CHITTENDEN.] ROAN OR BOOK PLATEAU. 355 



enters the White through a low-walled canon of only about 300 feet 

 depth, and at its mouth has no water. This creek being very near our 

 western line, we left the White Eiver at its junction, and marching 

 up the stream, a third time sought the crest of the plateau. There is no 

 good trail up this stream, and for 18 or 20 miles not the least sign of 

 water. The sage-brush in the valley was often well-nigh impassable 

 even by saddle-animals, owing to the heavy growth, as it reached to the 

 shoulders of a mounted man. After marching until late in the afternoon 

 we came to the principal forks of the stream, about 25 miles from its 

 mouth, and there found water, the peculiarity of which led us to name 

 the creek "Two- Water." Down the left-hand branch came a little rill of 

 water which at the junction spread out into shallow lakes or pools of only 

 one or two inches depth. This water was bitterly alkaline, while the 

 right-hand branch, although containing no running water, had along its 

 bed numerous pools of as pure water as could be desired by any one. 

 The pools of sweet and bitter water approached within five or ten feet 

 of each other, retaining all their marked differences of character. 



From this point it seemed impossible to follow the valley of either 

 branch on account of the mire and sage-brush ; so, having camped at 

 the junction, we next morning climbed out of the canon and reached the 

 summit of the plateau between the forks of the creek. Finding no trail, 

 we nevertheless had very good travelling, but were obliged to camp after 

 dark near the summit of the plateau, with only a little pool of water for 

 our entire supply, and this utterly inadequate for the thirsty animals. 

 It was not until noon of the following day that, after most diligent 

 search, we succeeded in finding, on the Grand Eiver side of the divide, 

 a small spring, by which we made a comfortable camp for the refresh- 

 ment of ourselves and our animals. The western end of the plateau is 

 far drier than the eastern portion, and although we saw some deer 

 around us, we were unable to find any water except in the little spring 

 by which we were camped. The whole country is exceedingly dry, aud 

 caSons a thousand feet in depth, in whose dark recesses one would nat- 

 urally expect cool running streams, were universally as dry as dust. 



Eiding westward from this camp, along the summit of the plateau, I 

 discovered and located a group of bitumen springs, visited later by Dr. 

 Peale, and carried our topographical work to the western limit of the dis- 

 trict. Near the bitumen springs, later in the season, Mr. Gannett found 

 a spring of clear water, which seemed to have been much used by the 

 Indians as a camping place. From this camp we turned eastward along 

 the divide, which is here merely a narrow backbone, which on the south 

 breaks off sharply into steep bluffs, and on the north sends out long 

 tongue-like extensions between the almost numberless canons in which 

 Two- Water and Evacuation creeks head. 



After making numerous stations on the divide as we marched east- 

 ward, we finally turned for the last time toward White Eiver, following 

 down the main western branch of Douglas Creek, a stream not followed 

 before. In marching northward we found good water for 20 miles, until 

 a point near the vicinity of the main forks was reached, where running 

 water ceased and thence to the mouth was found only in pools. A little 

 earlier in the season there is probably running water the entire length 

 of the stream. There is a good Indian trail the whole distance, but 

 grass is small in quantity, the valley being covered with grease-wood 

 and sage-brush of very sturdy growth. 



There are many lateral branches of Douglas Creek, all coming in 

 through rugged litte canons of 300 to 500 feet in height, and all utterly 

 destitute of water. The valley of the main creek is often half a mile or 



