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far as the old Pawnee villages, a distance of about 80 miles. Above 

 this the valley begins to grow sandy and wood more scarce, and about 

 the meridian of 100° becomes worthless. An occasional farm site 

 could, however, be found almost to its head. Near its source it flows 

 through high rocky precipices similar to those on the Niobrara ; but 

 its source is in the open and desolate sand hills, a miserable region, 

 impassable for ordinary wagon trains, and by all means to be avoided. 

 The same remark is true of its main north branch and of Calamus 

 river, and probably of the south branch. 



The Platte river is the most important tributary of the Missouri in 

 the region under consideration, and its broad and grass-covered 

 valley, leading to the west, furnishes one of the best wagon roads of 

 its length in America. From its mouth to the forks the bluffs are 

 from two to five miles from the water, making an intermediate bottom 

 valley of from four to eight miles wide. From the forks to Fort Lara- 

 mie the bluffs occasionally come down to the water's edge, and the 

 road has to cross the points of the ridges. From Ash Hollow to Fort 

 Laramie the road is sometimes heavy with sand. Fine cottonwood 

 grows along the banks an'^ on the islands, from the mouth to Fort 

 Kearny ; from here up it is scarce and of small size. Cedar is found 

 in the ravines of the bluffs in the neighborhood of the forks and above. 

 The river is about a mile wide and flows over a sandy bottom. When 

 the banks are full it is about six feet deep throughout, having a re- 

 markably level bed ; but it is of no use for navigation^ as the bed is so 

 broad that the water seldom attains sufficient depth^ and then the rise 

 is of short duration. 



The streams of the prairies of Nebraska, below the Yellowstone,, 

 flowing into the Missouri river, are none of them navigable to any^ 

 reliable extent^ and as most of them run from west to east their 

 greatest practical value is in affording the land route of communication 

 between our present western settlements and those to be formed in the 

 mountains. Their valleys furnish us the only routes by which to 

 traverse the intervening desert, for here only are such supplies of 

 water to be found as are required, and here, too. is the only soil that 

 can be cultivated, and such scanty supplies of wood as the region 

 produces. 



Of all the valleys of rivers running into the Missouri that of the 

 Platte furnishes the best route for any kind of a road leading to the 

 interior, and the best point of starting is the vicinity of Omaha City. 

 An appropriation of $50,000 has been expended on bridges, &c., on 

 the eastern portion of it, and the only important improvement remain- 

 ing to make it far superior to any route on the south side of the J^^te 

 i8-»fek8«#ift1»aiblishment of a good crossi|ig*of Loup Fork, either by bridge 

 or ferry, both •©i^which are difHcult ; the first on account of the wi4(l^ 

 of the stream — 1,000 yards — and the latter on accountof theshoals and 

 shifting sand bars. The ford is bad, by reason of quicksands. 

 Twenty-five thousand dollars would probably make a good crossing 

 to this stream, as the place is within the limit of the settlements. No 

 road improvement in the west would be of greater value to the emi- 

 grant or to military operations ; and this once done the route would 



