ESTIMATE ON ROAD FROM FORT BENTON TO FORT WALLAH WALLAH. 
363 
116^ day. —They go nineteen and a half miles, cross the Spokane, and encamp on its left bank. 
111th day. —The wagons go 12.5 miles and encamp on a small stream in the prairie. 
118 th day. —-They go 12.5 miles and encamp on a small wooded stream. 
119th day. —They go 12.7 miles and encamp on another small stream. 
121 st day. —They go 21.7 miles and encamp on a branch of the Peluse river, after having 
passed a lake. 
123d day. —They go 21.2 miles and encamp on the same stream. 
124 th day. —They go twelve miles and encamp on the Peluse. 
125th day. —They go twelve miles, cross Snake river, and encamp on its left bank. 
126th day. —They go 27.5 miles and encamp on the Touchet, a branch of the Wallah-Wallah. 
There is not a particle of wood or water between Snake river and the Touchet. 
121th day _They go 25.3 miles to Wallah-Wallah. The entire distance from Fort Benton to 
Wallah-Wallah is about 650 miles. 
A more direct road leads from Snake river to the crossing of Clark’s fork than the one described 
above, and a better road might be had from Snake river to Wallah-Wallah by going by the 
Whitman mission. There would be no difficulty in finding camps along the whole of this route, 
except between Thomson’s prairie and Lake Pend d’Oreille. There are generally Indians 
with canoes at the streams which would require ferrying. The estimates and statements I have 
made must be considered as rough approximations; they will, however, serve as a guide in 
case; and before a further reconnaissance could be made, a plan of operations for the construc¬ 
tion of the road should be adopted. While I do not recommend any particular plan of operations, 
that pursued in the report will, I think, suit the circumstances which may govern, or at any rate 
may be modified to suit them. 
My acknowledgments are due to Mr. Lambert for the use I have made of his sketches; these 
have guided me in many details which 1 should not otherwise have recollected. 
Respectfully submitted. 
A. J. DONELSON, 
Second Lieutenant of Engineers. 
His Excellency I. I. Stevens, 
Governor of Washington Territory. 
Estimate on a road from Fort Benton across the Rocky mountains to Fort Wallah-Wallah. 
1st day. Fort Benton to the Teton.10 minutes of earth cutting. 
2d day. The Teton to a lake.10..do.do. 
3d day. The lake to Sun river.20. .do.do. 
4th day. Crossing the Sun river.15..do.do. 
Crossing of a rocky hill.20. .do. .to remove stones. 
Crossing of Crown Butte creek, 15. .do_of earth cutting. 
Crossing of a fork.15. .do.do. 
2d crossing of Crown Butte creek, 15.. do.do. 
3d.do.do.15. .do.do. 
5th day. 4th.do.do.15. .do.do. 
Crossing of Beaver creek.15. .do.do. 
Crossing of four small streams. .45. .do.do. 
Descent to the valley of Dearborn river, 3 hours of earth cutting. 
6th and 2d descent to the valley of Dearborn river, in which, after descending nearly to the 
7th days. water’s edge, you pass about 150 yards along the side of a hill sloping f, 3 hours 
and 30 minutes of cutting in earth. 
