122 EXPLORATIONS ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN OF UTAH. 



vicinity. Three and a half miles farther we join and follow again the Mormon road. 

 Half a mile farther we come to creek, 3 feet wide, 1 deep, which comes from the south, 

 and sinks a quarter of a mile below camp. In places it is lined with rushes and willows. 

 On this creek, which I call also after Colonel Crosman, we encamp at half past 12, 

 amid abundance of grass. This valley, which, like nearly all the others, lies north 

 and south, is 12 to 15 miles wide, and is partially closed at either end by high mount- 

 ains, some 25 or 30 miles off. Its elevation above the sea is 4,920 feet. It has a 

 great deal of grass in it, in localities, and is at these places supplied with springs, 

 which are either copious or can lie made sufficiently so. Small greasewood the char- 

 acteristic, lioad to-dav generallv very good, sometimes cutting up from alkali. Soil 

 generally gravelly. Journey, 14.8 miles. 



July 22, Camp No. 24, Crosman Creek— Elevation above the sea, 4,920 feet. 

 Thermometer, at 5 a. m., 65°. Cloudy this morning at sunrise, and a few drops of rain. 

 The nmles during the night gave indications of a stampede. At first supposed it might 

 have been caused by some Indians, who acted as if they were angry last evening 

 because they were not permitted to remain in camp after dark; but as such indications 

 are not unusual, it was probably due to other causes. The guard, however, was visited 

 and admonished to observe vigilance, &c. 



Moved at 5, and continue on Mormon road. Course, northwardly in valley for 

 10.2 miles, when we come to a number of small springs, which I call after Lieut. 

 Peter W. L. Plympton, Seventh Infantry. These springs at present do not afford a 

 great deal of water, for the reason of there being no proper excavations, but a great 

 sufficiency could be easily obtained in this way. The soldier who last joined us at 

 Un-go-pah Springs was directed by the guide to conduct us to a spring 12 miles dis- 

 tant from our last camp, but as these are only 10 miles distant, and the soldier has not 

 been to the place, we continued on in the hope of seeing the springs referred to within 

 about a couple of miles and camping at it. It proved, however, that at this distance 

 there were no springs, so that I was lured on in the hope of finding them a little farther 

 on. At 13, 14, and 15 miles horn camp we saw none, and then, according to the notes 

 ot the guide, which he had shown me, feeling confident that they were beyond, in 



when we were obliged to encamp near some puddles of water, which had been made 

 by the rain, just before we reached the spot. The misfortune is, too, that there is no 

 grass in the vicinity, but the barley we purchased at Placerville now comes into requi- 

 sition, and we shall thus be enabled to get through the night. 



After reaching, as above stated, Plympton s Springs, our route lay eastwardlv 6.7 

 miles to foot of pass, across a low, thirsty mountain-ridge, which I call Perry Range; 

 thence 3.1 miles by a good grade, up a broad canon to summit, the rocks on the left 

 side being buttress or bluff-like; and thence, by gentle descent 10.1 miles to camp. 

 The ridge we have passed over is composed of highly altered silico-calcareous rocks, 

 and is almost entirely bare of trees. From the summit of the pass, 5,057 feet above 

 the sea, could be seen, some 25 or 30 miles off, on east side of range of mountains, 

 quite remarkable on account of its well-defined stratification and the resemblance of 

 portions of its outline to domes, minaret-, houses, and other structures. On this ac- 



