FROM THE SEVIER RIVER TO FILLMORE. 71 
nineteen miles from our last camp, where we have abundant grass on the right bank of the 
stream, but it has a strong taste of salt. 
October 20.—Two miles and a half from camp we came upon the road leading from the Great 
Salt lake to California, by the way of Fillmore and Parawan, (Mormon settlements,) the Vegas 
de Santa Clara, and Walker’s Pass, and encamped perhaps a mile above Fremont’s point of 
crossing the Sevier river in 1844. This was a very pleasant autumnal day, for we had not to 
record a change of temperature from sunrise to mid-day of from forty to sixty degrees, to which 
we have become so accustomed in these valleys. 
Captain Gunnison left us at our camp of yesterday morning, and proceeded up the valley of 
San Pete, or the northeastern extension of the valley of the Sevier river, to the settlement at 
Manti City, eighteen miles from that camp. He found the settlers, a hundred families, all gath¬ 
ered into a village for mutual protection against the Utah Indians, who have killed several of the 
citizens, destroyed their mills, and driven off some of their stock; but this has been accomplished 
by no means with impunity. A strong guard was posted at this settlement at night. Having 
procured some necessary supplies and guides (two brothers, G. G. and William Potter) to accom¬ 
pany him to the Sevier lake, Captain Gunnison rejoined us this evening at a late hour. 
October 21.—The thermometer at sunrise stood at 14°. The country from our camp to the 
canon of the river being broken, and the guides never having passed through it, we crossed the 
river and followed the California road, passing a low range of hills, within a short distance, into 
a small valley in the Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains—the Indian name of the range lying in the bend 
of the Sevier river. This valley, from a small pond which stands several miles to the south of 
the road, is called Lake valley. To the south of this pond there is said to be an easy pass de¬ 
scending by a creek to the Sevier river. This, if practicable, would lessen the distance consid¬ 
erably from the point where we first came upon the river, westward to this point. Sage grows 
luxuriantly in this mountain valley, which we followed for ten miles, and passed easily over the 
mountain lying west of it to the valley of the Sevier lake. The range is finely covered with 
grass quite down to the sage plains, and is dotted with a growth of small cedar and oak, and is 
a fine pastoral district. The Sevier valley below the canon, opens broad to the west and south. 
We encamped, after a march of 24.18 miles, at Cedar springs, 10.21 miles from the settlement 
of Fillmore, which is situated on Chalk creek, at the base of the mountains, on a scarcely per¬ 
ceptible slope that descends into the Sevier valley. On the following morning Captain Gunnison 
visited Fillmore, and returned to camp in the evening. 
In crossing almost any of the Basin mountains, long lines of sage-bushes are seen pulled up and 
thrown on the ground—a single bush in a place, at intervals of a few feet. These lines partially 
enclose considerable spaces, and are said to be used by the Indians in catching rabbits; but as 
we never saw them used, it is impossible to understand of what service they can be, for at least 
nine-tenths of the lines are left open and unobstructed. 
October 23.—Yesterday morning, at sunrise, the thermometer stood at 14°; this morning it 
stood at 15°, and the cold northwest wind which prevailed during the day, gave us a foretaste of 
winter. Between eleven and twelve o’clock we moved in a northwest direction across the valley 
towards the Sevier river, our guides thinking it possible that we might find water after travelling 
seven or eight miles; there being at that point, in the spring, a small mountain stream. We, 
however, found no water, and continued on towards the river until eight o’clock, when, the night 
being dark and very cold, we halted, and tied up our animals without water or grass ; but their 
hardship was relieved by a small allowance of corn to each, which Captain Morris had for¬ 
tunately procured for his animals at Fillmore. 
October 24.—As early as we could see, the thermometer standing at 12°, we moved forward, 
and at ten o’clock reached the Sevier river at a point well supplied with dry grass, which our ani¬ 
mals required after a march of 25.43 miles, on which we were engaged for twenty-two hours, over 
large, rank sage-bushes and a friable soil, occasionally sandy. Indeed, this whole valley, some 
