XXVI.—From Nebraska City, on the Missouri, to Fort Kearney.
Nebraska City, on the Missouri River, is a point from whence a large amount of the supplies for the army in Utah are sent, and one of the contractors, Mr. Alexander Majors, speaks of this route in the following terms: "The military road from Fort Leavenworth crosses very many tributaries of the Kansas River, the Soldier, the Grasshopper, etc., etc., which are at all times difficult of passage. There are no bridges, or but few, and those of but little service. From Nebraska City to Fort Kearney, which is a fixed point for the junction of all roads passing up the Platte, we have but one stream of any moment to cross. That one is Salt Creek, a stream which is now paved at a shallow ford with solid rock.
"There is no other stream which, even in a high freshet, would stop a train a single day. Again, upon this route we have an abundance of good grazing every foot of the way to Fort Kearney. The route from Nebraska City is about 100 miles shorter to Fort Kearney than that from Fort Leavenworth, the former being less than 200 miles and the latter about 300 miles."
| From Nebraska City to Salt Creek is | 40 miles. |
| From Salt Creek to Elm Creek is | 60 " |
| From Elm Creek to Fort Kearney is | 100 " |
Upon the entire route there is an abundance of wood, water, and grass, and camping-places frequent.
XXVII.—From Camp Floyd, Utah, to Fort Union, New Mexico. By Colonel W. W. Loring, U.S.A.
| Miles. | Camp Floyd to |
| 23. | Goshen.—The road runs through Cedar Valley; is level and good for 11 miles, to where the road forks. The left runs near the lake, and has good camps upon it. Thence to a fine spring, where there is a good camp, is 3 miles. Grass continues good to the camp near Goshen. Wood, water, and grass abundant. |
| 14. | Salt Creek.—Road runs over a mountain in a direct course to a fine spring branch, which runs into Salt Creek at 3-1/2 miles, where is a good camp; thence through a meadow to a small branch 3 miles, striking the old Mormon road again opposite a mud fort, where there is a fine spring and good camp; thence into the valley of Salt Creek, where there are good camps. |
| 18. | Pleasant Creek.—Near the last camp the road forks, one running to Nephi, a small Mormon village, the other to Salt Creek Cañon, which is the one to be taken. The road runs up the cañon 5 miles; thence up its small right-hand fork to a spring, 3 miles; thence to camp. Good camps can be found any where after crossing Salt Creek, with abundance of wood, water, and grass. |
| 19-1/2. | Willow Creek.—Road at 6-1/2 miles passes a fine spring; half a mile farther is another spring, where the road forks. Take the right through a meadow; it is 3 or 4 miles shorter. To the crossing is 3 miles; thence to the main road again 3 miles; to the village of Ephraim 5 miles. Good camp. |
| 12. | Lediniquint Creek.—At 6 miles pass Manti; thence to Salt and Sulphur Springs is 3 miles. Good camp, with a fine spring, wood, and grass. |
| 15. | Lediniquint Creek.—Road passes over a rugged country for 4 miles, to a creek; thence one mile it crosses another creek; thence 2-1/2 miles up the creek, where there is a good camp. The road improves, and for 8 or 9 miles camps can be found by leaving the creek a short distance. The creek on which the camp is muddy, with narrow channel. |
| 18. | Onapah Creek, or Salt Creek.—Road is good over a barren country to the pointed red hills near the entrance to Wasatch Pass, 7 miles. From the red hills cross Salt Creek 3 times in 4 miles; grass fair at 2d crossing; very good at 3d crossing, and a good camp. Road rough for 3 miles after leaving the creek. The road then enters a fine valley, with plenty of blue and bunch grass. Road is level to within a mile of the camp. Wood, water, and grass abundant at camp. |
| 7-1/2. | Head of Branch of Salt Creek.—Road runs over a ridge at 2 miles, thence one mile to a small branch. Grass abundant. Road runs along the branch 3 miles; in places very rough, with some sand; ascends the entire distance, and the camp is very elevated. Good spring at camp. |
| 5-3/4. | Salt Creek.—Road passes over a ridge 2-1/2 miles to a spring. Good camp at this spring. Colonel Loring worked the road at this place. It crosses the creek 6 times within the 5-3/4 miles. Good camp, with abundance of wood, water, and grass. |
