3S4 Observations on the Physical Geography 



and covered the country for a breadth of forty miles in latitude, 

 . forming thus a wide barrier between the Shasty and Sacramento 

 regions. There is another smaller ridge between the Clammat 

 and Shasty rivers, east of the junction of these streams, and situ- 

 ated near the parallel of 42° ; as it lay along the southern bound- 

 ary of Oregon, Ave called it the Boundary Range. It was about 

 1,200 feet high at our pass ; and some of its peaks rose to 1,500 

 feet. 



III. Rivers and Valleys. — The peculiar arrangement of the 

 mountains parallel with the coast, gives necessarily a correspond- 

 ing course to the valleys and rivers. Instead of opening on the 

 sea, the valleys are shut off from the sea by one or more moun- 

 tain ranges, and the facilities of intercourse in a north and south 

 direction, are far greater than from west to east.* Indeed, as 

 already stated, the long Cascade range proves an almost insur- 

 mountable barrier for merchandise, except along the passage cut 

 through it by the Columbia : and it was with full knowledge of 

 this difficulty, especially over northern Oregon and the territory 

 beyond, $hat led Great Britain to insist so earnestly upon ex- 

 tending her rights south so as to share at least in the benefits 

 of this highway. 



The Columbia, just west of the Blue Mountains, near Wal- 

 lawalla takes an abrupt bend and forks. The southern fork, or 

 Lewis River, curves around the northern extremity of this range, 

 and then follows its eastern side far to the southward and cast- 

 ward. The northern fork follows a nearly north and south 

 course (parallel with the line of direction of the Blue Moun- 

 tains) for one hundred and fifty miles from the forks, then 

 stretches east till a chnin corresponding to the Blue Range is 

 passed ; then strikes north again, rising gradually towards the sum- 

 mits of the Rocky Mountains. Its course in "this its upper part 

 indicates still other ridges with the prevalent direction. For in 

 latitude 49° it widely forks, and the two branches flow in oppo- 

 site directions ; one (Flat or Kootanie river) extending southeast 

 parallel with Lewis river to latitude 48°, then returning nearly 

 upon its course, and running north and south for one hundred 

 and sixty miles near the crest of the Rocky Mountains ; the oth- 

 er branch (the Columbia proper) stretches northerly to latitude 

 52° ; then curves short around and after one hundred and eighty 



*The traiHvrr^e ranges of Southern Oregon, separating the Willammet, CflHpqo*i 

 Sha*y and Sacramento di rk are an impedii x\t in the ^va v of on ea-V con- 

 struction of roads ( pecially railroads) from north to south. The Shasi /mountains 

 particularly, (seepage 253 of this volume,) are a rious obstruction. It ^ howevei 

 possible, thai by the course of the Sacramento to the east of the Shasty Peak, and 

 then by the Clammat from it source, a tV. ble but circuitous route may be ioiino. 



and DassfiS thrrmo-h th» TTmnrvtu «n,l F1V- MAim^un mar Tv^cihlv be discovered 



either to the east or west of our route. 



