CHAPTER I. 



mTEODUCTIOK. 



Even before the discovery of gold in California attracted large masses 

 of emigrants to tlie Pacific coast, the highly colored reports coming from 

 that region made felt the necessity of an overland route. At the time 

 when Fremont made his first expedition to the Wind Eivers, in 1842, all 

 the country lying beyond the Missouri was almost absolutely a terra 

 incognita. Venturesome men, often with their families, had a number of 

 years previous to that time gradually pushed westward, and a route 

 had been established by which to reach the land of promise. Taking 

 advantage of both northern and southern passes across the continent's 

 " backbone," and utilizing the shrewd ingenuity with which Indians had 

 engineered their trails, two roads soon became tolerably well known. Of 

 these, the southern one, "Cherokee trail," approximately follows the 

 forty-first parallel, while the northern one, called the " Oregon trail," 

 follows up the Sweetwater and crosses the continental divide by way of 

 South Pass. Both of these roads were used extensively before the 

 transcontinental railroad monopolized the larger portion of the carriage. 



It was the object of Fremont's expeditions, carried out from 1842 to 

 1844, to make a survey which would connect the Pacific coast with the 

 Missouri Eiver. His energy and perseverance enabled him to bring this 

 undertaking to a successful conclusion. From Fort Laramie he travelled 

 by the Oregon trail, and to his descriptions we owe the first reliable 

 knowledge with reference to that region which was assigned to us for 

 exploration during 1877. Since the time when Fremont passed along 

 the emigrant road up the Sweetwater Eiver, that section of country has 

 been the object of much fiui^her exploration. During the prosecution of 

 the Pacific Eailroad surveys it was reached, and some portions of it ex- 

 amined. In 1870, while exploring a large portion of Wyoming Territory, 

 Dr. Hayden travelled over the same ground. Later — ^in 1873 — the expe- 

 dition in command of Captain Jones again covered some of the same 

 ground. Upon maps, prepared for the uses of the War Department and 

 the General Land Office, we find recorded such information as had been 

 derived from the older reports and from a number of smaller military 

 reconnaissances. During our work in that country the survey was made 

 continuous, and while heretofore the information furnished has been 

 fragmentary, it is now, topographically, complete. 



Indians, since the earliest times, had been more or less troublesome, 

 and until the latest subjugation of the Sioux, travel in some portions of 

 that region was generally considered as attended with some personal 

 risk. The northwestern portion of our district and the Medicine Bow 

 Mountains, not far distant, are well known as favorable for the hunter. 

 Annually several bands of Indians, belonging to different nations, were 

 in the habit of visiting them for the purpose of obtaining meat and skins. 

 This practice has been regularly kept up until within a few years, but 

 now their appearance at these places cannot be rehed upon. 



Within the district we found varied features of great interest. Mount- 

 ains of grand structure, plains equally typical, and localities weU adapted 



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