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Journal of Western Travel
by John McTurk Gibson
edited by Weldon Hoppe
August 20th, 1859 -- We have had another long tedious drive today completely away from the river, over a parched-up, dried-up, sun- burnt, clayey soil, we had to leave the road at noon and struck for the river three miles distant. We have passed many a pile of bones that mark the last resting place of the poor unfortunate ox, who in obedience to his master has like him left his home in the States, and then beat up used up, alkalied up, here he has dropped and died where he lay. We reached the river again at night and must have made about 22 miles. The water gets no better, faster and faster every day, more muddy and stagnant-like and somehow it don't appear to quench thirst at all.Powell
Travelled 21 miles. The road left the river this morning and struck it this evening. If a strait line was drawn one fourth of a mole, it would cross the river 6 times and both ends be on the same side of the river. It runs up the bottom part of the time.