14 REPORT UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



ccrcus urophasianus) enlivened the route and furnished fresh meat for 

 our larder. On Strawberry Creek, a small stream that i.s well known to 

 gulch-miners of that region, we made camp. A ride of about 10 miles 

 more brought me into Camp Stambaugh, where I received a large mail 

 and despatched one of respectable proportions. July 3, we marched 

 into the post, and once more encamped near our hospitable friends. At 

 that time the post presented a lively appearance, due to the passage of 

 many emigrants bound for Wind Elver Valley or the Bighorn Mountains. 

 Mounted on horses, mules, and donkeys, or packed into wagons, men, wo- 

 men and children travelled cheerfully forward to meet a fate which, 

 whether good or bad, the future must decide. The wonderful elasticity 

 of the western pioneer, and miner, the indomitable energy, and the desire 

 for new, unoccupied fields of labor are qualities that render the nation 

 deeply indebted to them. Though many may perish on their way to- 

 ward opening a new district to civilization, others follow in their wake, 

 and, eventually, savage as well as natural obstacles must yield to the 

 will and energy of the white man. Individually, often worthless, these 

 pioneers, as a class, fulfil their mission, indifferent whether their reward 

 be riches obtained by a lucky "find," or the scalping-knife. 



July 4 was spent in reprovisioning our party, and, appropriate to the 

 day, w T e undertook to resight our rifles. While doing this we kept up a 

 cannonade that would have done credit to the most patriotic party. 

 Dining the day I visited a number of mines in the vicinity. After an 

 evening pleasantly spent in the company of the post officers, and writing 

 a few letters by the camp-fire, we turned in, to commence on the morrow 

 the exploration of a region that promised to us less hardships and 

 greater reward in the discovery of new and interesting features. 



FROM CAMP STAMBAUGH TO CAMP BROWN. 



Accompanied by Lieutenant Cole, of Stambaugh, we set out on July 

 5 on the road toward Camp Brown. Two miles from Stambaugh we 

 passed through Miner's Delight, a small settlement dating back to the 

 time of the Sweetwater mining excitement. But little work is being 

 done there now, although the ground shows that at one time many hands 

 were busy in extracting gold from the gravel. Beyond Miner's Delight 

 the descent into the valleys of Wind Biver drainage becomes very rapid. 

 By following the stage-road to Camp Brown we pass through Bed Canon. 

 This is cut deeply down into the red Triassic sandstones and shales. On 

 the right-hand side we see a steep wall of the bright-colored material, 

 while the valley exhibits the beautiful color of rich verdure. Several 

 small farms have been located there, and furnish good results to their 

 owners. To the left the Wind Biver Mountains rise 7,000 feet above the 

 valley. From the latter the main peaks are not visible ; only the higher 

 foot-hills can be seen. Descending rapidly we reach the crossing of the 

 Little Popo-Agie Biver. Looking up stream we perceive a very fine 

 narrow canon through which the stream rushes with great violence. 

 Vertical walls of Carboniferous limestones rise abruptly from the river 

 bottom, forming a narrow, irregular fissure. In passing from the Sweet- 

 water to Wind Biver drainage a radical change of the scenery is notice- 

 able. The lowest foot-hills are formed by old sedimentary strata, sloping 

 down steeply toward the valleys. Canons are cut through the strata, 

 and from them the streams emerge into broad, fertile valleys. On the 

 Little Popo-Agie we found several farms. One of thein belongs to Stam- 

 baugh, and a few men employed there are able to cultivate a quantity of 

 land which yields ample results. Mr. Faris has been farming at the 



