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OCTA CA-NV Chapter Trails History
Updated on December 8, 2005

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Lassen Thread Message # 27

date November 28, 2005
author Stafford Hazelett
subject Silva's Part 2 on Fremont North

Here is Part 2 of Fremont's travel as located by Richard Silva. I have done
a very little editing for clarity. The comments in brackets and parentheses
within the quotes from Fremont are Richard's comments.

Copic Bay is, or rather was, a shallow body of water to the east of Tule
Lake and along the Oregon-California border near the small town of Malin,
Oregon. It was drained as part of the Bureau of Reclamation work in the
Klamath basic 100 years ago or so and is now under cultivation.

The attached map will not forward but it is easily accessible. It is the
section of Fremont's map showing southern Oregon and northern California.

And the final comment is about Orsola and Richard Silva's contribution to
the county history book. For those of you who don't know the Silvas, they
work together on their trail work as a team. Richard does the e-mail
writing but they do almost all of the field work and program writing together.

Stafford

>From: "Richard Silva"
>Subject: Fremont north
>Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 14:23:16 -0800
>
>Hi
>
>Attached is part 2 from Copic Bay to Upper Klamath Lake and Back. Also a
>scanned area of Fremont map 7.8 x 10.5 of the area of concern. ...
>
>I have done little editing, sending it as I have followed The Pathfinder.
>
>... when I adjust the observation of Fremont at the Pit River, it puts the
>his route east of the Pit River north of Bob Springs and Fourth Butte
>heading to Muck Valley, west branch of the Lassens, maybe.
>
>Richard

>Frémont's 1846 Route North From Lassens
>
>PART 2 FROM CAMP ON COPIC BAY.
>
>After leaving his camp on Copic Bay, Frémont in 1846 could have gone
>straight across to the Peninsula, 1846 all the lakes were at a very low
>level (Goose Lake was a pond, I have references of the water levels).
>Frémont would cross on the Peninsula between Tulelake and Copic Bay. By
>Frémont's map he took to the bench land to the east of the lake (East of
>Bloody Point), this is also the route Ogden took in 1826 south. Majors's
>survey of the 42º latitude Oregon-California border made a survey call an
>"Indian Trail." What is important about this is there is several good
>springs to the just to the east (Bull Springs), Ogden would use these
>springs, the South Road Exploring Party in 1846 (South Road Exploring
>Party was using Ogden's map to this point), this is where the Party would
>leave the Tulelake Basin to the east.
>
>Continuing north, east or close to Malin, Oregon, Frémont would enter the
>Poe Valley to the Lost River follow it to northwest and then to the
>southwest to cross the Lost River at the ford near Olene (Olene Hot
>Springs) a natural ford , this is also where Ogden in 1826 would cross
>the Lost River. Frémont would travel through the present day Klamath Falls
>to the Link River - Klamath River, outlet of Upper Klamath Lake,
>
>"Resuming our journey, we worked our way along between the lake and the
>mountain and late in the day made camp.. May 7, .. Our way led always
>between the lake and the foot of the mountains [Remember the low lake
>levels in 1846] 8th May, .. A glance at the mountains, which are shown in
>the view of the lake.." (Drawing Upper Klamath) Page 106, The Expeditions
>of John Charles Frémont,Vol 2 MaryLee Spence and Donald Jackson.
>
>Olene, McArthur's "Oregon Geographic Names" says the word Olene was taken
>from the Indian language meaning " the big eddy in the river. Page 89,
>"Frontier Stories of the Klamath Country" by Carrol B, Howe. "It was at
>Olene that Frémont's exploration party forded Lost River on a hard rock
>bottom." >
>"Camp at longitude 121º 58' 45'' latitude 42º 36' 45'' [This is in error,
>6.5 miles to the east. ] >Continuing our route along the lake we passed around the extreme
>northwestern bay.. " >[I wonder if they stopped at my favorite restaurant at Rocky Point,
>excellent steaks? ] >
>"..I obtained observations here which gave what may be assumed for the
>longitude of the outlet 121º 52'[Error] 08'' 42º 41' 30'' [Outlet of lake
>is 121º 48' 23.24'' W. and 42º 14' 22.19'' N. as adjusted this is close
>to the Williamson River above Agency Lake, just below Fort Klamath,] ..To
>this river (Williamson) I gave the name of my friend Professor Torry.. The
>next day we moved late out of camp and traveled to the southward along the
>lake.. Observations place the mouth of this creek in longitude 121º 41'
>23'', latitude 42º 41' 31''. [In error 6.5 miles to east, this is to be
>questioned? Note Frémont's map.] >
>"..Our route was now among the hills over ground where we had already just
>traveled in going north and bordering the valley of the upper Sacramento,
>which, as I have said, was known to trappers under the name of Pitt
>River..We were now approaching the rougher country into which breaks the
>point of the last link of the Sierra Nevada..We crossed the mountain upon
>a different line, nearer to the head of the lower Sacramento valley.."
>
>"On the 24th of May we reached again Lassen's, and in the evening I wrote
>to Senator Benton; a guarded letter." [See Doc. No. 28. Sacramento River
>May24 1846, Page 137, The Expeditions of John Charles Frémont,Vol 2
>MaryLee Spence and Donald Jackson.]
>
>This route to the Sacramento River is close to Cow Creek (Canoe Creek,
>Work's Journal.) Looks as though Frémont followed the trapper trail via
>Burney Mountain to Pit River.
>
>Maybe this will help get everyone orientated, I can fill in areas of concern.
>
>My wife and I wrote the Siskiyou County Historical Soc. 2005 Siskiyou
>Pioneer Year Book, featuring the Tule Lake Basin, so I have done a lot of
>research in Klamath - Tulelake Basins.
>

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