| 6-1/2. | Silver Creek.—Road traverses a rolling section, is good, passes several springs where there are good camps, and crosses several trails which lead from California to New Mexico. |
| 17-1/2 | Media Creek.—At two miles the road passes the dividing ridge between the waters of Salt Lake and Green River; thence two miles' descent to Shipley Creek, where is a good camp. For about a mile the road is rough, but then descends into an open plain where the road is good. The ground is rough about the camp, and covered with sage and greasewood. Two miles up the creek, near the cañon, is some grass, but it is not abundant here. |
| 19-3/4. | St. Raphael Creek.—Road passes a rolling section for 5 miles; thence 1-1/2 mile to Garamboyer Creek, where there is a good camp; thence, with the exception of a short distance, the road is good to the Knobs, 9 miles, when it is broken for 4-1/2 miles. Good camp. |
| 11-3/4. | San Matio Creek.—For 3 miles the road is over a rolling section, with steep hills, to a creek, where is a good camp; thence, for 3 miles along the creek, soft soil and heavy road; thence 5 miles to another creek, some grass, but not plenty; thence to camp the road is rough in places. Good camp. |
| 14-1/4. | In the Hills.—Road runs over a rolling country 2-1/2 miles to San Marcos, or Tanoje Creek, where there is good grass and water, with sage. Two miles farther over a gravelly road, then a good plain road for 9-3/4 miles to camp. Good wood, water, and grass. |
| 23. | Spring.—Road for the first ten miles is rocky, when it strikes a spring, where there is a good camp; thence 2 miles to water in a tank, not permanent; thence the road is on a ridge for 6 miles, and is good; thence 3 miles the road is sandy. The spring at camp is large, with plenty of wood, but the grass is scarce. Down the creek it is more abundant. |
| 18. | Green River.—For 5 miles the road is sandy; thence the road is good for the remainder of the distance to camp, where there is plenty of wood, water, and grass. |
| 13. | 13-Mile Spring.—Green River can be forded at ordinary stages. Road runs among several arroyas for a few miles, and is then straight and good to camp. Good grass a mile to the east of camp. |
| An Arroya.—Road runs between two rocky buttes, and strikes the Mormon trail, which leaves Green River at the same place, but is very tortuous. Water not permanent here; good grass three fourths of a mile from camp. | |
| 20-1/4. | Cottonwood Creek.—Road passes over a broken country to a water-hole, 9 miles; grass abundant; thence there is sand in places: crosses several arroyas. Camp is between two mountains. Wood, water, and grass abundant. |
| 12. | Grand River.—Road is over a rolling country; in places light sand and heavy for wagons. Good camp. |
| 13. | Grand River.—Road is rolling and sandy. The Mormon road runs nearer the mountains, and Colonel Loring thinks it is better than the one he traveled. Good camp. |
| 16-3/4. | 1-1/2 mile from Grand River.—The first 3 miles is level, then the road passes over a very elevated ridge, and descends into the valley. Grand River runs through a cañon, and can not be reached with the animals. Road in places sandy. Good camp. |
| 9-1/2. | Grand River.—At two miles strike Salt Creek, where the Mormon road passes up a dry creek toward Gray Mountain. Road skirts the mountains along Grand River, and is rough in places, passing over abrupt hills. Good camp. |
| 16-3/4. | Grand River.—Road runs over a level and firm section, with good camps at any point along the river. Cross the Mormon and other trails. Good ford at the crossing except in high water. Good camp. |
| 18-1/2. | On an Arroya.—Road runs over an undulating surface, crossing several small streams issuing from Elk Mountain, affording good camps at almost any place, and strikes Marcy's and Gunnison's trails. Good camp. |
| 15-1/4. | Grand River.—Rolling country; high ridges with abrupt slopes for 6-1/4 miles; thence into a plain for 7-1/4 miles to Double Creek. Good camps. |
| 12. | Oncompagre River.—Good ford except in high water. At 6 miles cross a dry creek; thence 3 miles over a high, level, and firm road; strike a large trail; descend a hill with gentle slope into the Valley of Oncompagre, where there are fine camps. Winter resort for Uté Indians. |
| 14-1/2. | Oncompagre River.—Road runs along the valley of the Oncompagre, is good, and camps may be found at any point, with plenty of wood, water, and grass. |
