Wind River Range I have not been to the Wind River Range. But
from following the narrative of the Report of the
1st Expedition, the examination of the Preuss map
and USGS DEM files of topographic quadrangles, and
the barometric register of Frémont's
observations, I have come up with the route that I
think best fits the description of the account in
the Report of the 1842 expedition. The route leads
to the peak Frémont called "Snow Mountain"
that modern maps call Fremont Peak. Many historians and biographers have
characterized Frémont's 1842 climb of the
peak in the Wind River chain as not only reckless
and ill advised, but vainglorious. In actuality, it
was probably the most important scientific
work performed on the expedition. No high peak had
ever been measured in North America, and
geographers had no real knowledge of the height of
the storied Rocky Mountains. This was pioneering
use of barometry in exploration--first introduced
into survey work by Frémont's mentor Joseph
N. Nicollet. The barometric observations made were
not only a first, but a very thorough and as useful
today as when they were made in 1842. In making an identification of the 1842
expeditionary route, and identity of the
particular peak climbed, all of the
following have been examined: The Report
Illustrations More than one critic has objected to these
drawings as whimsy--not representing the actual
landscape. There is no question that Preuss has
somewhat exaggerated the vertical in his
renderings, but there is nice correspondence when
considered as a whole. Other Preuss location drawings and
correlations: On the August 14th, Frémont
recorded, On every side as we advanced was heard
the roar of waters, and a torrent, which we
followed up a short distance, until it expanded
into a lake about one mile in length. This
would be the lakes in Titcomb Valley--they combine
to this length--no other lake or combination does.
They, immediately have to contend with ice fields:
On the northern side of the lake was a bank of
ice, or rather snow covered with a crust of
ice. On August 15th, by an entirely different
route, to the left of yesterday's route, he
recorded passing three small lakes of a green
color, each perhaps a thousand yards in
diameter. This time, instead of the roar of
waters...a torrent, they follow a small
stream. Preuss adds in his diary, toward the
base of the next highest peak, which I take
to be Jackson Peak, the route through Indian Basin.
They do not encounter snow until about 1800 feet
above the lakes. The summit itself was bare
rock, (sienitic gneiss), but on the back
side of the peak, the shaded side, he discovered a
massive field of ice and snow--this is today called
Frémont Glacier. 8/14 Having had no food since
the previous mid day, Frémont sets
out from the Island Lake camp, and
proceeds up Titcomb Valley. They
make the first attempt on Fremont
Peak. 8/15 In the morning, with all
rested and fed, Carson returns to the
Mule Camp with all except Preuss,
Lajeunesse, Lambert, Jannisse, and
Descoteaux [de Couteau]. Mounted
on mules, Frémont leads them up
through Indian Basin to the base of
Jackson Peak. From there they
proceed to the Summit of Fremont
Peak. 8/16 In the morning they leave
Island Lake, find the burnt out
fires of the Mule Camp and supplies
that have been left behind for them, and
proceed on to the main camp at Boulder
Lake. Never before had anyone attempted
to measure the Altitude of an American
mountain with a barometer. So, I ran Frémont's Wind River
barometric observations from the 1843
Report (page 195) through my HP67
calculator in a program I devised several
years ago using the formula: Z= 62,900
log10
P0/P,
where Z=altitude in feet, P=Pressure at
the upper limit in any units, and
P0=pressure
in same units as above corresponding to
zero altitude. By the USGS map, Island Lake is
10,346'. Yep. Absolutely. A mercury barometer
is a direct-reading instrument.
The repair as
described should have had no effect
on the accuracy of the instrument.
