JOURNAL OF LT. WILLIAMSON’S SIDE EXPLORATIONS, COMPILED FROM HIS NOTES. 77 
course to a spring on the edge of the marsh, where we encamped. The river comes into the 
marsh, curves through it, and passes off to the canon, without any visible connection with the 
main body of water in the lake, which lies further to the southward. Doubtless, in the rainy 
season, the water covers the whole marsh, and then the river literally passes through the lake. 
Several deer were killed to-day; one of which, a very fat buck, was supposed to weigh over two 
hundred pounds. The sick men were sent this morning, through the pass south of Mount Pitt, 
to Fort Lane. 
August 16.—We started this morning to follow up the Klamath river. Much to our surprise, 
we came at noon to an arm of a large lake from which the river flowed. This proved to 
be Upper Klamath lake. It was difficult to say where the connecting river ended and the lower 
lake began. Where the tule ceased, the river ran rapidly between low hills backed by higher 
ridges and was full of rapids. In one place there were falls from five to ten feet high. We 
found the river everywhere too deep to ford. At the rapids, where many rocks rose above the 
water, there were numerous deep holes; and near where it emerged from the lake it was twenty 
feet deep. We fortunately found two old canoes, and lashing them together, formed a raft 
upon which we carried our baggage across. The animals swam over without accident. We 
encamped near the spot. 
August 17.—This morning the sentinel did not arouse camp at the time ordered, and it was 
about eight o’clock before we were ready to start. We soon reached the main party, which we 
found in camp on the lake shore. They had been waiting for us two days. 
FIRST EXPLORATION AMONG THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS. 
August 28.—I left Camp 37 this morning, accompanied by Lieutenant Sheridan and the 
dragoons, to explore the Cascade mountains near the head of the Des Chutes valley, leaving 
the main party in Depot camp. We carried provisions for seven days. We were compelled to 
descend the river about a mile before we could find a ford. Having crossed, we took a course a 
little north of west, and in five miles struck the main river, which was sometimes one hundred 
yards wide, and not fordable. Before reaching it, the trail gradually ascended, and then 
abruptly descended to the water’s edge. After following the river for a short distance, we 
made an early camp, as I felt quite sick. 
August 29.—Bartee, the guide, had followed up the creek yesterday, and found that, by going 
towards the base of a mountain southwest of us, we could shorten the distance. We therefore 
struck through the timber, and came to the river again in about five miles. The stream had 
diminished so much in size that we inferred it had forked, In following it down to ascertain 
the fact, Bartee killed a deer. I made a short halt, and sent a small party ahead to look lor 
the branch. They found it, and reported it larger than the one upon which we were. We 
therefore struck across, and reached it at a point about a mile above the junction. It was not 
always fordable, but we soon succeeded in crossing. A few miles from the junction we came to 
a meadow, five or six miles in diameter, in which the stream again forked, both branches being 
too deep to ford. We followed up the north branch to the timber, and encamped. It was too 
cloudy to take astronomical observations to-night. 
August 30.—We tried to cross the branch this morning at various places, but did not suc¬ 
ceed until we had travelled 1.5 miles. Before crossing we came in sight of several snow peaks ; 
and the stream was so large, and the view towards the peaks presented a prospect so favorable 
for a good pass, that we determined to follow the north branch, leaving the other, although 
it was the larger of the two. Our course lay sometimes through open meadows, and sometimes 
