580 
FROM CANTONMENT STEVENS TO FORT DALLES. 
affording a good road. Up to 3 p. m. we crossed two small streamlets coming in from the north, 
upon the second of which we halted to rest the animals, having travelled a distance of 20$ miles. 
A better road could be made by following the valley ofLo-Lo’s fork. Of course, manv crossings 
of the stream would be inevitable; but as ihe water here is very shallow, the crossings would be 
of minor importance, considering the advantages to be gained by a level road. Resuming our 
march at 4 p. m., we continued for three miles along the side-lulls, through fallen timber, when 
we crossed and immediately recrossed the Lo Lo’s fork. At this point we reached a very beau¬ 
tiful prairie, about one-third of a mile in length. This place afforded us an excellent camp; 
though, following the advice of our guide, we travelled a distance of four miles farther, when we 
encamped. Finding no grass, our animals started on the back trail an hour after reaching camp; 
but it being now sunset, it was too late to retrace our steps. 
September 22.—Remained in camp during this day—our animals having strayed back to our 
camp of last night. Sent two men back in search of them, and in the meanwhile made a corral. 
The men arrived at sunset with all but four animals. We put them in the corral, where we kept 
them all night without grass, and on the morning of the 23d resumed our march at an early hour, 
our road for seven miles leading up and along the sides of very high and steep mountains, ob¬ 
structed by much fallen timber, which proved very fatiguing to our animals. Gaining a high 
point of view, we had a prospect in every direction, where nothing was seen save an immense 
bed of high, rugged, pine-clad mountains. At the end of seven miles we again struck the Lo-Lo’s 
creek at its forks. Here we found a small prairie, with very excellent grass, affording a fine 
camp to a large party. The many signs of elk tracks seen through this prairie, shows that this is 
a great resort for this animal—the great quantities of willow affording them an abundance of food. 
The mountains around this prairie are quite low and pine-clad. Our trail lay along the southern 
fork of the creek, which we crossed several times. The bed is covered with large rocks and 
boulders of sandstone. Each fork is ten yards wide, with bluff banks on either side. At a dis¬ 
tance of two miles from the junction of the forks, we reached a range of hot springs, flowing from 
a bed of light, coarse-grained, friable sandstone. These springs are highly impregnated with 
sulphur, and are of the same degree of heat as those I found in the “ Big Hole,” the temperature 
of which was 132° Fahrenheit. Here occurs a small prairie, with very good grass, affording an 
excellent camp. The rock in the vicinity of these springs being easily disintegrated by the 
weather, presents quite a wild and picturesque appearance, being worn and rounded in every 
possible conceivable shape. They formed truly a relief to the eye from the monotonous char¬ 
acter of the country through which we had been travelling. The accompanying sketch shows 
the vicinity of these springs, though no good point of view could be selected to sketch the rocks 
themselves as they appeared in nature. We stopped at these springs, where the men enjoyed a 
bath, and the animals the excellent grass here found. Leaving these springs, we commenced 
the ascent of the dividing ridge of mountains which separate the waters of the Bitter Root river 
from those of the Salmon fork of the Clearwater. This divide we found lower thnn the mount¬ 
ains along the Lo-Lo’s creek, though covered with the pine, and in some places much obstructed 
by fallen timber. At a distance of seven miles from the hot springs we reached a prairie of two 
miles in length, where we encamped for the night. Through this prairie flows a small creek to 
the headwaters of the Clearwater, called by Messrs. Lewis and Clark “Glade creek.” Here we 
found good grass; but it was with the greatest difficulty that we could restrain our animals from 
taking the back track, and only succeeded by guarding them during the whole night. Having 
been deprived of grass last night, we could not possibly tie them up or deprive them of grass. 
The night was clear and pleasant, though with a very heavy frost. 
September 24.—We resumed our march this morning at an early hour, crossing Glade creek 
three times, when we commenced the ascent of a high and steep mountain about nine miles 
across, rendered difficult by stones, rocks, and fallen timber. At the end of this distance we 
struck the main northern branch of the Kooskooskia river, which we found to be a stream about 
