14 
DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY. 
Canadian. Beyond are sand-hills, thinly covered with grass. At station 12 the sand ends, 
and clay appears. From station 13 to station 20 the trail keeps the edge of the valley, from 
half a mile to a mile distant from the river. Upon the opposite hank are cotton-wood groves. 
Passing two dry arroyos with wide sandy beds we reach Camp 38, which is within the wide 
delta formed hy the junction of Wine creek with the Canadian valley. Grape-vines grow in 
profusion at this place, covering many acres, and loaded with fruit. 
Along the river, a short distance beyond Camp 38, are Chickasaw plum, hackberry, and 
willow trees. Opposite station 2 no timber exists upon either side of the river. Beyond station 
3 there is a sparse growth of cotton-wood. From station 8 to station 9 are found ash, cotton¬ 
wood, and hackberry. Beyond station 11 the valley opens to the width of two and one-eighth 
miles. Small, isolated hills appear near station 12, with cotton-wood and willows in the 
valley. These hills seem to hear some relation to a long range of natural mounds which extend 
towards the south. There are sand-hills in the valley opposite station 19, and at station 20 is 
a cotton-wood grove, near the mouth of a rivulet. Between stations 21 and 22 is Valley river, 
a fine stream of water, with fertile hanks about three-quarters of a mile wide. Camp 39 is situ¬ 
ated near its junction with the Canadian, overlooking a pleasantly diversified region of wood¬ 
land and meadow. 
Above Camp 39 a range of small sand-hills intersects the south side of the valley. For the 
purpose of avoiding it the trail crossed the stream at the mouth of Valley river. The Canadian 
is there one-third of a mile wide, and three feet deep in the largest channels, which are sepa¬ 
rated hy sand-bars. The northern hank is sandy, and the valley wide. At station 15 the 
stream was recrossed. Here the bed of red clay and sand measured 840 yards in width. The 
flowing stream was 150 yards wide, and from one to two and a half feet deep. Station 16 is on 
the southern hank of the river, and from Camp 39 to this point there is no visible obstruction to 
the formation of a road upon either side of the valley. The naked sand-hills referred to are 
small, and do not appear to be continuous to the river. To avoid a miry slue, a ridge of similar 
sand-hills was crossed beyond station 11. Thence to Camp 40 the valley continues wide and 
somewhat sandy, with few trees upon the banks of the stream. 
About half a mile beyond Camp 40 is a rivulet called Spring creek, three feet wide, its hanks 
lined with cotton-wood trees. The valley of the Canadian continues to average from a mile to 
a mile and a half in width, thinly covered with trees. Between stations 3 and 4 there is a valley, 
bordered with cotton-wood trees. Near station 5 the prairie that hounds the Canadian termi¬ 
nates in a bluff edge 150 feet high. Some detached fragments of it form isolated hills of sand 
and gravel. At the foot of the hill, near station 6, there is a spring. Another is found in the 
Canadian valley between stations 6 and 7. A stream of clear water called Bluff creek flows 
past station 11 to the Canadian. Its bed is 30 yards wide, and the banks sandy. Beyond, the 
width of the valley averages about half a mile upon either side of the Canadian. Near station 
26 the bluffs of the right bank approach to within 800 or 900 feet of the river, while upon the 
opposite side the valley spreads out to the width of two miles. Between stations 27 and 30 the 
valley is bounded upon the south by a nearly jDerpendicular limestone bluff. Beyond, the 
slopes of the prairie become gentle. From station 30 to 32, upon the south side of the valley, 
there are gravelly knolls. From station 32 to 34 a spur of hills comes down to the river. It is 
of soft sandstone and gravel. The trail crosses by threading two ravines, which head near the 
summit. The width of the ridge is 400 yards, and the height of it 56 feet. This is the only 
point yet seen in the Canadian valley where deep cutting may be required. Camp 41 is in the 
bottom-land near the western side of the spur. The fall of the river from this place to Camp 
34 is seven feet per mile. 
Beyond Camp 41 the wide river valley is bounded by a bluff composed of rock, sand, and 
gravel. Opposite station 2 there is a ravine between the hills. It is clothed with trees and a 
rank growth of weeds, but shows no worn channel for the water which it drains from the 
prairie during wet weather. On the north side of the river the prairie slopes gradually down 
