674 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 
EXPLORATIONS IN NORTHEASTERN OREGON. 
CHAS. H. STERNBERG. 
In the winter of 1878, while in San Francisco, I received orders from Prof. 
Cope to go to Oregon, or some other locality for fossil vertebrates. After a 
pleasant sea voyage of 700 miles, I arrived at Portland, Oregon, to find that 
the Columbia River was frozen above the upper cascades. In company with 
some twelve or fifteen men, I resolved to go up the river as far as I could, and 
trust to luck to get to the Dalles, and there take the stage for Walla Walla. 
The river was open as far as the lower cascades. Here the party crossed 
the river and proceeded on foot for the Dalles, sixty miles above. The ground 
was covered with slush, and we found it hard work traveling. We had streams 
to cross, and were soon wet to the skin, but we trudged bravely on. I had a 
roll of blankets, a shot-gun and fishing rod. One man who had none, carried 
the blankets in consideration of which I agreed to share them with him at night, 
another carried the gun, in hopes of killing some game, and I disjointed the rod 
for walking sticks. Wben night overtook us, we found an old deserted house, 
which had been used for a hotel when the railroad was on this side. The ques- 
tion now arose what could we eat, we had been so anxious to reach the Dalles that 
we had not thought we might get hungry on the road. One man, however, had 
been wise enough to buy a box of herrings, and another a sack of crackers. We 
found some tin cans. In a large fire-place we built a comfortable fire, and put 
on snow to melt and I broiled our herrings on sticks before the fire, and these 
with the crackers made us a hearty meal. The herrings made us so thirsty that 
we had to take turns all night melting snow. The next day we again started and 
after travelling a short distance found a house that was inhabited, and got some- 
thing to eat. We resolved to wait here in hopes that the boat would make its 
way down from the Dalles. After two or three days waiting we again started on 
our journey. I purchased a pony for $10 and got along very comfortably. 
After going a couple of miles, we saw the steamer coming down the river. We 
all returned to the landing, and I sold my pony to the one I purchased it from 
for $7, a pretty expensive trade, as I had paid $10 for it a couple of hours before. 
We met with no more adventures, and reached Walla Walla safely. 
I spent the winter in Washington Territory, and in April procured an outfit 
and two assistants in Walla Walla and started for the John Day fossil beds. We 
passed through a magnificent farming country, where great wheat fields stretched 
out on either side, crossed the Blue Mountains into the Grand Rounde Valley, 
which is about forty miles long, and twenty miles wide and thickly settled. By 
examination I became convinced that this valley was the bed of an ancient lake, 
and from this place we passed through the jagged peaks of Powder River Moun- 
tains and into the John Day River valley. About twenty miles below Canon City, 
