OF THE UPPER MISSOURI. 
5 
PAET I. 
DESCRIPTIVE GEOLOGY OF THE ROUTES. 
CHAPTER I. 
EXPLORATION OF PLATTE RIVER VALLEY FROM BELLEVUE TO THE MOUTH OF ELKIIORN RIVER. 
Landed at Bellevue, Nebraska, five miles above the mouth of the Platte river, from the 
steamer Twilight, June, 1857. The scenery at this point is, perhaps, the finest along the 
Missouri. The river bottoms, which are quite extensive, possess an inexhaustible fertility 
and sustain a luxuriant vegetation, while the broad upland prairies, clothed with grass and 
flowers of great variety and beauty, meet the eye of the traveller on every side. The yellow 
silicious marl, which underlies the high prairies to a great depth, renders them exceedingly 
well adapted to agricultural and grazing purposes. The limestone strata, which are so 
much valued here for economical purposes, belong to the age of the Upper Coal Measures, 
and constitute the basis formation of this region. A fine quarry may be seen near Col. P. 
A. Sarpy’s old Trading Post, which has been diligently wrought for several years. The 
following section in descending order will represent the different beds as exposed in this 
vicinity: 
1. Light gray limestone, well charged with fossils, Fusulina cylindrica, Product us, Chonetes, and several species 
of corals. This limestone is quite useful for building purposes and forms excellent lime. 
2. Yellowish drab argillaceous limestone, very hard and compact; useful in the construction of buildings, but con¬ 
tains too much clay for lime. Fossils : Allorisma terminalis, &c. 6 to 10 feet. 
3. Argillaceous shaly limestone, of a grayish brown color. Fossils : Spirigera subtileta, Fusulina cylindrica, 
Prod actus several species, Chonetes, Allorisma, and quite abundant crinoidal remains. Seen at Bellevue at 
low water. 6 feet exposed. 
4. Compact blue argillaceous limestone having much the character of hydraulic limestone; soft and moist in place 
but hardening on exposure; contains too much clay for lime, but is quite useful for building purposes. Fos¬ 
sils : same as above mentioned. Seen at the mouth of the Platte, and at St. Mary’s, Iowa. 6 feet exposed. 
Trip from Bellevue to mouth of Elhhorn River .—While delaying for a time at Bellevue, 
in June, 1857, I took that opportunity to make a somewhat minute examination of the 
Platte valley as far as the mouth of Elkhorn river, a distance of about thirty miles. 
Having secured a horse through the kindness of Stephen Decatur, Esq., I left Bellevue 
pursuing a southerly course across the beautiful undulating prairies bordering on the 
