ROBERT E. JO

. The commander of the expedition was Charles Wilkes, who entered the United States Navy as a midshipman on January 1, 1818. On July 25, 1866, he

owledge of geography and kindred sciences. They reached Puget Sound in 1841 and, while making headquarters at Nisqually House of the Hudson's Bay Company, Commander Wilkes sent Lieutenant Robert E. Johnson in command of a party to cross the

an to cross the Cascades, but he was the first to leave us a known record. The porti

unt Rainier was obtained by measuring a base line on the prairies, in which operation I was assisted by Lieutenant Case,

ose completed only one hundred sets were printed. The rare monographs were full of information. The first part or "Narrative" in five volumes was issued i

to remark, are enough to tire the patience of Job himself. First, the Indian himself is to be sought out; then the horse is to be tried; next the price is to be discussed, then the mode of payment, and finally the potlatch: each and all are matters of grave consideration and delay, during which the Indians make a business of watching every circumstance of which they can take advantage. No one can be sure of closing his bargain, until the terms are duly arranged, the potlatch given, and the horse delivered. After obtaining horses, Lieutenant Johnson had the saddles, alforcas, saddle-cloths, saddle-trees or pack-saddles, etc., with a variety of la

to avoid having too many. It turned out as I had anticipated. The first night passed in their te

hereupon Lieutenant Johnson returned to make an agreement with him and his companion. This was done, although, as i

Peter Bercier, (a connexion of Plomondon) [3] who

e party would succeed. This day, they made but five miles; after which they encamped, at the recommendation of Pierre Charles, in order that the horses might not be over-fatigued, and be able to get good pasture and water. Here a number of natives visited the camp. Pine trees were in

ine meadow of some extent, with clumps of alder and willow: the soil was of a black turfy nature. After leaving the meadow-land, the

val of those employed in the salmon-fishery. The rivers were beginning to swell to an unusual size, owing to the melting of the snows in the mountains; and in order to cross the streams, it became necessary to cut down large trees, over which the packs were carried, while the horses swam over. These were not the only difficulties they had to encounter: the path was to be cut for miles through thickets of brushwood and fallen timber; steep precipices were to be ascended, with slippery sides and entangled with roots of every variety of shape an

ider stream than the Puyallup. A short distance up, they came to a fish-weir, const

eet in circumference at the height of four feet from the ground, and upwards of one hundred fee

brought in a deer, which was soon skinned and packed away on the horses. This wa

the horses to ford and carry their loads. The Indians now became serviceable to them. Lieutenant Johnson had engaged several that were met on their way, and they now amounted to thirteen, w

ecame a common occurrence. They were all, however, recovered without injury, although one of them fell upwards of one hundred feet; yet in consequence of his fall having been repeatedly broken by

ng. The stems of all these trees were clear of branches to the height of one hundred and fifty feet from the ground, and perfectly straight. In many cases it was impossible to see over the fallen trees, even when on horseback, and on these, seedlings were growing luxuriantly, forcing their roots through the bark and over the body of the trunk till they reached the ground. Many spruces were seen which had grown in this way; and

at the Indians took quite coolly, hoping it would be the cause of their return. After a diligent search, t

, which are all thickly clothed with pine trees of gigantic dimensions. They made nine miles this day, without accident; but when they encamped, they had no food for the horses except fern. The animals, in consequence, seemed much ov

ruce, pine, and elder, and some undergrowth of raspberry, t

ascended La Tête, obtained the bearings, from its summit, of all the objects around, and made its height by barometer, two thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight feet: its latitude was fixed at 47° 08′ 54″ N. T

on the mountains was destroyed many years since, yet it was still observed to be on fire, in some places, about two years ago. Most of the tops of

to form a bridge to transport the baggage, by cutting down trees. The current was found to run 6·2 miles per hour. They had been i

e horses also were exhausted for the same cause, and exhibi

horses, and at the same time to carry forward some of the loads, that the horses might have as little as possible to transport. Mr. Waldron and Pierre Charles were therefore sent forward with the Indians, having loads of fifty pounds each, to ascend the mountain, while Lieutenant Jo

from Mr. Waldron, who had reached the summit at noon, and was to proceed down to the snow-line to encamp. The snow was found to be about ten feet deep, and the party crossing sank about ankle-deep, for which reason opinions varied as

t practicable encampment, being a mile beyond the place where Mr. Waldron had encamped two days before. The snow having melted so rapidly, Lieutenant Johnson, taking all things into consideration, determined, notwithstanding the forebodings of failure held out by the part

ast night's frost. They ascended rapidly, and passed over the worst of the way, the horses sinking no deeper than thei

od at 24·950 in.: five thousand and ninety-two feet. There was another, to the north-northeast, covered with snow, and one to the west appeared about two hundred feet higher than the place where the observation

ey were straight and towering, about eighty feet in height, without any limbs or foliage, except at the top. The distance travelled over the top was

as precipitated into the water. Although his first thought was to save the chronometer from accident, it was too late, for the watch had stopped; it was not, however, so far injured as not to be set a-going, and it continued to go during the remainder of the journey:

