Journal of a Mountain Man

by Win Blevins

  3 Roled out over the parched hills and soon lost singht of the white washed mud walls of Fort Larrimie & her twin Sister fort Piearre [Platte] made 12 miles over the dry parched hills which make a verry Singular appearance dotted all over with Shrubby Junts of dark looking Pine and cedars rootted in the white dry weather worn Lime rock which in many places shews like chalk banks & appears to be formed of Strong white marly clay dried by the sun and formed into rough Solid masses of rock without much form or regular Stratification and affording but feew Springs and no brooks as the water rises and Sinks occasionly along their gravelly beds encamped by one of those Springs which is a fine Strong rapid Spring but disappears in less than ½ mile amongst hight white rocky clifs which Surround us in all directions

  4 Sunday it thundred and Lightned consideraby about dusk & rained a few drops but the sun rose in beautifull majesty over her parched cliffs this morning as it rains but little in this region Made 8 miles over the same Kind of dry hard thirsty country as yestarday and encamped on the dry sand barr of Sandy creek a little rill of warm muddy mean tasted water was all that dignified this broad channel of more than 100 yards broad crossed over the Bluffs & hills with our guns after camping to the river which here runs through a deep cut channel of Solid Lime stone more than 1000 feet deep 7 or 800 of which is perpendicular and not more at the top than 3000 feet wide coming up from the south with allmost level Prarie I neglected to mention that the Junction of Platte & Larrimie is immediately below the back hills Both isuing from deep cut rocks a Short distance above through which they pass for more than 40 miles with a few intervining small vallies or open spaces

  5 Shortly after dark their came on a thunder Shower with such a Squall of wind that allmost all our Tents ware fluttering on the ground in a moment the large cold drops of rain pelting us furiously all over & not even sparing the delicate Ladies & small children which ran helter skeltter in all directions seeking for shelter from the storm which was of Short duration Passed up our Shallow stream west & soon came to a beautifull running brook with a fine intervale well clothed with timber & much the handsomest place we have yet seen well clothed with green vegetation & is one of the green spots so sldom seen in this arid scorched region but this beautiful vally did not last long for after passing about 6 miles up we left it & turned up north along a dry sandy bed of what is sometimes a brook and assended up it to its extreme eastern head whare we assended a beautifull smoothe roling ridge covered with scattereing pines from which we had the finest view which can be had in this romantick country the immediate country dry & beautifully smooth & roling into Knobbs to the south a distant & extensive view of appearantly smooth level prarie turning your head to S. W. & W. an extensive view of the roughest & most raged mountain in all this rough region mellowed down by the distance into smoothe sharp pinecles with others rising in the back ground to a great hight turning to the north a large uneven vally makes its appearance filled with finely rounded ridges & butes intermingled with vallies to the utmost reach of vision turning to the East is perhaps the most singular of all you have an extensive view of the greate Kenyon Through which the river passes and in the distance is a crowded view of rounded butes & would resemble the larges assemblage of Arabian lodges that ever encamped togather and of nearly all the shades of colour from red to white & occasionally black being covered with the tufted pine and cedar all handsomely exhibited in light & shade by a clear afternoon Sun made 20 miles the last 4 or 5 rather rough & heavy on account of the deep sand at our camp on horse shoe creek we over took all the differant companies of emigrants except Hitchcocks and encamped in a Jumbled mass of Stock tents people &c &c

  “largely supplied with Buffaloe beef”

  6 Turned out early from our camp on Wagon Hound creek and had Some Steep pitches to raise before we got clear of the creek then some fine rolling country was passed with several brooks of clear water several miles of desent brot us into the vally of wagon hound creek whare we encamped for the night haveing made 15 miles in this vally we saw Quantities of Buffaloe but few of them were taken owing to the lateness of the day when we arived & the number of hunters out which drove them from one another which is envariably the case when a great number of anxious men turn out (out) to hunt after any discription of game the mountains discribed yesterday are of a light grey granit & are the frst seen on our assent from the vally Below Scotts bluff as before mentioned

