24 EXPLORATIONS ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN OF UTAH. 



west course across the Great Basin to the Humboldt Pass of the Humboldt range; 

 thence sout Invest wardly in Ruby Valley to the Hastings Road Pass of this same 

 range; and thence northwestwardly across the mountains to the south of the Hum- 

 boldt, to Lassen's Meadows, on the Humboldt River. Thence his course was west- 

 wardly through the valley of the Mud Lake to the Madelin Pass of the east range of 

 the Sierra Nevada, where he left the Great Basin. d It will be noticed that up to this 

 time this was the most direct exploration which had been made across the Great Basin 

 from Great Salt Lake City; but yet it was too far north and too tortuous to be of great 

 value as offering a direct wagon-route to Placerville, Sacramento, and San Francisco. 

 Besides, as a wagon-route to Lassen's Meadows I believe it has never been used, on 

 account of its roughness, west of the South Fork of the Humboldt. 



The next report we have of an attempt being made to cross the Great Basin 

 directly from Great Salt Lake City toward Walker's Lake, for the purpose of avoiding 

 the great detour by the Humboldt River, and getting the shortest route to San Fran- 

 cisco, is to be found in the report of Capt. Rufus Ingalls, United States Army, to the 

 Quartermaster-General, dated August 25, 1855, giving an account of the movements 

 of Colonel Steptoe's command to and from Great Salt Lake City. His language on 

 this point is as follows: 



"The wagon-routes across the continent are so very rough in mountainous regions, 

 and always quite circuitous, particularly from Great Salt Lake City to the Bay of San 

 Francisco, that Colonel Steptoe took measures to have the country lying directly west 

 explored for a more nearly air-line road. Two Mormons were engaged as principal 

 explorers, and directed to explore from the south end of the Great Salt Lake on the 

 Beckwith route, or near to it, to Carson Valley. This party left the lake in Septem- 

 ber, and returned the following November. It proved quite an expensive trip, owing, 

 in my present opinion, to the tricky character of the Mormons. They made a most 

 flattering report. They said they had discovered a wagon-road along which a com- 

 mand could move with ease, &c, saving 150 or 200 miles. The colonel had not seen 

 Lieutenant Beckwith's report, nor had he any other information than that given by 

 his exploring party; but being deeply sensible of the importance to the Territory of 

 Utah and the overland emigrants of laying out and opening a more direct and practi- 

 cable road than the crooked ones now traveled, he determined to take his command 

 and the large wagon-train over this new route. 



"As spring approached, however, the chief Mormon who had agreed to act as 

 guide became rather restive, and evinced an unwillingness to go, which caused the 

 colonel to distrust him, and shook his confidence in the report he had made of the 

 road. As a matter of security another party was organized, under 'Porter Rockwell,' 

 a Mormon, but a man of strong mind and independent spirit, a capital guide and fear- 

 less prairie man. He went out as far as the great desert tracts lying southwest of tin' 

 lake, and very nearly on a level with it, and found that at that season they could not 

 he passed over, 'unless with wings,' and returned. It proved fortunate that we did 

 not undertake the march with 0. B. Huntington as guide. The march would have 

 been disastrous; though Rockwell a nd others are of the opini on that, by going on a 

 (rf)P.B.K.R.,vol.ii. 