| 13. | Cedar Creek.—Road leaves the Oncompagre, and bears to the east up Cedar Creek to the gap in the mountains, 6 miles; thence up the valley of Cedar Creek to camp, where are wood, water, and grass. The Gap is the first opening in the mountains above the mouth of the Oncompagre. |
| 8-3/4. | Devil's Creek.—Road runs to the head of Cedar Creek, over the divide, into the valley of Devil's Creek, and is rough, with a steep descent. Camp is near a narrow cañon called Devil's Gate, with high perpendicular bluffs. Good camp. |
| 3. | North Fork of Devil's Creek.—Road very rocky, and worked by Colonel Loring. Marcy's and Gunnison's trails pass here. Good camp. |
| 7-3/4. | Cebola Creek.—Road passes over abrupt hills covered with pine. Good camp. |
| 5-1/2. | Ruidos Creek.—Road rough, with abrupt ascents and descents. Fine creek 5 feet wide, and good camp. |
| 13. | Grand River.—Road rather smooth for the first 3 miles, then rough and rocky, crossing several creeks, and descending into the valley of the Grand or Eagle-tail River, where is a good camp. Plenty of brook trout in all the streams in this section. |
| 14-1/2. | Grand River.—Road crosses the river three times; bottom wide; grass and wood abundant. Cross several beautiful streams, upon which are good camps. Some sand and rough places, but generally good road. Game and brook trout abundant in this region. Indians resort to this section a great deal. |
| 18. | Cutebetope Creek.—At about 5 miles the Cutebetope Creek enters, forming at the confluence a beautiful valley, which the road crosses, and strikes the creek near the Point of Rocks, where the valley is only 40 yards wide, but after passing the Point it opens again. The course of the creek is nearly north. Good camps. |
| 20. | Spring near Beaver Creek.—Road crosses several small creeks, where are good camping-places. Good camp. |
| 16-3/4. | Sawatch Creek.—Road runs over a very rough and mountainous section for 14 miles to the summit of the Rocky Mountains; thence it descends to camp, where grass, wood, and water are abundant. |
| 21-1/2. | Sawatch Creek.—Road rough and rocky in places; strikes the main Sawatch Creek at 9-1/2 miles; crosses numerous small branches, where are grass, wood, and good water in abundance. |
| 25-1/2. | Camero Creek.—Road for 7 miles, to Sawatch Buttes, is good; thence 1-1/2 mile to the last crossing of the Sawatch, where is a good camping-place. Good camp at Camero Creek. |
| 3-1/2. | Garita Creek.—Good road and good camp. |
| 16-1/2. | Rio Grande.—Road level and good. Good camps along the river at almost any point. |
| 6. | Rio Grande.—Good road and camp. |
| 17-1/2. | Fort Garland, Hay Camp.—Road continues down the river, and is good. For six miles there is timber, but after this willow is the only wood to camp. Good road. Hay is cut at this place for Forts Massachusetts and Garland. |
| 16. | Culebra Creek.—At 4-3/4 miles cross Trinchera Creek, where is a good camp. Road rather sandy. Good camps any where on Culebra Creek. |
| 24-3/4. | Latos Creek.—Road tolerable to Costilla Creek, 10-3/4 miles. Good camp. |
| 14. | Ascequia, near Lama Creek.—Road crosses several small branches. At 9-1/2 miles strike Red River. Grass at camp good, but not abundant. |
| 19-3/4. | Meadow near Indian Puebla.—At 6 miles the road crosses the San Christobal; thence over another ridge into the valley of the Rio Hondo. Camp 2 miles from Taos. |
| 2. | Taos, New Mexico.—Good road. At Taos are several stores, where goods of all descriptions can be had at fair prices. |
| 13. | Taos Creek Cañon.—Road passes through the settlement, where grain and vegetables can be obtained. It then enters the Taos Cañon at 3 miles, and crosses the Cañon Creek frequently to camp. Good camp. |
| 29. | Gaudelapepita.—At 5 miles the road ascends to the dividing ridge, and is tolerable; thence in 4 miles cross the mountain, and reach a fine spring branch, where is a fine camp. Thence the road passes short ridges for 9 miles to Black Lake. Good camp. |
| Fort Union.—Road follows Coyote Cañon 3 miles; thence one mile to Mexican settlement; thence 19-1/2 miles over the prairie to the fort. |
Colonel Loring came over the route from Camp Floyd to Fort Union with a large train of wagons. He, however, found the road in many places upon the mountains very rough, and it will require working before it will be suitable for general travel with loaded wagons. It is an excellent route for summer travel with pack trains, and is well supplied with the requisites for encamping.