108 EXPLORATIONS ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN OF UTAH. 



is now perfectly practicable for pack animals and stock, and is a most capital one for feed 

 and water. It will at once, then, be seen that in the improvement of the route, at any 

 future period, the change referred to should by all means be made. The Indians rep- 

 resent that the snow falls in Dodge Valley as much as 2 feet deep, and that in some 

 winters there is scarcely any. They say that generally there is very little snow from 

 Genoa to the Se-day-e Mountains. 



July 2, Camp No. 8, Edward Creek, Dodge Voile//. — Longitude, 117° 31' 42" ; lat- 

 itude, 39° 28' 56"; altitude above the sea, 5,486 feet; thermometer at 6 a, m., 71°. 

 Private Collamer returned from the guide's party at sunrise, and reports that lie rode 

 till 12 midnight, then took 2 hours sleep, and his mule having given out, he came the 

 rest of the way to camp on foot. He therefore is our guide to-day. 



Mr. Thompson left us at half past 7 for Genoa, and intends going by the way of 

 North Carson Lake.* We at the same time decamp, our course being southeast up 

 the canon of Edward Creek, the purpose being to cross the Se-day-e "range. After 

 traveling 7 miles, at half past 1, go into camp in superior grass, and on the babbling 

 Edward Creek, three- fourths of a mile short of summit of pass. The road up the canon 

 is good and of excellent grade. A few patches of snow seen on the highest ridges 

 of the Se-day-e Mountains. The pifion is almost the only sylva of the mountains. 

 Willows, aspens, and cottonwood line the creek. It is quite refreshing to men and 

 animals to again toil in the canons, where nature has been more lavish of the essen- 

 tials of a good emigrant route, to wit, wood, water, and grass. 



July 3, Camp No. 9, Edtoard Creek Canon. — Se-day-e Mountains. Elevation 

 above the sea, 7,022 feet; thermometer at 7 a, m., 76°. Remain in camp to-day, on 

 account of its being Sunday, and the animals require the good mountain-grass which 

 we have here in great abundance. Lieutenants Murry and Putnam and Mr. 

 McCarthy went this morning through the pass at the head of Edward Creek to 

 Woodruff Valley, and report but little work to get through with the wagons. 



July 4, Camp No. 9, Edward Creek Canon,— Thermometer at 4.45 a. m., 62°.50. 

 Move at 5.15 o'clock. Continue three-fourths of a mile up canon to summit of pass, 

 7,260 feet above the sea, and then turning eastwardly, in 1.5 miles, by branch ravine, 

 reach Kirby Smith's Creek, the canon of which we follow down, 3.25 miles, to where 



* Mr. Thompson, on his return to Carson Vulley, at my request, addressed me the following letter on. the practi- 

 cability of a more direct route than mine from Edward Creek to Carson Valley: 



" Cakson Valley, July 28, 1859. 



-Captain Simpson: 



"Sir: I haw the honor to report to you my exploration on my return trip from your camp, on the 2d of July. 



This canon is well adapted to a wagon-road: it is .'..rJim yards wide, and hum.li „m i- stand, > i, , t high and v,,y 



into another valley similar to Dodge Valley, but there is no stream 1 - i ■* into the valley. I crossed over this 

 valley, and another high range of mountains, and came to the 'Forty-mile Desert,' on the old Humboldt route, and 

 struck the road 17 miles from Kagtown. 



that can be made passable. 



" Respectfully, yours, 



"J. A. Thompson." 



This !■ tter seems to militate against the report of my guide, Mr. Reese, on this subject, as given above (July 1), 

 bat it doubtless is on account of Mr. Thompson having gone to the north of the sink of Carson, and, therefore, much 

 farther north than he did. 



