HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 213 



most of the emigrants, leaves Fort Bridger, and pur- 

 sues a north-westerly course, through the Bear River 

 valley, which it leaves at a remarkable landmark 

 called Sheep Rock, and crossing a dividing ridge 

 reaches Fort Hall, by the valley of the Portneaf 

 River. This fort was established by the Hudson 

 Bay Company, and it is the seat of a considerable 

 trade in furs with the Indians and trappers. From 

 Fort Hall the trail continues on till it reaches the 

 valley of Mary's River. There a tolerably fertile soil 

 and refreshing vegetation greets the eye of the travel- 

 worn emigrant. The trail crosses the river five or six 

 times in as many miles, in order to take advantage of 

 the narrow bottoms made by the windings of the 

 stream. The bottom is skirted by very high ranges 

 of mountains to where the trail leaves it, and turning 

 to the right ascends over low, gravelly hills. Descend- 

 ing from the summit of a ridge of hills, it passes 

 through a valley where good grass and water can be 

 obtained — the valley containing several springs of 

 pure cold water. Emerging from this valley through 

 a narrow gap, the trail passes into another still more 

 extensive, and pursues a south-westerly direction for 

 about twenty miles, keeping near the margin of Mary's 

 River. A succession of low hills are crossed, and 

 another valley is reached. During the journey through 

 these valleys, the emigrants are exposed to the fiery 

 rays of the sun, and the hot winds from the desert 

 are very oppressive. The trail then follows the course 

 of the river in a direction nearly north-west, through 

 valleys, or plains of great extent, and mountainous 

 defiles, occasionally following a bend of the river 

 towards the south-west. The greater portion of these 



valleys is barren, but there are frequent fertile spots 

 16 



