Ball rivers, but 

 even here there is an abundance for the purposes of navigation for 

 years to come. 



One of the greatest obstructions to the navigation of the Missouri 

 consists in the great number of snags or trees, wh<.se roots, imbedded 

 in the channel by the caving of the banks, stand at various inclina- 

 tions pointing down the stream. These obstructions are, compara- 

 tively, quite rare above the mouth of James river, but from this point 

 down to the Mississippi it is a wonder often how a steamboat can be 

 navigated through them. As it is they cause the boats to lie by during 

 the night, and thus occasion a loss of nearly half of their running 

 time. But this is not the only delay, for often on account of the wind 

 the bends filled with snags cannot be passed, and the vessel is fre- 

 quently detained for days on this account. This effect of the wind 

 is much more seriously felt as you ascend above Council Bluffs, for the 

 protection afforded by the trees on the banks is constantly diminishing. 



Our examinations extended but sixty miles above the mouth of the 

 Yellowstone, but the portion between this and Fort Benton was examined 

 carefully by the parties under Governor Stevens in 1853, and the results 

 are given in his report on the Pacific railroad explorations. It is the 

 almost universal opinion of those who have examined this portion of the 

 river that it would be navigable in its best stages for light draught boats. 

 From our reconnaissance in 1856, I feel convinced that, notwithstand- 

 ing the difficulties to navigation which exist, the Missouri is a supe- 

 rior river to any in this country, except that portion of the Mississippi 

 which is below their junction. The navigation is generally closed by 

 ice at Sioux Citv bv the 10th of November, and at Fort Leavenworth 



