Oregon and Eldorado; or, Romance of the RiversBulfinch, Thomas
History
Oregon and Eldorado; or, Romance of the Rivers
Bulfinch, Thomas
Amazon River; Columbia River; El Dorado; Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806); Oregon -- Discovery and exploration
Although but just emerging from a high, snowy mountain, the Yellowstone
is here a bold, rapid, and deep stream, one hundred and twenty yards in
width. They continued their course along the river till the 23d, when
the party embarked on board of two canoes, each of which was
twenty-eight feet long, sixteen or eighteen inches deep, and from
sixteen to twenty-four inches wide. Sergt. Prior, with two men, was
directed to take the horses to the Mandans for safe keeping until the
re-union of the expedition.
July 24.--At eight o'clock, Capt. Clarke and the remainder of his party
embarked, and proceeded very steadily down the river. They passed the
mouths of several large rivers emptying into the Yellowstone; one of
which was called the Big-horn, from the numbers of that remarkable
species of sheep seen in its neighborhood. Next day, Capt. Clarke landed
to examine a curious rock, situated in an extensive bottom on the right,
about two hundred and fifty paces from the shore. It is nearly two
hundred paces in circumference, two hundred feet high, and accessible
only from the north-east; the other sides consisting of perpendicular
cliffs, of a light-colored, gritty stone. The soil on the summit is five
or six feet deep, of a good quality, and covered with short grass. From
this height, the eye ranges over a wide extent of variegated country. On
the south-west are the Rocky Mountains, covered with snow; on the north,
a lower range, called the Little Wolf Mountains. The low grounds of the
river extend nearly six miles to the southward, when they rise into
plains, reaching to the mountains. The north side of the river is
bounded by jutting, romantic cliffs, beyond which the plains are open
and extensive, and the whole country enlivened by herds of buffaloes,
elks, and wolves. After enjoying the prospect from this rock, to which
Capt. Clarke gave the name of Pompey's Pillar, he descended, and
continued his route. At the distance of six or seven miles, he stopped
to secure two bighorns, which had been shot from the boat, and, while on
shore, saw in the face of the cliff, about twenty feet above the water,
a fragment of the rib of a fish, three feet long, and nearly three
inches round, embedded in the rock itself.
BEAVERS, BUFFALOES, MOSQUITOES.
The beavers were in great numbers along the banks of the river, and
through the night were flapping their tails in the water round the
boats.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account