CHAPTER VIII. 
FORT WALLA-WALLA TO PUGET SOUND.—SUBSTANCE OF REPORTS OF MESSRS. GIBBS, ARNOLD, SUCKLEY, 
McCLELLAN, AND TINKHAM. 
Mr OSGOOD MOVES FOR THE DALLES —NACHES PASS FREQUENTLY OPEN TILL DECEMBER —LIEUTENANT DONELSON AND 
CAPTAIN McCLELLAN REACH WALLA-WALLA.—INCIDENTS OF LIEUTENANT MACFEELEY’S TRIP.—A SOLDIER LOSES THE 
RACK IN THE SNOW —IS CARED FOR BY NEZ PERCES —GOVERNOR STEVENS DESCENDS THE COLUMBIA IN A CANOE.— 
REACHES THE DALLES —MaJor RAINS.—COLONEL BONNEVILLE —VANCOUVER.— OLYMPIA.—MR. GIBBS DESCENDS THE 
COLUMBIA —BAKER’S Bay.—SHOALWATER BAY.— OysTERS.—WILLOPAH RIVER.—GOVERNOR STEVENS VISITS VAN- 
COUVER's ISLAND.—PoRT TOWNSEND.—STRAITS OF FUCA —NEEAH BAY.— LIEUTENANT ARNOLD AND DR. SUCKLEY 
REACH OLYMPIA —SUMMARY OF LIEUTENANT ARNOLD'S TRIP.—ASCENDS THE COLUMBIA TO THE MOUTH OF CLARK'S 
Fonk.—K THE GREAT COULÉE.—THE YAKIMA.— SNAKE RIVER.— 
Tue FATHERS OF THE LOWER P о MISSION AND DR. SUCKLEY.—DR. SUCKLEY DESCENDS THE BITTER ROOT 
IN A CANOE.—IGNATIUS MiSstoN.—ARRIVES AT FORT .COLVILLE.—REACHES VANCOUVER.—HIS COLLECTION OF SPECI- 
MENS OF NATURAL HISTORY AND GEO C MCCLELLAN'S TRIP.—L 0 А CANOE.—-ARRIVES AT 
STEILACOOM.—S RE 0 —Mn.T i LEAVES THE J о RIVER.—ARRIVES 
at Fort BENTON --Ғокрв THE MIssouRI.—PRICKLY PEAR CREEK.—LITTLE BLACKFOOT AND HELL GATE RIVERS.— 
Crosses BITTER RooT RANGE —DESCRIPTION OF CLEAR WATER VALLEY —REACHES WALLA- 
WaLLA.— RECEIVES G STEVENS —ASCENDS THE С THE YAKIMA.— 
ASCENDS THE YAKIMA.—KLE-ALLUM LAKE.—PAYS GREAT ATTENTIO: тив 
SNOW.—DESCENDS THE WESTERN SLOPES OF THE YAKIMA Pass ч; cente RIVER —RANGER’S PRAIRIE.—FALLS OF 
THE SNOQUALMOO.—REACHES SEATTLE. 
Mr. Osgood moved off with my little party on the 6th for the Dalles, I having, with Mr. 
Stanley, determined to go down the river in a canoe, to make an examination of it; on which 
day I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Pu-pu-mux-mux in person. | ascertained 
from Mr. Pembrum, Pu-pu-mux-mux, and other persons, that the Nachess Pass was fre- 
quently open until December. Mr. Pembrum’s own father took a band of horses from Walla- 
Walla to Steilacoom, some years since, in the month of December; and I sent for and closely 
interrogated one of the voyageurs who was with the party, and who fully confirmed the 
statement of Mr. Pembrum. The military road had been so far opened from Fort Walla- Walla 
to Fort Steilacoom as to be practicable for wagons, and I now determined to send Mr. Lander 
over this route, in order to run our line for Puget Sound. 
Accordingly I made arrangements with Mr. Pembrum to furnish animals for this duty, and 
gave to Mr. Lander the necessary written instructions. Under previous arrangements, made 
at Camp Washington, his duty was, in connexion with the odometer survey, to continue the 
examination down the valley of the Columbia; but this: work I considered as essentially done 
by the operations of Lieutenant Saxton, and by what would be done by the other parties, and 
especially by my own personal observation; for before leaving the city of Washington I had 
made myself acquainted with the character of the country between the Columbia river and 
Puget Sound, and knew that it was so favorable that it had been an idea, presented years 480, 
to connect their waters by a canal, so easy were the grades, and so low was the dividing ridge. 
The Columbia valley itself was the valley of a great stream; and the reports which we had of 
it from previous explorers—from Frémont, Captain Wilkes, and the many narratives both of 
American and British traders and employés—left it certain, in the minds of all reflecting and 
investigating gentlemen, that the route was practicable. I conceived it to be my duty so to 
manage the exploration as to develop unknown facts and extend existing knowledge. Hence 
my desire to run the line over the Cascades to the Sound. On the 6th Lieutenant Donelson, 
