Exploration of the Red River of Louisiana, in the year 1852 / by Randolph B. Marcy ; assisted by George B. McClellan. Page: 51 of 368
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RIVER TERRACES.
35
struck it, with but a very small portion covered with water, and, very
much to our astonishment, for the first time, upon tasting it, we found
it free from salts. Following up the stream about a mile, we discovered
that this good water all issued from a small stream that put in upon
the north bank, and above this the bed of the main river was dry. As
there is an incrustation of salt upon the bed of the river below the creek,
where the water has subsided after a high stage, I have no doubt but
that the water above here will be found to be impregnated with salts,
and that all the fresh water now found in the river comes from the
creek mentioned.
Along the whole course of Red river, from Cache creek to this point,
we find three separate banks or terraces bordering the river; the first of
which rises from two to six feet above the bed of the stream. The
second is from ten to twenty feet high; and the third, which forms the
high bluff bordering the valley of the river, is from fifty to one hundred
feet. The first bank is in places subject to inundation, and generally is
from fifty to two hundred yards wide. The second is never submerged,
and is from two to fifteen hundred yards wide. The third bank bounds
the high prairie. We found the range of sand-hills still continuing
along the river; and we have constantly during the day been in sight
of the line of bluffs which I supposed to be the border of the "Llano
estacado." We also passed the trail of a very large party of Indians,
who were asending the river before the last rain, (some two weeks
since.)
After leaving the river on our return to camp, we found two fine
brooks of cold spring water, with good wood and grass upon them, and
as they are in our course, I propose to malce our next camp upon one of
them.
June 14.-Making an early start this morning, we travelled eleven
miles in a westerly course, when we reached a very beautiful stream of
,good spring water, flowing with a uniformly rapid current through a
valley about a mile wide, covered with excellent grass. There is a heavy
growth of yosng cotton-wood trees'along the borders of the creek, and
among them are found immense quantities of that peculiar variety of
grape I have before mentioned as growing in the sand-hills along the
valley of Red river. They grow here upon low bushes about four feet
high, similar to those cultivated varieties that are trimmed and cut
down in the spring. When growing near the trees they never rest
upon them, like our eastern varieties of the wild grape, but stand
separate and erect, like a currant-bush.
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Marcy, Randolph Barnes. Exploration of the Red River of Louisiana, in the year 1852 / by Randolph B. Marcy ; assisted by George B. McClellan., book, 1854; Washington, DC. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6105/m1/51/?rotate=90: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.