144 NARRATIVE OF 1853. 
name, and on the 9th reached a point in latitude 49° 26’, about thirteen miles south of the 
Great Lake. There is little difficulty in any part of this valley for road making; but, as it 
leads to no pass westward, further exploration was not necessary. The Hudson Bay trail to 
Fort Largley, on Fraser’s river, leaves it about latitude 49° across a mountain ridge, to the 
west fork of the Okinakane, and another between that and Fraser’s river. It is represented 
by all as barely practicable, and going directly across the mountains instead of through 
any pass. 
The west fork, near the confluence, has no valley, running through an immense ravine imprac- 
ticable for any road. 
On October 12, leaving the Okinakane at the forks, they travelled eastward, crossing a high 
ridge to a small river flowing in the Columbia, opposite Fort Colville, where they arrived on 
the 18th, ferrying the baggage over in canoes and swimming the animals safely over. The 
country traversed since leaving Fort Okinakane is thus described: 
"The north bank of the Columbia, between the Methow and Okinakane, is low, sandy, and 
barren, but rises into grassy slopes at a few miles distance, which towards their summits become 
covered with pine woods. The forest evidently descends lower towards the north, and with 
the improving grass shows the influence of more abundant rains. After going about twelve 
miles up the Okinakane, the country gradually improves in appearance, pines and cotton-woods 
grow more abundantly, and there is evidently a large extent, both of the valley and rolling hills 
bordering it, capable of cultivation. At sixty miles, however, lofty wooded hills close in on its 
banks, and thence to the 49th parallel it presents little inducement for settlement, though 
capable of furnishing abundance of excellent timber. 
There is a fine fall on the Okinakane, thirty-five miles above its mouth, of five feet pitch, and 
about twenty miles further up, on its west fork, four miles above the junction, another fall 
of ten feet, both supplying abundance of water power. On the top of the lofty table of the 
Great Plain, opposite the mouth of the Okinakane, isa considerable extent of pine woods, several 
thousand feet above the Columbia, into which it could be easily thrown or slid down, as the 
cliff is almost perpendicular. "This is probably the highest point of the plain, and is the point 
where a spur appears to cross the river and to sink into the level of the plain. 
The country between the Okinakane and the Columbia at Fort Colville, sixty miles in a direct 
line across, was traversed by Captain McClellan's party about fifty miles to the north of the 
Great Plain. Five miles from the Okinakane the Ne-hoi-al-pit-quu, flowing eastward, was 
reached, the dividing ridge being rolling and grassy, covered with forest at its summit, which 
is about 1,500 feet above the Okinakane, and 2,647 above the sea, as observed with an aneroid 
barometer. 
The valley sloping towards the east, though narrow, is fertile, with alternation of prairies 
and forest, while the hills bordering it are wooded with large trees, mostly on their northern 
slopes. 
The general character of the country is like that north of the Spokane, but more mountainous 
than east of the Columbia. At Fort Colville, the line of Captain McClellan’s exploration 
connects with that of the eastern division. 
In taking a general view of the route we find that the eastern slopes of the Cascade moun- 
tains are wooded with open forests from the elevation of about 2,000 feet up, nearly to the limit 
of perpetual snow. The trees are chiefly the large western yellow pine, which is the most 
abundant, and extends the lowest; north of the Yakima the western larch, of equal size, 
