The last of the traditional rendezvous was held in 1840 on the Green River. This year’s expedition was led by Andrew Drips, and it was made notable by two parties who accompanied it. One was the Joel Walker family, the first avowed Oregon emigrants; the others were Jesuit priests headed by Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, who would become one of the West’s most prodigious travelers and reporters. Like many others, De Smet, impressed by the scenery of the North Platte, wrote: ... In the neighborhood of this wonder [Chimney Rock], all the hills present a singular aspect; some have the appearance of towers, castles and fortified cities. From a little distance, one can hardly persuade himself that art is not mingled in them with the fantasies of nature. Bands of the _ashata_, an animal called also _grosse-corne_, or bighorn, have their abode in the midst of these bad lands.... [Scotts Bluff], with its castles and fantastic cities, forms the termination of a high ridge, which runs from south to north. We found a narrow passage through between two perpendicular cliffs 300 feet in height [Mitchell Pass]. _Migration to Oregon_ The era of the transcontinental covered wagon migrations began in 1841, for in that year came the initial band of 80 Oregon homeseekers, guided by Thomas Fitzpatrick and accompanied by Father De Smet on his second western journey. John Bidwell was the historian of this expedition. Another traveler was Joseph Williams, an elderly but energetic Methodist preacher, who described the building of Fort John (the second Fort Laramie). Although the beaver trade had declined, a brisk trade with the Indians for buffalo robes continued, and the American Fur Company would occupy Laramie’s Fork for eight more years. Dr. Elijah White, the new agent for the Oregon Indians, lead a party of 112 westward in 1842. Among them was Medorem Crawford, who described Scotts Bluff as “the most romantic scenery I ever saw.” Lansford W. Hastings, who was to write one of the first emigrant guidebooks, was also of this party. Lt. John C. Fremont’s first expedition to the Rocky Mountains traveled up the Platte in 1842; his official report would likewise become a standard reference. He described Scotts Bluff as “an escarpment on the river of about 900 yards in length” which “forces the road to make a considerable circuit over the uplands.” He found the plain between the bluffs and Chimney Rock almost entirely covered with driftwood, testifying to a recent flood. [Illustration: _Rut of the Oregon Trail at Scotts Bluff._]