REPORT. 
CHAPTER I. 
From Great Salt Lake City east to Green river , and back , by the Weber and Timpanogos 
rivers , respectively—April , 1854. 
Explorations resumed —Advance of spring.—Winter of 1853-’54 at Great Salt Lake —Timber near the city-—Impracticability 
of the present wagon-road over the Wahsatch mountains in winter.—Winter mail-route.—Weber river; its lower canon; fine 
grazing district; condition of cattle grazed during the winter, during which they crossed the mountains.—Cattle-trade in 
Utah.—Eocks of lower canon; its passage by railway.—Snows in canon.—Wagon-road possible from Ben Simon’s creek 
east.—Second canon of the Weber; its crossings, railroad practicability, and character of its rocks and dikes.—Valley of 
Weber river from the head of the second canon to White Clay creek.—Emigrant-road.—Conglomerate sandstone.—Snow.— 
Character of White Clay Creek valley; game; snow-banks.—Uinta mountains.—Porcupine Terrace.—Timber.—From White 
Clay creek to Bear river; its character and valley where crossed.—Snow-blindness.—Sulphur creek.—Muddy creeks.—Black’s 
Fork.—Greatest depth of snow encountered.—Extensive view.—Greatest altitude of the line; its railroad practicability.— 
Black’s Fork valley.—Beaver-dams.—Smith’s Fork.—Fort Supply.—Fort Bridger.—Railroad route thence eastward.— 
Snow-storm.—Crossing to Henry’s Fork.—Sioux war-party.—Henry’s Fork valley.—Ascent of mountain at the end of our 
eastern course.—General description of the country from this point.—Snow-blindness of party, and of “ Ring.”—Plains crossed 
in returning to Smith’s Fork.—Black’s Fork.—Muddy creek.—Bear river.—White Clay creek.—Nests of edible bugs.— 
Attempt to find a direct passage to Kamas prairie.—Mountains and fields of snow encountered.—Country seen from mountain 
summit.—Impracticability of continuing the passage.—Timber.—Return to White Clay creek and Weber river.—Fine grass- 
fields.—Impracticability of this route for roads.—Rocks and soil.—Weber river valley above White Clay creek.—Kamas 
prairie.—Timpanogos river.—Round Prairie.—TimpanogOs canon; its railroad practicability.—Utah Lake valley.—Railroad 
line via the foot of the Lake and Cedar valley, or by the valley of the Jordan and north of Oquirrh mountains.—Return to 
Salt Lake City. 
Sir : Explorations were resumed on the 4th of April, 1854, for a route for the Pacific railroad 
under my direction, hy the surviving portion of Captain Gunnison’s party, (which had win¬ 
tered at Great Salt Lake City,) under the original instructions given to that officer to explore 
the most available passes and canones of the Wahsatch range, and cross the Weher and Bear 
rivers to the coal basin of Green river, and thence proceed to Fort Laramie. 
Leaving the city, we proceeded north along the shore of the lake, passing through the Mor¬ 
mon settlements and farms, which occupy the most fertile and best watered sections of the "ar¬ 
row belt of land lying between the shore and the base of the mountains. Spring was alrea !y 
considerably advanced in the valley ; fresh grass and plants were springing up on its sunny 
slopes; farmers were busy in ploughing and sowing their fields, and the snow had disappeared 
to such an extent on the sides of the mountains, that it was deemed practicable for our animals 
to subsist upon the dry grass of the previous year’s growth. 
The winter of 1853-’54 at Great Salt lake, from the middle of November to the 20th of 
January, was delightfully mild and open, and the fall of snow, which was light in the'mount¬ 
ains, seldom extended into the valleys ; hut after the latter date the climate became much 
more severe, the temperature falling during the colder part of the day, for several successive 
days, below zero of Fahrenheit’s thermometer, and storms became more frequent—snow falling 
in the plain to the depth of six or eight inches without drifts, while in the mountain plains and 
passes it exceeded a foot, and accumulated to great depths in the narrow ravines, and on the 
high slopes of the mountains, least exposed to the winds. In the vicinity of the city of the 
Great Salt Lake timber is confined almost exclusively to these ravines, which are difficult of 
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