  7 Clear as usual in this region of (of) allmost cloudless Skies moved out of our dry grassless camp crossed clear fine little Brook at the distance of 5 miles on both sides of which the utmost confusion exists vitrified earth clay & rock of several kinds in banks hills Knobs mounds piles & mountains ly & stand in all angles from horizontal to perpendicular but mostly in an angle from 20 to 45 all seem to have been hove up from the N. E. for that is the Slanting direction & the S. W. being nearly perpendicular—and the ranges running from N. W. to S.E. formed of grey granit red Sandstone blue lime stone clay red as brick and some black looking Substance resembling decomposed Slate or Something blackned by fire made 14 miles & encamped near a fine spring our camp once again largely supplied with Buffaloe beef

  8 The same as yestarday a clear Bright sun & cloudless atmosphere on the road again passed a number of Beautifull little clear Brooks cool & remarkable sweet comeing out of the grey granite mountain lying only a few miles to the South of our rout & in many places the strata rises nearly perpendicular & allway at (at) least 40 degrees with the Horizon Made 17 miles and encamped on a fine little stream almost in sight of N Fork of the Platte in the vally of which Stream we have been traveling ever since leaving Larremie but seldom in sight our encampment is the best for stock we have yet seen since passing the Forks and a number of Scaffolds are arected well covered and smoking with fine Buffalo Beef to dry for the road as well as the Board which is finely stored for supper with the choisest Kind

  9 the same Beautifull clear Sky concluded to remain in our prsent position on Boxwood creek which is thickly set with that kind of Timber well Stored with current and choke cherries & a number of Large grissly Bears to feed on them as is plenly seen by their numerious pathes through the brush the Bear feeds on all kinds of fruit but the red willow berry which is extremely Bitter seems to be their favourite food all hands busied in preparing and drying the finest kind of Buffaloe Beef as we are fearfull that they will not be many on the road ahead walked up to the mountain about 4 miles distant found the top ledges 4 or 500 feet high composed of a whitesh grey granite then a strata of rough red sandson 5 or 200 feet thick based on blue & red Lime stone intermixed with red vitrified clay the water of the brook running over loose rock of all the above descriptions

  10 Moved off forom our encampment on Boxwood & crossed over about 5 miles to the river crossed Several small Brooks and dined on deer creek made 15 miles and encamped on the river Same hard granite gravely rounded hills the mountains keeping close on our left and (and) running paralell to our rout along the river the weather fine as usual the uplands dry and parched

  The mountains lying to our left are not verry high perhaps not more than 3 or 4000 feet above the vally of the river but they are extremely ruged and Steep the(y) rocks standing in many places nearly in perpendicular strata the range is narrow an uneven vally lying beyond then another paralel range Beyond which is an elevated table land distitute of Timber & Tolerable Smooth Turfed

  11 Sunday a Beautifull morning Roled on up the river crossed several fine Brook considerable timber or Junts rather of cottonwood the Bottoms covered with dry fallen Timber which in this region never decays but wares away in Slow degrees by the weather the Buffaloe verry fat and excelent eating and still found in great abundance made 18 miles and encamped on the river grass scarce and nearly dry even on the most moist Situations & we begin to find our delay on Kaw river was a great detriment to our traveling here bringing us through this dry region in warmest and dryest part of the Season our Stock begins to look bad and loose their activity and yet we have not arived at the w
orst part of our long tiresome Journey our own subsistance dose not look so precarious as the forrage for our stock our horses in particular

  12 Moved up the river 4 miles to the place whare we leave the river and cross over the red Bute mountain and encamped a few miles below the lower Kenyon the cliffs on this Kenyon are for more than half way up of a fine deep brick red appearantly of burned Slate and a marly clay lime—

  “a fine oil spring”