ther with the Indians, were very much exhausted. The time had now come when the Indians, according to agreeme

in lieu of the immediate delivery of the blankets. This they readily assented to, and also willingly gave up those that had already been paid them, on receiving a similar order,-thus sho

et high, dogwood thirty to forty feet high, several species of willow, alder, two species of maple, and occasionally a yew. The undergrowth was composed of Hazel, Vaccin

and very rapid. Two trees were cut down to form a bridge. After this, the walking through the forest became smooth and firm, and they passed on at a

acres in extent. This glade was surrounded with a dense forest of spruce trees. There was no danger in walking except near the young trees, which had been bent down by the snow, but on passing these they often broke through, and experienced much difficulty in extricating themselves, particularly the poor Indians, with their heavy burdens. The breadth of snow passed over was about eight miles. At three o'clock they reached the Spipen [14] River, where they encamped: this camp was found to be t

rriving at the camp, sent Lachemere, one of the Indians, down the river to an Indian chief, in order to procure horses. Those that r

f which augmented its size very considerably. Its banks, too, became perpendicular and rocky, with a current flowing between them at th

ting species of plants were met with by the botanists, on the banks of the streams: among them were P?onia brownii, Cypriped

me places almost impassable for a horse from its steepness, and in

hnson; but this ceremony was unavoidably broken in upon by the necessity of getting the meridian observations. The chief, however, advanced towards him with every mark of friendship, giving the party a hearty welcome. In person he was tall, straight, and thin, a little bald, with long black hair hanging down his back, care

have all disappeared. The cammass-root is pounded and made into a sort of cake, which is not unpl

ed to see the white men, and spoke of his own importance, his immense territory, etc., in a style of boasting, to which the Indians are very much addicted. He said that he was desirous of affording all the accommodation he could to the

camp in the same place with a white man, and with a promise that he would have horses by ten o'cl

ould be permitted to go. Lieutenant Johnson was then told that the road he had to follow was a "hungry" road. At last the Indian was induced by high offers to exchange good horses for a great number of bad ones, and final

tered, after passing a ridge about six hundred feet high, was quite of a different aspect, forming long sloping hills, covered with a scanty growth of pines. Many dry beds of rivulets were passed, and the

, a sketch of Mount Rainier, and of

ey are taken out they are dried, and then pounded between two stones till the mass becomes as fine as corn meal, when it is kneaded into cakes and dried in the sun. These roots are the principal vegetable food of the Indians throughout Middle Oregon. The women are frequently seen, to the number of twenty or thirty, with baskets

deep for the horses to ford with their packs, and they now for the first time used their balsas of

se, with a velocity of more than four miles an hour. At this place were found twe

hich was thought to be owing to his wish to appear dignified. These Indians were living in temporary huts, consisting of mats spread on poles. Among them was seen quite a pretty girl,

in purchasing venison and salmon, a

he riding and tye system was not quite so often resorted to as before. On this plain was seen a number of curlews, some grouse, and a large species of hare. They encamped again near the snow, and found their altitud

here and there covered with patches of snow. I regret to record another accident to the instruments. The sergeant, to whom the barometer was intrusted by Lieutenan

ranted a contrary expectation. Dr. Pickering was induced to believe that this change in the climate is owing to the open nature of the surrounding country; its bei

ly in the afternoon, about three miles below the Pischous River. [15] The Columbia at this place is a rapid stream, but the scenery differs entirely from that of other rivers: its banks are altogether devoid of any fertile alluvial flats; destitute even of

hen the party returning draws near the environs of Mount Rainier. The p

he Yakima, up whose valley they passed, encamping after making twenty-fi

ts snow-capped top, was seen a

r so slow is it usually carried, that our party were the first to bring the news of the arrival and operations of the squadron in Oregon. This intelligence had not previously reached Wallawalla, although it is considered

tain a sheep; yet under it were four generations of human beings, all females, seated in a posture, which, to whites, would have been impracticable. They had just procured their subsistence for the day, and their meal consisted of the berries of the dogwood. The scene was no

up, and from appearances was likely to continue so throughout the season. The preva

loose sand, one hundred feet above the water of the

ear of snakes, the party obtained little or no rest, and w

rom the southwest; the waters of the latter were very turbid, of a dark-brown colour, and it was conjectured that it had its source at or near Moun

begun to acquire a tinge of green, and some scattered pine trees had become visible. Some small oaks were p

he path where they had turned off to the north. The river had fallen very much during their absence, and there was a marked difference in the season, the vegetation being much more backward than in the parts they had recently visited. The berries were just beginning to ripen, while in the plains, not twenty miles distant,

at the foot of the mountain, they began its ascent, and reached the crest of the ridge in about three hours. On every side they found a low growth of shrubs, which they had not suspected when it was covered with snow, a

of snow than on the east side. This was just the reverse of what they had found on their previous passage; the season, too, was evidently

y met a party of men and women carrying a sick chief over the mountain, who was evidently dying. It was affecting to see him s

e road much less difficult to travel than before, and the stream

ccident, except those that have been related as having occurred to the instruments. They traversed a route which white men had never before taken, thus enabling

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