CHAPTER XIII. 
Comparison of the Distances on Several Routes. 
The several distances to Horse Plain, where the three routes by the Bitter Root river, the 
Jocko, and by the cut-off from the point of departure in the Blackfoot pass, are respectively 
143 miles, 136 miles, and 111 miles. The route by the Bitter Root river will be adopted in sub¬ 
sequent comparisons. 
The whole length of this route from St. Paul, by Little Falls, the Grand Coulee, the Milk 
River valley, the northern approach by Lewis and Clark’s Pass, by the Blackfoot River valley, 
and the three several routes as above, by Clark’s fork, the Columbia and Cowlitz rivers, to 
Seattle, will be 2,052, 2,045, and 2,020 miles, respectively; and by the Yakima valley and 
Snoqualme Pass, will be 1,897, 1,890, and 1,860 miles. It is probable that further surveys will 
reduce these distances thirty to fifty miles. By going through the Marias Pass, the distance will 
be about the same. 
A route down the Coeur d’Alene mountains would give, respectively, 1,975 and 1,829 miles. 
From Little Falls the distances are— 
To Lake Superior. 125 miles. 
St. Paul. 112 “ 
Chicago... 435 “ (via Stillwater and Madison.) 
And the distances from Seattle of the two routes to these three points will be, in tabular form, as 
follows : 
Snoqualme Pass. Columbia and Cowlitz, 
To Lake Superior .,. 1,902 miles . 2,058 miles. 
St. Paul v .... 1,890 “ . 2,045 “ 
Chicago ... 2,213 “ . 2,368 “ 
The following table gives a comparison between the two routes from St. Paul to Seattle, or 
Puget sound, by the Columbia and Cowlitz, and by the Snoqualme Pass: 
Length of route. 
Summit level.. 
Distance when road is 4,000 feet or more above sea_ 
Distance when road is 3,000 to 4,000 feet above the sea 
Distance when road is 2,000 to 3,000 feet above the sea 
Distance when road is 1,000 to 2,000 feet above the sea 
Distance when road is less than 1,000 feet above the sea 
Length of tunnels... 
Grades 50 to 60 feet. 
“ 30 to 50 feet. 
“ 0 to 30 feet. 
Snoqualme Pass. Columbia and 
1 Cowlitz. 
1,890 
miles. 
2,045 
miles. 
5,300 
feet . 
5,300 
feet. 
86 
miles. 
S6 
miles. 
206 
U 
206 
(< 
957 
U 
932 
(C 
1,692 
u 
1,564 
u 
174 
<< 
488 
u 
9.32 
“ (long tunnel) 
2.59 
u 
4.86 
20 
600 
“ (short tunnel) 
U 
u 
580 
u 
1,246 
u 
1,472 
u 
It is assumed that any route to Oregon by the South Pass must make the Great Salt lake set¬ 
tlement in its course, descending into its valley by the Timpanogos river, and that it will pass 
west of the Great Salt lake. 
