60 EXPLORATIONS FROM A. D. 1843 To A. D. 1852. 
EXPEDITION TO THE RED RIVER OF THE NORTH, 1849. 
The report of the commander of this expedition, Brevet Major S. Woods, 6th infantry, U.S. A., 
forms} House Ex. Doc. No. 51, Ist session 31st Congress. That of Captain John Pope, Topo- 
‘graphical Engineers, who was attached to the command, is to be found in Senate Ex. Doc. 
No. 42, 1st session 31st Congress, and is accompanied by a map of the route, on a scale of an 
inch to 20 miles, based on the map of the Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi, by 
Mr. Nicollet, most of which latter map is here repeated. On the outward journey, Captain 
Pope measured the road with an odometer, took courses with a compass, and made observations 
for latitude with a sextant. . 
` ` The expedition started from Fort Snelling, crossed the Mississippi, advanced up the left 
bank to Sauk rapids, recrossed the Mississippi, and proceeded along the Red river trail in a 
northwest direction, passing near White Bear lake, and crossing Red river above its junction 
with the Bois de Sioux river, and again at Graham’s Point. Diverging gradually from the Red 
river towards the sources of its tributaries flowing from the plateau of Miniwakan lake, they 
finally reached Pembina. The command returned to Fort Snelling over the same route. 
Captain Pope ascended the Red river in a canoe to Otter Tail lake; thence he made a portage 
to Crow Wing river, and paddled down مسر‎ stream to apse ee From this — he 
returned to Fort Snelling. i 
RECONNAISSANCES IN TEXAS, BY BREVET LIEUTENANT COLONEL J. E. JOHNSTON, LIEUTENANTS M. L. 
: SMITH, WM. F. SMITH, F. T. BRYAN, AND N. MICHLER, reme ENGINEERS, — LIEUTEN- 
ANT H. C. WHITING, ENGINEERS, IN THE YEARS 1849-50, AND ’ 
No reports have as yet been published giving the whole extent of the explorations made in 
"Texas by the above mentioned officers. The following notice of such data as have come to my 
۱ knowledge will therefore be the more acceptable. The reports of explorations that have béen 
published form part of the Senate Ex. Doc. No. 64, 1st session 31st Congress. The report of 
Captain S. G. French, A. Q. M., of the southern route from San Antonio to El Paso, forms 
also a part of this document, Shick is accompanied by a map of the routes described, on a scale 
of an inch to twenty miles. 
Lieutenant Wm. F. Smith, in February, 1849, started to explore a road from San Antonio to 
El Paso. He travelled northwest to the San Saba river, via Fredericksburg, then westward to 
its source, from which he passed over to the Pecos at Live Oak creek. He then proceeded to the 
Limpia river, and made his way to the Rio Grande by the road which strikes it about latitude 
30° 38’, thence he travelled to El Paso. He returned over nearly the same route to the Pecos, 
but continued down that river to about twenty-five miles below Live Oak creek; thence he 
passed east to the San Pedro river, travelled south to near its mouth, where he crossed it, and 
struck east to San Antonio. Lieutenant W. H. €. Whiting was with Lieutenant Smith on this 
reconnaissance. 
Lieutenant F. T. Bryan left San Antonia, June 14, 1849, for El Paso, and taking nearly the 
same route, as Lieutenant Smith, to the San Saba river, crossed it, and travelled north to the 
north branch of Brady’ s 8 river, where he struck west along the head of the Rio Concho, and 
thence to the Pecos at the Horse-head crossing. Fording the river he travelled up its right 
bank to Salinas creek; thence he struck northwestward to Delaware creek, ascended it to its 
source, and crossed the Guadalupe mountains, through the Guadalupe Pass; thence he pro- 
ceeded to the Sierra de los Alamos, and thence through the Sierra Hueco to El Paso. 
