Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean: Vol. 1, Pt. 2

524 PROM BITTER ROOT VALLEY TO FLATHEAD LAKE AND KOOTENAY RIVER.
we crossed the western fork of Tobacco creek. which we were compelled to swim. Our road
to-day was indescribably horrid-fallen timber piled up for many feet, over which our animals had
to jump, innumerable mud-holes and quagmires, rocks, under-brush-in a word, everything to
make our road miserable in the extreme, and endangering the lives of both men and animals.
Grass we found none, compelling us to travel a distance of forty miles; and even then we found a
very scanty fare for our animals, encamping at the edge of a pine thicket. We crossed to-day a
dividing ridge, which separates the waters of two branches of the Kootenay river. We fund a
stream running to the southeast; which, towards our night's camp, bent more to the west, and
which, our guides stated, emptied into the Kootenay river. At the head of this stream we found
a very magnificent fall of sixty feet. The water flows through two high vertical walls of rock,
with an impetuous current dashing over rocks and precipices in one immense sheet of foam, the
noise of which we heard many miles distant. The scenery here is truly grand: the black, vertical walls extending for a long distance on the west, and several hundred feet high, their tops
covered with a dense growth of pine; while on the east, rocks and stones in wild confusion lay
piled up for many hundred feet, with this roaring and magnificent cataract occupying the intervening space, dashing with a headlong current until it joins the main branch, flowing gently
through a'low and narrow valley. It serves to give life to this otherwise dreary and dismal
region, and partially repays the traveller for many of the vexatious annoyances that he is compelled to suffer while journeying through this most uninviting country. We found the soil along
.'the whole route to-day sterile in the extreme; no grass on the whole route, and nothing growing
in this immense pine desert, save the small running vine called by the Flathead Indians "solesay," which they smoke, mixed with tobacco. The mountains oii each side of us were high and
covered with a dense growth of pine, while on the summits of many of the higher peaks, snow
was still to be seen.
April 29.-The whole of this day's march lay over a succession of pine-clad mountain ridges,
with small patches of prairie intervening. The trail, leading through the timber, afforded a bad
road, although not as difficult as we have had for many days past.
In nearly all of these prairies are beautiful lakes, most of them without outlets. The mountains forming belts or girdles, necessitate the case of the meltings of their snows being received in
these reservoirs at their base. Some of these basins are two or three miles long, and a mie or
more wide. At one of these lakes we found a Kootenay Indian fishing, who, on arriving at his
camp, presented us with a bag of -most excellent fish, resembling very much the ordinary
"sucker" of the Eastern States. In one of these prairies we also found encamped a Kootenay
Indian, who, on our arriving at his camp at noon, insisted upon our halting and tarryingwith him
until he should prepare dinner for us. We were much pleased with his noble generosity. We
had but little to recompense with, but I gave him in return a few loads of ammunition and my
leggins, at which he was much pleased.
animals appreciated, for they had suffered much while travellingsthrough this immense pine forest,
with poor grass and necessarily long and fatiguing marches. The greater portion of our journey
lay to the left of the Hot Spring creek, which we crossed twice by a ford over a beautifullyrolling prairie country. A few miles from our camp of last night the Hot Spring creek enters a
deep mountain and rocky canon, compelling us to keep along the edges of the mountain's summit.
Gaining the top of one of these prairie ridges, we had an excellent view of the country in every
direction. To the south of us lay a low rolling prairie, limited by the ridges of hills bounding
the Camash prairie to the east and northeast; to our right and left lay immense beds of pineclad mountains. Travelling a distance of thirly-two miles, we reached the Camash prairie,
passing on the road the camp of the Kootenay and Pend d'Oreille Indians, the latter of whom