INTRODUCTORY LETTER. 17 



to Provo, Utah, where two weeks were most profitably spent in the vicinity 

 of the city, the canons of the Wahsatch range, Utah Lake, and the Provo 

 River. At Provo the two collectors separated, the former joining Lieu- 

 tenant Hoxie's party on the way to Eastern Nevada, while the latter pro- 

 ceeded with your party through Spanish Fork Canon to the valley of the 

 Gunnison, and southward. 



Lieutenant Hoxie's route was from Fairfield, Utah, making a detour 

 westward to Fillmore, Utah, passing en route the Onaqui, Thomas, House, 

 and Gosi-Ute ranges of mountains, and following quite closely the outward 

 course of Captain Simpson in 1858 and 1859, the southern limit of the 

 so-called American Desert was crossed, the extreme western limit reached 

 being Schell Creek Valley, Nevada. From this point, the direction was 

 south by east to Snake Creek Valley, due east across Confusion Range, past 

 White Valley, traversing the House Range by means of Dome Canon, 

 south, to the crossing of the Sevier, a short distance above Deseret City, and 

 thence to Fillmore. 



The country traversed by this party was, in most instances, here and 

 there, for miles in extent, either wholly destitute of vegetation, or at times 

 relieved of its frightful barrenness by patches of sage-brush or dreary alka- 

 line flats; even the few streams and water courses met with were triflingly 

 diminutive, while the vegetation on then- banks bordered well on to sterility. 

 From the uninviting and infertile character of the country, and the rapidity 

 with which the party necessarily moved, results in the way of specimens 

 were not remarkable, although those secured amply repaid the time spent 

 in their collection, and seemed to fully mark many of the peculiarities of the 

 fauna and flora of the districts traversed. 



From Fillmore the march was southerly along the main range in exten- 

 sion south of the Wahsatch, crossing this at Fremont's Pass; thence to the 

 eastern valley of the Sevier, which was followed south to Panquitch, at 

 which point much interesting work was done near the town and lake of the 

 same name. From Panquitch the route was south and west to the Rio 

 Virgen, along which the course lay to Toquerville, a rendezvous camp. 



The party to which Mr. Henshaw, assistant, was attached, after cross- 

 ing the main range, passed southward through Strawberry, Thistle, Sam 

 2 z 



