Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/240

232 J. NEILSON BARRY Crossing a divide, they reached Hoback's River, named from John Hoback, one of the hunters with the Astorians. This they followed to its junction with the Snake River, a short dis- tance above the Grand Canyon. (Chapter 30.) Having detached Carson and three other hunters on Septem- ber 28th, they forded the Snake and were led by Indian guides along the trail, which is now a public highway, across the Teton Pass into Pierre's Hole, the valley of the Teton River, Fremont County, Idaho. On October 8th they arrived at the deserted post called Henry's Fort, which consisted of the first buildings intended for permanent occupancy that had been erected by white men within the Oregon country, and seem to have been .a short distance below St. Anthony, Idaho, on the north, or Henry, fork of the Snake River. (Chapter 31.) Here they began the third stage of their journey in canoes, which they had constructed, since they most unfortunately abandoned their horses under the impression that they were near Astoria and could navigate the Snake River. Having de- tached Mr. Miller and four hunters, they embarked at Fort Henry October 19th and the same day passed the mouth of the south fork of the Snake River, which they termed Mad River. On October 21st they portaged around Idaho Falls, the Blackfoot Mountains being on their left, and on the 24th reached American Falls, which are said to have been so named at a later day by the Canadians with the Hudson's Bay Com- pany, because a party of American trappers, descending the river, came unexpectedly to the cataract and were swept over and perished. The Oregon Short Line Railway now crosses the river at this point. On October 28th the Astorians met disaster at Caldron Linn, the present site of the dam of the Twin Falls irrigation system at Milner, Idaho. (Chapter 32.) Further navigation of the Snake River being impossible, the surplus goods were placed in caches on the north side of the river, opposite Milner, and the expedition divided into sev- eral detachments and began on foot the fourth stage of their j ourney . ( Chapter 33 .)