  13 Made an early start and raised the rounded dry hills of the Red Bute mountain which falls off to moderate hills without timber to the north of our rout but rises again on the head of the South Branches of the Big Horn and Toungue and Powder rivers this range I could not understand was Heretofore named or laid down on any map of this country the tops of thise hills are fine sand and clay lower down a rough sand stone Based on a whitish coloured Slate which with a little change from Black to red makes the lowermost Strata or bed to be seen and in many places stands edgeways or in perpendicular form made 12 miles of crooked woorming Travel and encamped in a small valy a dry Brook a Brackish [spring] rising near (near) it(s) Buffaloe chips wild Sage and Prairie thorn forming our Stock of wood 4 miles to the South resis The Red Bute which give name to the awfull Kenyon both above & below the Bute on Standing on the cliffs near the edge of the Poicipice you see the river both above & below on two bends of the river which is much narrower at top than at the water the continual waring Below haveing fully doubled its once width through the solid granite & its perpendicular depth being over 1000 feet the stream looking not larger than your finger seemed to be at an angle of 40 at least and clear under your feet.

  14 Left our encampment early and again took to the rising hills which we nearly toped in about 2 ½ hours from which we had a distinct view of Wind river mountain standing in bold raged cliffs directly ahead and about a N.W. course a few rods to the left of the road breakes up a fine oil spring from in under a rounded Knoll of whiteish Slate & appears to be much frequented by the Buffaloe & other animals numerious ledges of different kinds of rock all standing edgewise and nearly perpendicular one in particular of white Sand Stone which extended to the utmost reach of vision in a narrow Straight line nearly north over ridge and hollow now rising then sinking from 3 to 20 feet in hight no discription of mine will give any adaquate idea of the Barren dry Sterility of the dry land of this region Made 20 miles & encamped without grass but had fine water and plenty of good dry wood our rout to day was verry crooked & 6 or 8 miles might be Saved by taking a more Southern route

  Notes on Chapter Seven:

  Note how often in the preceding pages Clyman mentions the “ladies.” Perhaps he was, even now, searching for someone with whom to settle down; in fact, that may have been part of his object in agreeing to accompany this train, or in leaving Wisconsin in the first place; perhaps “traveling for his health” really meant “hunting for a wife.”

  Chapter 8

  Notebook Three—Red Buttes to the Blue Mountains

  [August 15 to September 30, 1844]

  August the 15th 1844

  Left our contracted encampment at willow Spring near the top of the Red Bute mountain & in ½ an hour reachd the top of the ridge had a fair view of the east end of the wind river mountain the numerous rough granite peaks on Sweet water & those around Indipindance rock But it soon became So smokey that our fine viws ware intirely obscured the ridges vallys hallows & all (all) the whole region near our rout these last two days have been the (the) most Sterile Barren land imaginable haveing but little vegetation except the wild sage and that not more than Six or (or) eight inches high curled down & level & stiff makeing a good seat Soil granite gravel & sand intermingled with rounded granite Boulders some of considerable size Made 16 miles and encamped on Sweet water ½ a mile below the rock indipendence

  16 Moved on up the creek saw the notable rock Independance with the names of its numerious visitors most of which are nearly obliterated by the weather & ravages of time amongst which I observed the names of two of my old friends the notable mountaneers Thos. Fitzpatrick & W. L. Sublette as likewise one of our noblest politicians Henry Clay coupled in division with that of Martin Van Buren a few miles furthe[r] up the creek pases through the South point of a most ruged & solid looking granite rock by a verry narrow pass after passing which we entered a valy Surounded by low ruged mountains except to the West whare a defiel Shews itself the lower vally of this creek is well clothed with short grass the upper with sand & sage the mountains with short scattering pines but in many places nothing but the bear rock in large steep Surfaces made 8 miles & encamped for the night on a good plat of grass

  17 Smokey But the sun rose over the Eastern mountains in its usual majesty Some recent Signs of a war party of Indians ware discovred yestarddy which caused some uneasiness but verry little more caution roled up the Stream on the South side arang[e] of the most ruged bare granite rocks lay along the North side close to the water & a range of Blue mountains to the S. at the distance of 6 or 8 miles the sides bear the tops pretty well clothed with pine Timber saw some fine herds of Ibex or wild sheep some of which ware taken and (&) found to be verry fine eating saw great flocks of young wild ducks many of which ware unable to fly not having their wing feathers stiff enough

