From the range of mountains which being a little westward
of Fort Laramie, to the farther side of the Wasatch Mountains, the
elevation of the soil is uninterruptedly maintained from 5,000 to
upwards of 7,000 feet above the sea level; nay, this elevated portion
occupies the whole space between the true Rocky Mountains and the
Californian snowy coast range from 34 degrees to 45 degrees north
latitude. This district, which is a kind of broad longitudinal valley,
like that of Lake Titicaca, has been named the _Great Basin_ by Joseph
Walker and Captain Fremont, travelers well acquainted with those
western regions. It is a _terra incognita_ of at least 128,000 English
square miles, almost uninhabited, and full of salt lakes, the largest
of which is 3,940 Parisian (or 4,200 English) feet above the level of
the sea, and is connected with the narrow Lake Utah,** into which the
'Rock River' (_Timpan Ogo_ in the Utah language) pours its copious
stream."
Fremont's third expedition was commenced August 16, 1845, under
instructions to explore the interior of the region known as the Great
Basin, and the maritime ports of Oregon and California. The first
important incident of that expedition was the message of General
Castro, ordering Fremont to leave the Territory. This was in the
month of March, 1846. At the moment, Fremont refused to obey the
order, and proceeded to fortify his camp, where he raised the United
State flag, and remained for about three days.
Pages:
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411