Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 22.djvu/47



THE SOUTH ROAD EXPEDITION 37

the season with far less danger of being snowed in than on the California route down the Humboldt and over the Sierra Ne- vadas. The sequel proved that we were correct in this opinion, for this same fall the Donner party, in endeavoring to cross the Sierras, were snowed in, suffered the most indescribable hor- rors, and about half of them perished.

The Humboldt Meadows affording us a splendid camping place, we concluded to remain there and recruit our jaded ani- mals for a few dnvs before pursuing our journey farther,

FROM HUMBOLPT MEADOWS TO FORT HALL AND BACK TO BT.ACK ROCK,

Our object was to locate the road direct from near the head of the Humboldt to Bear river, leaving Fort Hall forty or sixty miles to the northward. Our stock of provisions being almost exhausted, we decided to dispatch a partv. with the strongest animals, to Fort Hall at once, for supplies, while the rest of us would move along more slowly, making such im- provements on the road as seemed necessary, and perhaps reaching the head of the river in time to meet the Fort Hall partv there on its return. Accordinglv. on the morning of the 25th of July. Jesse Applegate. Moses Harris. Henrv Bovgtis. David Goff and John Owens, left us for Fort Hall. The place decided on for the reunion of the partv was known as Hot Spring or Thousand Spring Vallev. on the Humboldt. T shall not undertake, after this date, to give a detailed statement of our experiences, until the conclusion of our journey in the fall, onlv mentioning the most important incidents of the long and wearisome campaign.

The journey up the Humboldt. throuerh a country so uni- formly alike the entire distance, was quite monotonous. The sluggish stream, frineed with willows on either side, flowed through a narrow vallev bounded by drv volcanic ridfres. grad- ually increased in volume as we advanced towards its source, as the water wastes away in the dry. sandy region through