  This region seems to be the refuses of the world thrown up in the utmost confusion rocks without strata forming mountains others standing in perpendicular strata made 13 miles & encamped

  Sunday

  18 Left our encampment near the granite rocks and moved up the creek & passed several points of the same range of cliffs untill we entered a close Kenyon the cliffs nearly approching the water from either side giving bearly room for the teams to pass which opened out into a fine wally at the distance of a fewe miles above up which we passed and encamped 14 miles from our last camp the grass had been pasturd verry close by the Buffalou all through the rout up this creek and we found them in greate abundance near our encampment a slight Shower of rain fell after which the wind blew quite cool for august which in fact has been the case for several nights allthough the days for several hours near noon was verry warm

  19 Left the creek immediately after starting and laid our couse south of west and allmost directly from the creek which course we traveled most of the day over a barren tract of country nothing escaping the appetite of the Buffaloe except the wild sage which is left for the antelope & mountain grouse the only animals known to feed on such bitter herbage the Brarren Sterelity of this region must be desolate in the extreme in the winter as it has nothing inviting now Made 18 miles and struck the creek again and encamped without scarcely aparticle of grass the earth dry and completely parched to dust which moves in perfect clouds around us during the day when on march it is a little remarkable that all the native animals get so verry fat in dry parched region so bare of vegetation

  “…we…first traversed

  the now well known South pass”

  20 crossed over a narrow ridge and struck the creek again above the rocks through which it passes made 7 miles and encamped clos below another Kenyon through which the creek passes and near to whare we encamped in January 1824 at which time we under J. Smith and T Fitzpatrick first traversed the now well known South pass and campd on green river on the 19th of march 11 days of which time we never saw a drop of water except what we thawed from Snow The mountains look quite familiar allthough I have not seen them for 17 year and it appears as if the 17 summers last past had not in the least diminished the snow that then crownd their lofty heads which still ware the white appearance of old age

  21 It Had the appearance of rain last nght and a few drops fell But the sun arose this morning with its usual brightness moved up the dry parched hills crossed a number of ranges of perpendicular rocks black and (&) appearantly vitrified passed numerous small brooks & springs verry fine and cool & appearantly clear of lime or any substance whatver being nearly as pure distiled passed several fine small groves of Aspin the first seen of any consequence Made 14 miles and camp
d on the creek again that we had left this morning now reduced to a small Brook & damned up by the beaver Likiwise confined between steep rocky Bluffs the strata of which rises in perpendicular form Mr. Barnette who has been confined 5 or 6 days with a fever has the appearance of being quite dangerous and has been delerious during the whole of the night

  22 Left our thick willow camp and after raising the bluffs Had a fine undulating road across the ridges to another Branch of Sweet water the wild sage the only vegitable seen on the ridges Hardly exceeded two inches in hight so completely are these hills formed of dry gravel and deprived of Moisture added to the intense coldness of this high region in sight of the eternal snow that Scarce a week passes without frost and we had a fine one this morning which caused us to hover close to our willow brush fires and [those] out after cattle & Horses complained of cold toes made 7 miles & camped in a pretty faced vally covered with copses of willow and thin short grass many wearing our coats all day without feeling uncomfortably warm

  23 Remained in camp to day on the account of Mr. Barnett who we did not expect to live being verry low with a Typhus Fever several teams however went on & Mr Gilhams company passed our encampment all Buiseed in mending washing and preparing for Tomorow poor Mr Barnetts prospects bad our circumstances not permitting delay & he not being able to travel

  To our right and but a short distance Isued a considerable branch of Popo Azia [Agie] the most Southern water of Wind River which Brakes out between a rough pine clad range of mountains and the eternal snow capt. range which rises here from an uneven high plain which forms the dividing ridge Between the waters running into the yallowstone and the platte all portes of which Shew the remains of great convulsions at some remote time