190 
GENERAL REPORT ON WESTERN DIVISION. 
makes its appearance. The soil is of the lightest character, and is but a few inches in depth, the 
whole of this portion of the country being underlaid by a sheet of lava. After travelling five 
days through a rough and timbered country, we, on the 6th, emerged from the woods into a 
barren country entirely destitute of timber. With the exception of narrow strips in some of the 
valleys, this district presents every indication of absolute worthlessness. In the Simkwe valley 
we first saw the wild sage ; prairie wheat and dwarf sumach also occurred here, and were 
frequently seen afterwards in the valleys. None of the streams crossed between Chequos and 
Atahnam presented valleys that could give passes through the range. 
On the 17th August we encamped on the Atahnam, one and a half mile above the mission ; 
next day I visited the mission, and found there the Rev. Fathers Pandozy and d’Harbomey, 
with a lay-brother. The Atahnam mission is inhabited only during the summer; in winter they 
establish themselves on the main Yakima, not far from the Columbia, the snow being less deep 
and the cold less intense in the latter situation. Here, on the simplest fare, with few or none of 
the comforts of life, with no society save that of the savages, these men are content to pass their 
time in endeavoring to extend their religion, and improve the morals of their savage neighbors. 
I would here express my obligations to the priests for the cheerfulness with which they afforded 
all the information in their power, and their personal kindness to all the gentlemen of my party. 
At the mission, I was informed that a party of citizens were engaged in cutting a road through 
the Nahchess Pass; that this road was nearly finished, and that the old Indian trail to Steilacoom 
was practicable in four days. As there is but a scanty supply of grass in the Atahnam valley, 
I determined to move forward to the Wenass, a more central position, and affording abundant 
grass, there to make the new arrangements now become necessary. 
Accordingly, having spent two days at Atahnam in obtaining information as to the country and 
Indians, jerking beef, &c., we started on the 20th August, and reached the Wenass on the same 
day. Finding that valley to be a suitable depot, I proceeded immediately to prepare the parties 
necessary to accomplish the purposes in view. On account of the uncertainty of the time neces¬ 
sary to examine the range, and the possibility of being caught near the northern boundary line by 
an early winter, I did not think it prudent to leave the Yakima for the north with less than three 
months’ provisions. I determined then to send in for a sufficient supply to insure this, while the 
examination of the mountains in the vicinity was in progress. From the information we received 
with regard to the road through the Nahchess Pass, it seemed certain that Steilacoom could be 
easily reached in five days: in addition, a reconnaissance of that line was important. That route 
was therefore selected for the provision train, and Lieutenant Hodges was detailed to command 
that party. Long before this it had become evident that our pack-horses were unfit for the service 
required of them, and there seemed to be good reasons for believing that there were many public 
mules at Fort Steilacoom ; I therefore sent in no pack-mules, but all our pack-horses, with Lieu¬ 
tenant Hodges, giving him directions to exchange them, if possible, for mules. 
Lieutenant Hodges started from Wenass on the morning of the 22d with a party, consisting of 
Mr. Lewes—discharged at his own request on account of the necessity of his attending to some 
private business of importance—one non-commissioned officer, five privates, seventeen packers, 
and two employes, discharged on account of incapacity. Fifty pack-horses and the necessary 
saddle-animals accompanied this party. Lieutenant Duncan was directed to leave Wenass on 
the 24th, with a party of three men, to cross to the main Yakima, examine the upper part of that 
valley, and obtain all possible information in relation to the surrounding country, especially to 
the north. Mr. Gibbs was directed to examine the valley of the Yakima to its junction with the 
Columbia; to leave on the 25th, with one man and a guide. With Mr. Minter, and six men, I 
started on the 23d to examine the Nahchess Pass. The remainder of the party, with the animals, 
were left in camp at Wenass, under charge of Lieutenant Mowry. On the 22d we received a 
visit from the priests, accompanied by Kamaiabkan, the principal chief of this country; they 
spent the night with us, and on the next morning I had a long “talk” with Kamaiabkan, at the 
