I would advise travelers, when their animals become exhausted before reaching this water, to take them out of harness and drive them to this place to recruit. There is some grass around the lake.

This desert has always been the most difficult part of the journey to California, and more animals have probably been lost here than at any other place. The parts of wagons that are continually met with here shows this most incontestably.

VI.—From Great Salt Lake City to Los Angeles and San Francisco, California.

Miles. Salt Lake City to
20-5/8. Willow Creek.—Good grass.
14. American Creek.—Good grass.
11-1/2. Provo City.—Town.
7-1/4. Hobble Creek.—Good camp.
6. Spanish Fork.—Good camp.
5. Peteetneet.—Good camp.
25. Salt Creek.—Several small streams between. Good camp.
18-5/8. Toola Creek.—Ford. No wood; grass good.
6-1/4. Sevier River.—Road is sandy, passing over a high ridge. Good camp.
25-1/2. Cedar Creek.—Road rather mountainous and sandy. Good grass and wood.
17-1/2. Creek.—This is the fourth stream south of Sevier River. Road crosses two streams. Good camp.
3-5/8. Willow Flats.—The water sinks a little east of the road.
25. Spring.—Good grass and water.
22-1/4. Sage Creek.—Grass poor; wood and water.
5-1/8. Beaver Creek.—Good wood, water, and grass.
27-1/4. North Cañon Creek.—In Little Salt Lake Valley. Good grass; no wood. The road is rough and steep for six miles.
5-3/8. Creek.—Good wood, water, and grass.
6-3/4. Creek.—Good wood, water, and grass.
12-7/8. Cottonwood Creek.—Good grass and water.
9. Cedar Springs.—Good camp.
23. Pynte Creek.—Good grass one mile up the cañon.
9. Road Springs.—Road is rough; good camp.
16. Santa Clara.—Road descending and rough; poor grass. From this point to Cahoon Pass look out for Indians.
17-1/8. Camp Springs.—Two miles before reaching the springs the road leaves the Santa Clara. Good grass.
22-1/8. Rio Virgin.—Road crosses over the summit of a mountain. Good road; grass poor.
39-5/8. Rio Virgin.—Road runs down the Rio Virgin, crossing it ten times. Grass good down the river.
19-5/8. Muddy Creek.—Road for half a mile is very steep and sandy. Good camp.
52-5/8. Las Vegas.—Water is sometimes found 2-1/2 miles west of the road in holes 23 miles from the Muddy, and some grass about a mile from the road. Good camp.
5. On Vegas.—Road runs up the river. Good grass.
17. Cottonwood Spring.—Poor grass.
29-3/4. Cottonwood Grove.—No grass. Water and grass can be found four miles west by following the old Spanish trail to a ravine, and thence to the left in the ravine one mile.
21-3/4. Resting Springs.—Good grass and water. Animals should be rested here before entering the desert.
7. Spring.—The spring is on the left of the road, and flows into Saleratus Creek. Animals must not be allowed to drink the Saleratus water.
14-1/8. Salt Springs.—Poor grass and no fresh water.
38-3/4. Bitter Springs.—Good road; poor grass.
30-3/4. Mohave River.—Good road and good grass.
51-1/2. On the Mohave.—Last ford. Good grass all the way up the Mohave.
17. Cahoon Pass.—At the summit.
10. Camp.—Road bad down the cañon.
11-1/2. Coco Mongo Ranch.
10. Del Chino Ranch.—Williams.
19-3/8. San Gabriel River.
6. San Gabriel Mission.
8-1/4. Pueblo de los Angeles.
65-3/4. Santa Clara River.—On the Coast Route. Good camps to San José.
7-1/2. Buena Ventura Mission and River.—Road here strikes the Pacific shore.
26. Santa Barbara.—Town.
45-3/4. San Yenness River.—At the Mission.
78-7/8. Santa Margareta.—Old Mission.
28-3/8. San Miguel.—Old Mission.
24-3/4. San Antonio River.
26-3/4. Rio del Monterey.
15-5/8. Solida Mission.—At the ford of Rio del Monterey.
37-1/2. San Juan Mission.
33. San José Pueblo.
75. San Francisco.

VII.—From Fort Bridger to the "City of Rocks." From Captain Handcock's Journal.

