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TOPOGRAPHY OF ROUTE FROM THE MISSISSIPPI TO THE COLUMBIA. 
GENERAL REPORTS. 
A. 
1. Report of the topography of the route from the Mississippi river to the Colum¬ 
bia, BY JOHN LAMBERT, OF THE EXPLORATION. 
Washington, D. C., June 1 , 1854. 
Sir : In obedience to your instructions, I submit a short topographical review of the regions 
lying between the Mississippi and Columbia rivers, and generally between the 46th and 49th 
parallels of north latitude, as developed by the several exploring parties attached to your 
expedition. 
Within the limits stated there appear to be three grand divisions, having boundaries and gen¬ 
eral characteristics as distinct and peculiar as can be conceived. The vast prairies extending 
from the Mississippi to the base of the Rocky mountains form the first division, lying approx¬ 
imately between the 94th, 112th, and 113th degrees of west longitude. The second, or mountain 
division, embraces nearly five degrees of longitude, and is comprised between the great prairies 
which characterize the valley of the Missouri and the barren plains of the Columbia, and, from 
the formidable obstacles which it everywhere presents to communication, and in connexion with 
the objects of the expedition, may be considered of more immediate importance than the others. 
The third great division comprises the immense plains of Columbia river, already mentioned, 
which become directly interesting from the uncertainty of their exact character, arising from the 
various reports of travellers and exploring parties. 
Observing this arrangement, I will endeavor to give a general description of each of these 
great divisions, embracing as much minutiae as the time at my disposal and the nature of a pre¬ 
liminary and simply topographical report will admit. In the course of my remarks, the main 
route of the expedition will furnish referring points while considering particular localities, and 
the distances occasionally stated will be air-lines, rather than the actual measurements obtained 
on the ground. 
That part of the first division lying between the Mississippi and Shayenne rivers has been 
made so well known already by the labors of eminent travellers, that it seems unnecessary to 
do more than take a passing glance, concurring with the admirable descriptions already extant, 
and still fresh in the public mind. Undulating and level prairies, skirted with woods of various 
growth, and clothed everywhere with a rich verdure, frequent and rapid streams, with innu¬ 
merable small but limpid lakes, frequented by multitudes of water-fowl, most conspicuous among 
which appears the stately swan: these, in ever-recurring succession, make up the panorama of 
this extensive district, which may be said to be everywhere fertile, beautiful, and inviting. The 
most remarkable features of this region are the intervals of level prairie, especially that near the 
bend of Red river, where the horizon is as unbroken as that of a calm sea. Nor are other points 
of resemblance wanting: the long grass, which in such places is unusually rank, bending grace¬ 
fully to the passing breeze as it sweeps along the plain, gives the idea of waves, (as indeed they 
are such;) and the solitary horseman on the horizon is so indistinctly seen as to complete the 
picture by the suggestion of a sail, raising the first feeling of novelty to a character of wonder 
and delight. The flowing outlines of the rolling prairies are broken only by the small lakes and 
patches of timber which relieve them of monotony and enhance their beauty ; and though marshes 
and sloughs occur, they are of too small extent and too infrequent to affect the generally attractive 
character of the country. The elevation of the rolling prairies is generally so uniform, that even 
the summits between streams flowing in opposite directions exhibit no peculiar features to distin¬ 
guish them from the ordinary character of the valley slopes. 
