INTRODUCTION. 



History of the Explorations within titk (ii;i at H.wn or tiik I r.iir.msKY ok i rui.rimM mi. inn, 01 iahikk 



ESCALANTE, IN 177(i, TO TIIK 1'KIiSKNT H-'.i:iOI>. AND A GKNKKU. DKSCKIl'TK >N <>1 THE COUNTUY. 



The country known since the date of the explorations of Fremont, in 1*43- and 

 1844, and by his appellation, as the Great Basin, has been, since the days of Fathers 

 Sylvester Velez Escalante, and Francisco Atanacio Dominguez, in 177(5, one of great 

 interest." This interest has grown out of the circumstance of its reported inaccessi- 

 bility from extended deserts, its occupancy by Indians of an exceedingly low type, 

 and the laudable curiosity, which prevails in the minds of men, to know the physical 

 characteristics of a country which has so long remained a terra incognita. 



This Great Basin has a triangular shape, nearly that of a right-angled triangle, 

 the mountains to the north of the Humboldt River and of Great Salt Lake constituting 

 the northern limit or border, and forming one leg of the triangle ; the Sierra Nevada, 

 or western limit, the other equal leg ; and the Wahsatch range at the eastern, and (in 

 continuation) the short mountain ranges and plateau country to the north of and not 

 far distant from the Santa Fe and Los Angeles caravan or Spanish trail route to the 

 southeast, the hypothenuse. These limits are embraced approximately within the 

 111th and 120th degrees of west longitude from Greenwich, and the 34th and 43d of 

 north latitude, or within a limit of nine degrees of longitude and nine of latitude.^ 



The earliest records we have of any examination of any portion of this Basin is 

 derived from the journal of Father Escalante, descriptive of the travels of himself 

 and party in 1776-'77, from Santa Ft5 to Lake Utah (by him called Laguna de 

 nueska Senora de la merced de Timpanogotges, and also Lake Timpanogo), and thence 

 to Oraybe, one of th e villages of the Moguls, and back to Santa Fe*. A manuscript of 



(a) Humboldt, in bis "New Spain," translated by Jobn Black, vol. I, second edition, London, 1-N. chap. II, p. 

 22 says : « Tbese regions," referring to those between the Colored - * ( Utah Lake), "abounding 



in'rock-salt, were examined in 177? by two travelers, full of /,.;,! and intrepidity, monks of the order ot * 

 Father Escalante and Father Antonio Velez." According to the n J »y * attier esca- 



lante ^ rffSred to subsequently in this report, and which I have consulted, I find that Friar Francisco Atanacio Domin- 

 e uez 'and not V< " Escalante in these explorations, and that no such person as Velez accompanied 



fhe expedition. It is sometl ' * ■ - J ■ ( - lC * J* 



Humboldt has fallen into the error of making two distinct persons out of this father's name, and of o> 

 • Dominguez altogether ? Or did a monk by name Antonio Velez explore this same region separately from the others 

 wTtathe same year! I notice, also, that Humboldt dates Escalante's journey A. D. 1777. The mannscnpt shows that 

 it was commenced July 29, 1776, and terminated in January, 1777. 



