Page 37 - Wood Plenty, Grass Good, Water None

pear,atleastnotwhilethepartywasintheVerdeRiver watershed.SometimeafterthecompletionofWhipple's exploration, but before the Itinerary was published, Whipple began to use Verde. Prior to this time, this river was called the San Francisco, and Leroux, on his return trip across this country in May, 1854, continues tocallittheSanFrancisco.Anotherriver,headingout nearLuna,New Mexico,andfeedingintotheGilaRiver nowhasthenameofSanFranciscoRiver.
Everyonetogether—upPuebloCreekandoverAztec Pass—OnJanuary22,Tidballwrote:
Other Expeditions— Francis Aubry, Joseph Ives, Edward Beale, John Marion,
and Edgar Mearns
It is difficult to plot Aubry's routes across the area. Hetraveledfastandleftsketchynotes.However,one ofhisentries,made during 1854,isofinterest.Some where west of the upper Big Sandy River, he notes crossing Whipple's wagon trail and says:
1932, p. 30)."
"Encamping in a valley among the cedar trees which cover the country here...."
Healsonotesatthispointlookingoverthecountryto the west:
"I am strongly tempted, however to alter my course to northwest, for to the northward appears a boundless plain."
And later:
"This evening our road, or rather direction to the westward, led us over successive ravines, all leading to the great plain lying to the north ward. Intervening, the ground was covered with a thick growth of pine and cedar trees, and apparently this country extended for a considerable distance. ..."
Atthispoint,thedensityofjunipersonamorewesterly course is causing Beale to consider an alternation of his route. This dense stand of trees would be across "Cedar Creek" northeast of Ash Fork and on toward Mount Floyd, the same area that Whipple had earlier noted to hold a dense juniper stand. O n his return trip (February 1,1858),Bealealsoremarkedonthethickness of the woodland in this vicinity and notes finding what he believes to be Whipple's wagon tracks on this day, apparently in the vicinity of Polson D a m Draw.
Of the country north of his location, Beale says: "These plains are treeless, with the exception of a very
"Travelled7mi upthestreamthatwe encamped
on last night.... The mountain contracted as
we ascended to a narrow ravine along which
itwasdifficulttodragthewagginsoftheS. Beale(Lesley1970),inSeptember,1857,traveling P.althoughalmostemptyand8mules.Witha northoftheroutestakenbyWhipple,Sitgreaves,and little l a b o r it c o u l d b e m a d e q u i t e a p r a c t i c a b l e
wagon road.Encamped (camp 31)inthegorge of the mountains. G. grass."
Stanley reinforces Tidball's description of their pas sage up Walnut Creek:
"Passing up the canon this morning we had the worst road we have yet had since leaving Albuquerque. After having passed up the canon forthreemiles,we wereobligedtotaketothe steep sides of the mountains after upsetting nearly all the waggons, pitching down preci pices and almost dragging our waggons over perpendiculars,we arrivedataplacewherethe canonwaswideenoughforustoformacamp. We made inallto-daysixmiles.Game abounds on this creek. Skeleton of grizzly bear found in our camping ground."
Tidball,January23:"Travelled6mi....Goodgrass, wood, & water."
On thisday,theyfinallypassedoutoftheVerdeRiver watershed and into the Bill Williams drainage.
InhisjournalentryforJanuary24th,lookingbackto the east from Aztec Pass, Mollhausen writes:
"The ravine, seen from above, looked like a long strip of pine-wood inclosed on both sides by high rocks and mountains.... Even in its wintry robe, the scenery was beautiful, but must be far more so when the now leafless cotton-wood trees that border the Pueblo Creek wear their rich spring decorations, and a bright green serpentine line winds along the tops of the dark pinewoods. ..."
Ives, describes the countryside in the vicinity of upper Cataract Creek, northwest of Williams perhaps 25 miles:
"...westruckheavyandthicktimberofpine, cedar, and pinon, where we were detained hours without being able to get through itand itisbarelypossibletopassonfoot(Wyman
USDAForestServiceRMRS-GTR-177. 2006.
29