Page 85 - Early Naturalists of the Black Range

One of the most telling descriptions of the grasses growing in the area is laid out on pages 36-37 of the cited work.

In 1852, at page 43, he was again crossing the Black Range, commenting on the cottonwoods, topography, and hot water.
In May 1855, Bennett was assigned to Emory as part of the Boundary Survey. At pages 70 and 71 of the cited work he describes the beginning of the trip west. After leaving the Gila he continued on with the Survey to California and then returned via the Gila (page 73). See page images to the right.
On May 19, 1855, Bennett notes that he was at Cooke’s Spring. Since at least the 1830’s, Cooke’s Pass (Massacre Canyon) had been part of the established route going west from the Rio Grande. It was well established when the Butterfield Overland Stage starting using it in 1858. It continued to be the primary route through the area until the railroad route was built later in the century. In the 1830’s this route was known as the Gila River Trail.
The linked work is short, less than a hundred pages of text, but full of insight about the land, the people, and army life. The cynical humor is typical of the enlisted ranks of any army. Where the officers see order and brilliance, the enlisted are likely to see chaos, stupidity, and arrogance. All too easy to dismiss one perspective or the other.
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