Miles. Fort Bridger to
9. Little Muddy Creek.—Water brackish in pools along the creek; tall bunch-grass; sage for fuel. Road runs over a barren section, is rough, and passes one steep hill.
12-1/3. Big Muddy Creek.—The road, with the exception of two or three bad gullies, is good for ten miles; it then follows the Big Muddy bottom, which is flat and boggy. The camp is three miles above the crossing. Some grass; sage for fuel.
14-1/5. Small Branch of the Muddy Creek.—Cross the river in three miles at a bad ford. A mile above camp the grass is good. Road generally good.
19-1/2. On Small Creek.—Road continues up the Muddy 9-1/2 miles to its head. It then ascends to the divide between Bear and Green Rivers, probably 800 feet, in 1-3/5 miles. The descent on the other side is about the same. The road passes many fine springs. At one and two miles back it passes points of hills, where it is very rough. Good grass and sage at camp.
8-9/10. Bear River.—Bad creek to cross near the camp; thence to Bear River Valley the road is good. It then follows down the river, crossing Willow Creek. Good camp, with a large, fine spring.
17. Bear River.—Good road along the river; plenty of wood, water, and grass at all points.
Foot of Grant's Mountain.—Road runs along Bear River; at 2-1/2 miles strikes Smith's Fork, a rapid trout stream. The road crosses the lower ford. A few miles farther on is a bad slough, which can be avoided by taking a round on the hills. Cross Thomas's Fork on a bridge, also a slough near it; toll $2.00 for each team and wagon. The road then leaves Bear River Valley, and turns over a very steep hill. Good grass, wood, and water.
12. Bear River.—Road ascends Grant's Mountain 1200 feet in 1-1/2 miles—double teams—then descends again into Bear River Valley at 4-4/5 miles. Good wood, water, and grass.
17-2/5. Indian Creek.—Road crosses eight fine spring branches; camp is on a beautiful trout stream. Good wood, water, and grass.
11. Spring near Bear River.—Road is hilly, crossing two spring branches. Good wood, water, and grass. The camp is on the left and near the road.
11. Bear River.—At 6-7/10 miles the road strikes a large group of springs called "Soda Springs," and here crosses Pine Creek, on the left bank of which is a saleratus lake. Soon after it strikes the main springs, and after crossing another creek the "Steam-boat Spring" may be seen in the bed of the river.
15. "Port Neuf," or Rock Creek.—At 2-3/10 miles the road leaves Bear River near where it runs through a cañon with high bluffs on each side. At this point the California and Fort Hall roads separate. The California road (called Hudspeth's Cut-off) then crosses a valley between the Bear River and Port Neuf River Mountains, 9 miles. No water from camp to camp. Good camp.
15. Marsh Creek.—About two miles above the main road the creek can be forded; a road leads to it from the descent into the valley. Road good; water and grass plenty; no wood.
16-1/5. Paunack Creek.—First part of the road is hilly; the remainder good. Good camp.
7-1/5. Mallade River.—At 7-1/5 miles the road crosses the Mallade River. Good camp 140 miles from Salt Lake City. Good road.
22-3/10. Small Creek.—The road ascends a ridge through a cañon, and descends to a valley on the other side. From the camp to the summit of the ridge is 6-1/5 miles. The descent is 3-7/10 miles. It then crosses a valley 8 miles wide, and strikes a cañon which leads to the top of a hill over a rough road. Plenty of wood, water, and grass at camp, but no water between this and the last camp.
9-3/5. Small Creek.—Road after five miles strikes a cañon with a long but gentle ascent. Two miles from the entrance of this cañon is a spring branch. There is wood and some grass and water at this place.
11-1/5. Spring Branch.—The road passes through a cañon, and at 5 miles strikes the head of a spring branch, which it follows down 2-1/2 miles to the junction with a larger branch, which is bridged. At nine tenths of a mile another fork enters. Grass very fine here. Road follows down this across the main branch, and the camp is 2 miles below. Good camp.
18-1/2. Decassure Creek, or Raft River.—Road continues down the creek 2-3/10 miles, and crosses, then ascends by a steep hill to an elevated sage plain, leaving the creek at 11-4/5 miles, and passes a slough with water. Good camp.
17-9/10. Spring Branch.—The road crosses the creek near the last camp, and follows up a valley, crossing in five miles several spring branches. At 2-9/10 miles it crosses the creek again, and follows up the valley two miles farther, then crosses a high sage plain 8-9/10 miles long, when it strikes a spring 150 yards to the left of the road, where there is an excellent camp in a beautiful valley.
10. Junction of Salt Lake City Road.—Road passes several small branches in 3 miles, then commences ascending through a cañon which, in 2-1/5 miles, leads to the entrance to the "City of Rocks," and passes through these for three miles. It then crosses a ridge, leaving the City of Rocks, and at ten miles from last camp intersects the road from "Salt Lake City." At 1-2/5 miles beyond this a road leads off to the right to a spring branch, 3 miles, where there is a good camp near the foot of Goose Creek Mountain. From this point California travelers can refer to the itinerary of the route from Salt Lake City to Sacramento.

VIII.—From Soda Springs to the City of Rocks, known as Hudspeth'sCut-off.