26 
VALLEY OF THE ARKANSAS. 
lightened and powerful nation extends to redress such wrongs, and to protect its exposed citizens, 
is impotent. From Pawnee fork to this camp, 68 miles by our path, the ascent is 418 feet, or 
about six feet and two inches to the mile. By following the river the distance would be increased, 
slightly, and the grade thereby diminished ; or by taking a more direct line the distance would be 
lessened, slightly increasing the grade. Our camp is under a bluff of sedimentary pebbles, de¬ 
posited in layers of a few inches in thickness, interspersed with a coarse sand, and the whole 
cemented into a single mass. A short distance above the fort a coarse limestone crops out. 
The short and fine, but rich and nutritious buffalo-grass covers the hills, while tall and rank grasses 
spread over the bottom on the river. 
July 19.—After remaining two days in camp to recruit our animals, make repairs, and procure 
necessary supplies, we this morning took leave of our hospitable friends at the fort, and very 
reluctantly parted with two young gentlemen from St. Louis, Messrs. Collier and O’Fallon, who 
have accompanied us for several weeks on the Plains for the recreation and the sports of the 
chase. Four and a half miles above camp we ascended the bluff, and passed for two miles 
over a ridge, which extends to the river at a single point, where a road can easily be cut in the 
aggregated pebbly deposit, by which the distance would be shortened, and the ascent of a hill of 
half a mile in length be avoided. These ridges which approach the river are of a whitish sand 
and clay, overlying the coarse friable sandstone of the bluffs. These bluffs are generally from 
one hundred yards to half a mile back from the river, rising from ten to forty or fifty feet above 
it, and extending back in a high, dry, and uninteresting prairie, covered with a thick mat of buffalo- 
grass, too fine and short for grazing draught animals, but excellent grazing tor sheep and buffalo. 
On the river bottom heavy grasses of the blue-joint and wheat kinds grow luxuriantly, mingled 
with various weeds and herbs. The stream is filled with low islands covered with grass and 
rushes, and nearly submerged. Seventeen miles from the fort there is a ford, sometimes used by 
trains and parties going to and from New Mexico by the Cimmaron route; but the principal ford 
for that route is eight miles above this, and to reach it the road leaves the river bottom, passing 
over the high bluff or prairie land. We encamped about two miles above this ford on a fine field 
of bottom grass, which our horses eat with avidity. Had it not been necessary for us to procure 
supplies at Fort Atkinson, we could have arrived at this point by a shorter route than the one 
followed, if the appearance of the country and our recent Delaware guides, who have been fre¬ 
quently over it. may be relied upon, by following on and in the vicinity of Walnut creek and Paw¬ 
nee fork, which rise to the north of our present camp, the latter at a distance of not more than 
five or seven miles. If this route is practicable—and there seems to be no reason to doubt it—the 
proposed road from the fort at the mouth of the Republican fork should follow it. But as a large 
poi tion, if not the whole of this route, was understood to have been examined by officers of the 
Topographical Corps, and already reported upon, Captain Gunnison did not deem it advisable to 
delay the mountain exploration to examine it. 
July 20.—This was a cool morning, the clouds, which last night prevented astronomical obser¬ 
vations, still lowering above the hills. The road was heavy for fourteen miles with loose coarse 
sand, and we crossed a few beds which were deep, but of small extent. Beyond this, our road 
became firm for five miles to our camp. 
July 21.—The bottom here, as it is generally called, or land on the borders of the river below 
the bluffs, has two distinctly-defined plains. The lower is subject to overflow, but is at present 
about eighteen inches above the water, which has, however, receded from it within the last two 
or three weeks. The second plain is dry, and about three feet above the first at the edge, 
rising slightly back to the low sloping hills. On this the artemisia is now the characteristic 
plant, but we also observed two or three varieties of the helianthus, thistle, and geranium. 
Eleven miles from camp the river has cut away for a mile nearly the whole second bottom, back 
to the rolling plain, which on this part of the river is but slightly elevated, rising gently back 
from the bottom. On its southern bank the country is more than usually sandy. Returning 