Indeed, this has since been verified by
John
Grebenkemper in his 2003 analysis
of Fremont's barometric register during
these days. On site, in June 2004, John
also confirmed the elevation of the
campsite with WAAS enabled GPS. 1842 Frémont sea
level Elevation 8/13, 5:30
pm Island
Lake camp (10,466') 20.532"Hg 30.09"Hg 10,446'
el. 8/13, Sunset Island
Lake camp (10,466') 20.522"Hg 30.10"Hg 10,446'
el. 8/14,
Sunrise Island
Lake camp (10,466') 20.573"Hg 30.15"Hg 10,446'
el. 8/14, noon Gap
reached by Preuss 19.401"Hg 30.15"Hg 12,043'
el. 8/14, 5:00
pm Island
Lake camp (10,466') 20.643"Hg 30.24"Hg 10,446'
el. 8/14, Sunset Island
Lake camp (10,466') 20.641"Hg 30.24"Hg 10,446'
el. 8/15,
Sunrise Island
Lake camp (10,466') 20.662"Hg 30.27"Hg 10,446'
el. 8/15, 6:00
am Island
Lake camp (10,466') 20.672"Hg 30.28"Hg 10,446'
el. 8/15, 9:30
am Indian
Basin 20.450"Hg 30.28"Hg 10,722'
el. 8/15, 1:00
pm Summit
#1 18.320"Hg 30.28"Hg 13,727'
el. Summit
#2 18.293"Hg 30.28"Hg 13,767'
el. 8/15, Sunset Island
Lake camp (10,466') 20.642"Hg 30.24"Hg 10,446'
el. 8/16,
Sunrise Island
Lake camp (10,466') 20.651"Hg 30.24"Hg 10,446'
el. The results are interesting, as it is a near fit
to the proposed route, but to no other. Why is the Report elevation
given as 13,570'--lower by 175' than today's
surveyed elevation of 13,745'? Additional useful
infirmation was kindly sent by Cal
Stuart at the Missouri Historical
Society. Most of the hypsometrical
measurements...made by
different explorers during the
last twenty years or more, by
Nicollet, Frémont,
Owen, Wisliznus, Emory,
Stansbury...took the altitude
of St. Louis as their starting
point, and were based to a
great extent on the
barometrical observations of
those explorers compared with
mine. George Engelmann,
1859 Frémont's barometers had been
calibrated at the observatory in St. Louis
before he left. If they had survived the
expedition, they would have been compared
again on their return. But
Frémont's barometers never did make
it back. OK; Frémont Peak is not the
tallest peak in the Rocky Mountains. What
Frémont said was this: BUT, what is astonishing, is that Frémont
did this after having repaired (major structural
repairs!) to his barometer a few days before. He
had a perfect conceptual understanding of the
instrument--no doubt part of his training under
Nicollet. August 7th, 1878, Summit of Frémont Peak
Bibliography: Blodget, Lorin, Climatology of the United States and the Temperate Latitudes of the North American Continent, J. B. Lippincott and Co., Philadelphia: 1857.
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See
how these two views combined
represent the range, and also the approach
route from Two Buttes and Boulder
Lake.
The
above view of Island Lake is looking approximately
east at Fremont and Jackson Peaks, whereas this
postcard image is looking north, up Titcomb Valley,
with Mt. Woodrow Wilson off in the distance.
There
are two climbing routes described in the
narrative; two days, and two different
attempts.
Frémont
says that the peak climbed was 13,570'--
determined by reduction of the barometric
observations made on the summit and at the
camp at Island lake. The reductions
are not shown in the appended tables;
however, they were based on comparison
with the barometric register of Dr.
Engelman at his observatory in St. Louis.
St. Louis is over 1000 air-line
miles east of Frémont's
observations--much too removed, but the
only data then available.
)
as a download in an
Excel®
spreadsheet.
Below
are my reductions (not
Frémont's) using
Frémont's barometric readings
as published in the Report.
The
elevation reported in the narrative
portion of the 1843 report gives the
elevation of the peak as 13,570".
The
little seen portrait at left by G. P. A. Healy
(1813-1894) is in the collection of the 
The
Wind River view used by Healy is the version of the
Preuss drawing not published until 1845, by which
time Frémont had received a double Brevet to
Captain, so the earlier rank depicted is probably
to commemorate the feat. It is one of only two
portraits that I know of showing Frémont in
the uniform of a second lieutenant. The other is
shown at right. It appears in James M. Cutts'
The Conquest of California and New Mexico,
1847. It is possible that this, an engraving that
may have been done from a daguerreotype (and
therefore reversed, or reversed again by the
engraver) was used as the model for the Healy
painting.
