EXPLORATIONS FROM A. D. 1843 To A. D. 1852. 51 
Separating once more, Mr. Kern, guided by Mr. Walker, proceeded south to the head of 
Owen’s river, and travelled down its valley, at the foot of the eastern slope of the Sierra 
Nevada, to Owen’s lake. Thence they travelled about 40 miles south to Walker's Pass, and 
crossed thé summit to the head of Kern river, in the valley of which they camped to await = 
arrival of Captain Frémont's division. 
Captain Frémont tfavelled northwesterly, crossed Carson's river at the sáme point as in the 
preceding year, and thence striking the Salmon Trout river, followed it to its head and passed 
the summit of the Sierra Nevada in latitude 39° 17' 12", being about 55 miles north of his pass 
of January 17, 1844. Descending thence the northern fork of American river, he — 
New Helvetia. 
Thence he proceeded south to Lake Fork or King's river, which he supposed, from Mr. 
Walker's description, to be the place where he would find him and Mr. Kern. “This stream 
he ascended and searched for a long time in a very rugged country, in many places covered 
with snow, but he could find no trace of the party, and, thinking they had gone to — — 
ments, he gave up the search and went to Monterey." 7 
Messrs. Kern and Walker having waited on Kern river until their provisions were exhausted, 
gave up all hope of being joined there by Captain Frémont, and proceeded to Monterey, where 
they found him. 
Captain Frémont, in the following spring, (March, 1846,) ascended the Sacramento as far 
as Fort Reading, crossed the mountains to the valley of Pit river, and, proceeding to the 
north, explored Upper or Great Klamath lake. On his return he visited many places along 
the coast as far south as San Diego, but his routes are not represented on the map or specifie 
in his memoir. It is probable that the war with Mexico and the troubles between Americans 
and Mexicans in California, which began prior thereto, put a stop to his explorations beyond 
what could be obtained by ordinary observations in ی‎ from point to point during a 
period of violent hostilities. 
During this expedition Captain Frémont obtained the longitude of the mouth of Fontaine qui 
Bouit; of the camp at Great Salt Lake; of Lassen’s farm, on Deer creek; and of the Three Buttes, 
in OTE valley. The first two results have never been tested by any other observer 
with a good instrument, but are generally received as correct. The other two have been 
tested by land office surveys, and by Lieutenant Williamson’s second Pacific railroad survey, 
connecting with the Coast Survey longitude of San Francisco. Both tests indicate that his 
results were close approximations to accuracy. These four determinations of Captain Frémont 
detected some errors in his previous map, amounting, in one instance, to 15’ in longitude, and 
which furnished the means for correcting them. 
A note on Captain Frémont’s map of routes of 1843-44, gives the following descriptive 
information: ‘‘The Great Basin: Diameter 11? of latitude, 10° of longitude; elevation above 
the sea between four and five thousand feet; surrounded by lofty mountains; contents almost 
unknown, but believed to be filled with rivers and lakes which have no communication with 
the sea; deserts and oases which-liave never been explored, and savage tribes which no 
tfaveller has seen or described." This note, with the map and accompanying report, have 
conveyed the idea that this Basin is encircled by a ridge of mountains forming a rim. This 
was so represented on the map compiled by Mr. Preuss in 1848, and gave rise to the belief in 
the existence of two long ridges running east and west, lying on the north and south of the 
basin, which, however, by that time, had been much reduced in extent. 
