Their Route Lay To The West, Down Along The Left Side Of
Snake River; And They Were Several Days In Reaching The First, Or
American Falls.
The banks of the river, for a considerable
distance, both above and below the falls, have a volcanic
character:
Masses of basaltic rock are piled one upon another;
the water makes its way through their broken chasms, boiling
through narrow channels, or pitching in beautiful cascades over
ridges of basaltic columns.
Beyond these falls, they came to a picturesque, but
inconsiderable stream, called the Cassie. It runs through a level
valley, about four miles wide, where the soil is good; but the
prevalent coldness and dryness of the climate is unfavorable to
vegetation. Near to this stream there is a small mountain of mica
slate, including garnets. Granite, in small blocks, is likewise
seen in this neighborhood, and white sandstone. From this river,
the travellers had a prospect of the snowy heights of the Salmon
River Mountains to the north; the nearest, at least fifty miles
distant.
In pursuing his course westward, Captain Bonneville generally
kept several miles from Snake River, crossing the heads of its
tributary streams; though he often found the open country so
encumbered by volcanic rocks, as to render travelling extremely
difficult. Whenever he approached Snake River, he found it
running through a broad chasm, with steep, perpendicular sides of
basaltic rock. After several days' travel across a level plain,
he came to a part of the river which filled him with astonishment
and admiration.
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