Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 25.djvu/167

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Journal of a Trip Across the Plains, 1851
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July 5.—This day our road was rough for eight miles. At the end of eight miles our road left the creek and turned northward up a small stream four miles. Here the scenery is grand. The Green River valley in the east and the Bear River mountains on the west.

July 6.—This day we followed up the branch seven miles to its source. Good grass and pure springs all the way. We met a lot of Indians today. They had been out on a hunting expedition, had plenty of game and were in good plight and good humor. Here everything is most lovely.

July 7.—This is one day of extreme interest. Here our road led up a long ravine of easy ascent to the top of the divide between Green river and Bear river valleys. The divide is very high and when on the divide we look eastward and see the Green river valley in all of its grandeur, with its snowy range, the source of the river trending northward as far as eye can reach, while on the south stands the cluster of high, snowy peaks that feed Black river fork of Green river and are known as the Bear River mountains, being the source of that stream; then turn west and see the Bear River valley, with its winding stream coursing its way northward through the valley at about 12 miles distant. But we must go. Our road follows the ridge to the right a short distance, then turns down a steep ridge one and a half miles to a ravine, which we follow down five miles to the open valley. Here we found a large spring of pure water, sufficient for all of us and our cattle. Here we also found oceans of grass. Here we refreshed ourselves and again set out for to reach Bear river, which we succeeded in doing after night, at 10 o'clock. Here we found grass and water plenty, and for fires, some green wollow, and plenty of growling. But few had supper that night.

July 8.—This morning our road led along a sidehill for one-half mile, to where we again enter the valley. Here a spring, sufficient to run a large flouring mill, bursts out of the bluff bank three or four rods from the