VALLEY OF THE MALADE. 89 



Soda Springs, had been partially explored by Mr. Owen, wbose 

 wagons had come through it some two weeks since, on their way to 

 Salt Lake City. He describes the country as rough and rolling, 

 with several high and steep ridges to be crossed. The road to-day 

 has been level, with wood and water abundant. Encamped on the 

 left bank of the Malade, here six feet wide and two feet deep. 



Friday^ September 21. — Following up the left bank of the Ma- 

 lade for four miles, we crossed a small swift fork coming in from 

 the north-east, affording abundance of water for irrigating a con- 

 siderable extent of its valley on each side. The valley of the Ma- 

 lade is becoming gradually narrower and the hills lower. Crossing 

 another fork from the east, we strike upon "Hedspeth's Cut-off," 

 which leads from Sheep Rock, near the Soda Springs, to the Mor- 

 mon road at Goose Creek. Distance, one hundred and twenty-five 

 and a-half miles. 



The valley of the Malade seems to be fbrmed principally of 

 whitish clay, in which, however, no good section was found, so that 

 it is uncertain whether it presents any stratification. Occasionally 

 ridges of limestone and conglomerate push out from the side of the 

 mountains ; and in one instance the river was found flowing over a 

 bed of breccia. The rock on the west side of the valley consisted 

 of dark compact limestone, with a dip of 20° to the south-west. 

 Shortly after reaching the Cut-off, a belt of high hills extended 

 across the valley from east to west, composed of dark limestone 

 containing a considerable number of fossils. These hills we 

 ascended by one of the handsomest passes I had seen in the 

 country. The inclination in no instance exceeds 5° ; the soil is 

 hard and porous ; the natural road perfectly drained. The length 

 of the pass is four miles, from the summit of which we descended 

 to the east fork of the Malade, upon which we encamped, with in- 

 tensely cold, pure water, willows for firewood, and good grass. 

 In the pass some specimens of obsidian and volcanic debris were 

 collected, evidently of secondary formation, and not conformable 

 with the limestone ridges. Trachytic rock was also found on the 

 side of the stream, forming a considerable hill, and overlaid by 

 dark limestone. 



Saturday^ September 22. — Directly after starting, crossed the 

 east fork of the Malade, and still following the Cut-off, the track 

 of which is hard and well beaten, we ascended another pass, in a 

 north direction, very similar in its character to that we came up 

 yesterday. From the top of this pass, which is the dividing ridge 



