FROM BITTER ROOT VALLEY TO FORT HALL. 
327 
in width, which is set like a gem in the mountains. This lake has no outlet, and is a favorite 
resort for game. This lake we called Lake Davis, in honor of the Secretary of War. We found 
during this day a beautiful specimen of greenstone on the range of mountains on the eastern side 
of this prairie, which is labelled No. 14. This day has been exceedingly mild, the thermometer 
at noon being 40°; and having a level and beautiful road, we were enabled to make a march of 
thirty miles to our night’s camp, where we found grass, which our tired animals duly appreciated. 
December 6, 1853.—Commences clear and cool, the thermometer at sunrise being 20°. Re¬ 
sumed our journey about 10 a. m., being delayed in catching our animals. Our road lay over a 
series of rolling hills, affording a very good road for the distance of ten miles, where we crossed 
a small ridge of mountains separating a tributary of the Wisdom river from a more southern trib¬ 
utary of the Jefferson fork of the Missouri. The ascent and descent of the ridge we found to be 
very gradual, affording an excellent wagon road. After crossing this divide, there lay to our 
left, and about five or six miles distant, a high range of snow-clad mountains, along the western 
base of which we travelled, (our course being 25° south of east,) and arrived at a point where 
the ridge bore more to the east. We found this ridge to be formed of exceedingly hard red 
sandstone, fine-grained and compact, a specimen of which we collected. After crossing the 
divide above referred to, our trail led us through a large prairie plain, covered with the artemisia 
or wild sage, growing to a height of from two to three feel. When passing through here before, a 
trail led us through a canon of the mountains, where we found the artemisia growing to a height 
of eight feet, with a trunk about twelve inches in diameter. This formed part of our fuel at our 
night’s camp, together with a few dried willows. This section is exceedingly barren of timber— 
none whatever to be seen, save the pine of the mountain top, and at intervals of from fifteen to 
twenty miles an old cotton-wood tree would spring into view, giving a life-like appearance to an 
otherwise dreary prairie road. 
Game to-day we saw none, save ducks and a few antelopes; we succeeded in killing a single 
duck, but we found the antelopes so exceedingly shy as to preclude all possibility of approach, 
though we used every exertion to secure one. We were exceedingly anxious now to meet with 
some game, as we had nothing but bacon, and very little of that, as we started fully expecting 
to meet with an abundance of game. This day has been exceedingly warm and summer-like, 
the thermometer at noon being 53°, but the night was exceedingly cold. At 9 p. m. the thermom¬ 
eter was 12.° We travelled twenty-six miles, camping on a tributary to the Jefferson fork of the 
Missouri, finding good grass and water for our animals, though no fuel but wild sage bushes and 
a few dried willows. To our right during the greater part of this day’s march lay the high range 
of the Salmon River mountains, with their snow-capped peaks glistening in the beautiful, clear 
sunshine. This range of mountains, as seen from the east, is exceedingly beautiful and pic¬ 
turesque. They seem to be formed of an innumerable number of jagged peaks, each vieing with 
the other in loftiness, and wild but beautiful appearance. We found but little snow on our road 
of this day; that which was found being on the dividing ridge and along the slopes of the mount 
ains. Nearly all the streams passed were frozen over so hard that our animals passed over them 
without difficulty. Our camp of this night was on the right bank of a beautiful little stream, a 
tributary to the Jefferson fork of the Missouri, which is a favorite camping ground with all the 
Indians and others passing this road. Here is formed by the willows along the stream a natural 
corral, which, during the spring and summer season, is always and necessarily taken possession 
and made use of, as it is here that the Blackfeet ramble from March to October. This is used 
for the animals, in which they are always picketed. We, however, had no necessity for this, 
since we supposed the Blackfeet some hundreds of miles distant, and turned our animals loose to 
graze around the camp. This is a great thoroughfare for the Blackfeet Indians, who, when 
prowling about the country, perch themselves on the highest ridges of the mountains and buttes 
of the valleys, whence, during the day, they can have a full view for miles of the country around, 
and thus see at a distance their prey, which they watch with eagle-eye. At midnight, when 
