Show 65 years and were bringingmeup remin- separation of eighteenwhen iscenoes of the past I read your letter reached it to them and elicited the following facts: A party of beaver trappers who had ascended the Missouri with Henry Ashley found themselves in pursuit of their (or Willow) Valley occupation on the Bear river in Cache1824-2and in des5 where they wintered in the winter of cending the course which the Bear river ran a bet vas made between two of the party and James Bridger was selected to follow the course of the river to determine the bet This took him to where the river passes through the mouHe ntains and there he discovered the Great Salt Lake went to its margin and tasted the water and on his return reported his discovery The fact of the water being an arm of the Pacific saltCy induced the belief that it was men went in skin ocean but in the spring of 1826 four boats around it to discover if any streams containing beaver were to be found emptying into it but returned with in- different success I went to Willow or Cache valley in the spring of 1826 and found the party just returned from their exploration of the lake and recollect their report that it was without any outlet Tullock corroborates in every respect the statement of James Bridger and both are men of strictest integrity and truthfulness I have known both since 1826 James Bridger was the first discoverer of Great Salt Lake A party of Hudson Bay Company trappers came to the P S same place in the summer of 1825 and met the party that had discovered the Salt lake that season Practically all writers of Western History have given accounts Mr of this Bridger boat trip Says Coman "An obscure hunter taking a daring wager followed the circuitous course of the Bear river and launched his canoe on the treacherous waters of Salt Lake"15 Allen Kevins gives a greatly embellished West 15 Katherine Coman I 358 Economic Beginnings of the Par |