• 20 



water Station, on the Sweetwater River, Beaver Greek, and Little Popo- 

 agie River. From the latter camp we traveled by way of Lander City, 

 thereby making our route longer by six miles than if we had gone di- 

 rectly across by the traveled road from the Little Popoagie to the post. 



The distance from Rawlins to Washakie I measured with an odometer 

 fastened to the near front wheel of my spring wagon. By way of Lander 

 City it is 141 miles, or 135 miles by the straight road. The road is a 

 good one, with no very steep grades except one leading down into the 

 valley of Beaver Creek, which could readily be made easier by going a 

 little further around to the westward. There is also a wide sand plain 

 between Bell Springs and Lost Soldier Creek, a distance of 26 miles, 

 without water, except by losing about five miles of distance by going 

 off the road that distance to Bull Springs. Mr. Rankin, the transpor- 

 tation contractor at Rawlins, informed me that this unpleasant feature 

 of the road was next year to be remedied by leaving the sand plain to 

 the right and making a new and shorter road from Bell Springs through 

 the hills to Willow Creek and thence to Crook's Gap. 



There is very little wood along the entire route, and not an abundance 

 of either grass or water until the Sweetwater River is reached, though 

 enough of the latter at the camping places for a small command. For 

 the station on the Sweetwater wood is hauled from the hills to the south, 

 a distance of about twenty miles. The grass along the Sweetwater had 

 been pretty well eaten off by herds of cattle which were being slowly 

 driven to the plains along the lower river. 



Although I have never been over the road from Green River station, 

 on the Union Pacific Railroad, to Washakie, I infer from what I have 

 heard of it that the Rawlins road is a much better and easier one, and 

 it is 12 miles shorter. 



We saw many herds of antelope en route, and killed several. Sage 

 chickens were abundant, and the young were about one-third grown ; 

 just the right size for the table. 



Below, in tabular form, is a list of the camping places, with distances 

 between them as determined by means of the odometer: 





Rawlins Springs 



Bell Springs 



Bull Springs 



Lost Soldier Creek 



Crooks Gap. 



Bridge Sweetwater River 



Bridg Beaver Creek 



Twin Creek 



Little Popoagie River 



Popo igie River 



Land«r City - 



Fort Washakie 



Distance. 



Mile 8. 



12.3 



2.7 



*0 

 12.9 

 19.5 



15. 6 

 9.8 



12.8 



8.0 

 14.7 



Total 

 distance 



Miles. 

 1% 3 



15.0 



28. 

 40.9 

 60.4 

 80.7 



96.3 

 106.1 

 118.4 



120. 4 

 141.1 



Remarks 



No woo.] ; fair grata ; water i^ood but 



not plentiful. 



Some wood; fair grass; good water 



frve mile« to left of road. 



Little wood; fair grass; good water. 

 Little wood; good grass ; good water 

 Brushwood; good grass 5 good water. 

 No wood ; 1 I, coarse gra sa; good water. 

 No wood; good grass : good water. 

 No wood ; fair grass : »od water. 

 Little wood; fair g *ss ; good water. 



