28 
BIG TIMBERS.—BENT’S FORT. 
only when compared with this river as I have described it a few days back. The trees are 
scattered over the bottom, in numbers, not unlike those of the new cotton-fields of Georgia and 
Alabama, with inviting shades; but they are not thick enough to obstruct the view, and the 
opposite bank of the river discovers the same dry hills as heretofore. Three miles of heavy 
sand, and six in the rain, over very slippery clay, added greatly to the labor of the day’s travel, 
and we encamped at the end of twenty miles. In the afternoon the sun came out, but as yet 
we have had no glimpse of the mountains. Altitudes of Jupiter and Antares were obtained here 
for latitude; but the early hour of the day, and misty state of the atmosphere, prevented taking 
occultations or eclipses of Jupiter’s satellites. 
July 27.—A dense fog hanging over the valley until 10 o’clock, concealed the sterile hills of 
the opposite side of the river, and, leaving in view only the line of timber as we rode near it, 
awakened remembrances of the beautiful forests which sometimes skirt the western prairies. A 
mile from camp we passed two or three log-houses, occupied as a trading station by Mr. Wm. 
Bent, during the past winter, but now left vacant, and, as yet, undestroyed by the Indians. 
Here the bluff lands for a short distance come quite in to the river, and disclose sandstone in 
horizontal strata, of a reddish, argillaceous character, which we observed during the remainder 
of the day on both banks of the river. Thirteen miles brought us to the termination of the Big 
Timber, where the argillaceous sandstone hills again approach the river, and the road passes 
quite frequently over these small spurs. The bottom of the river at times quite disappeared, 
and was lightly covered with grass, or destitute of it entirely, after leaving the timber. Our 
camp is on a very coarse grass, under a sandstone escarpment, in a large meadow bottom— 
by far the poorest camp we have yet made. Mr. Creutzfeldt found to-day the skin of a snake 
seven feet in length, which it had cast, leaving the eye and every scale perfect. 
July 28.—Three miles from camp we passed opposite to the mouth of Purgatory creek, an 
affluent to the Arkansas, and timber appeared more abundant upon it than upon the river, which 
it enters in quite a large bottom, which, from a distance, is apparently well wooded, and grass 
is abundant. We encamped, after a march of fifteen miles, three miles below Bent’s Fort. Lati¬ 
tude by meridian observation to-day, 38° 03' 27". Mr. Homans, who has been suffering seriously 
from being poisoned with ivy, has very nearly recovered. He was too ill for many days to mount 
his horse, and could only ride in a carriage with the greatest difficulty. Deer, antelope and 
turkeys were seen along the river to-day, and near camp a cow was found which had been 
abandoned by its owners, her feet being too sore to travel. Our elevation at this camp is 3,671 
feet above the Gulf, and our average ascent for the last 105 miles, from our camp of the 22d, 
has been 7f feet to the mile. 
July 29.—Between camp and Bent’s Fort, grass was very abundant. We spent an hour 
in examining the river at the fort for a practicable ford, but the excellent one which formerly 
existed here it was found impracticable to cross, in the present stage of the water. Mr. Bent 
abandoned his fort about four years ago, but not until he had destroyed it. Its adobe walls still 
stand in part only, with here and there a tower and chimney. Here, beyond all question, would 
be one of the most favorable points for a military post which is anywhere presented on the 
Plains. There is an abundance of pasturage, fuel, and building material in the neighborhood, 
for the use and building of the post. It is of easy access from its central position, from the east, 
from Santa F 6, from Taos through the Sangre de Cristo Pass, and from Fort Laramie. It is on 
an emigrant road from southern Missouri and Arkansas, either by the North Park or Coochetopa 
Pass; and it is in the heart of the Indian country, accessible to the resorts of the Comanches, 
Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Kioways, some bands of Apaches, and even occasionally of the Utahs 
of New Mexico. 
We moved on at half past 8 o’clock and encamped, having marched twenty-four miles, on 
miserable grass—not being able, after hours of searching, to find better. Indeed, during the 
day, after leaving the fort, we saw no good grass for this country even, on either bank of the 
