Geo. B. Currey, June 8, 1864

Camp on Gibbs’ Creek, 100 miles above the mouth of the Owyhee River, June 8, 1864.

SIR: I have the honor to report that in accordance with the determination expressed in my letter of the 16th ultimo I started with the cavalry from camp at the mouth of Owyhee River on the morning of the 17th ultimo. The road leads directly up the Owyhee for a distance of about twelve miles, leading a south-southwest direction. Here it leaves the river, diverges to the right up a deep cañon for some miles, when it reaches the table-lands, which are covered with sage brush, trap rock, and scattering bunch grass. Traversing the table-land for some ten miles, the trail makes a transverse over a rough country of promiscuous clay hills, basaltic ledges, and sandstone cliffs, on which a stunted growth of grease-wood and half-starved prickly pears find a precarious rooting. This uninteresting but tedious region extends for about ten miles, where the hills become bolder and sides more clearly defined, where the trail leads down a small creek, which at this season of the year affords a small amount of muddy water. Passing down this creek in an east-southeast direction for some miles, it passes up a deep canon in a south-southwest direction for some miles, and again comes out on the table-land, which presents the usual Snake River characteristics—trap rock, sage brush, dust, horned toads, long-tailed lizards, big crickets, and little grass, with an occasional rattlesnake and scorpion. Over this stretch of high rolling country both men and animals suffered exceedingly for water, being on a forced march from 6 a, m. until 3 p. m, without water, Finding water in a cañon to the right of the trail, owing to the exhausted state of the animals, I remained in camp on the 22d, and sent out scouts in several directions, who, returning at night, reported no Indian signs. The character of the country does not change from the camp of the 22d to this place, where I arrived on the morning of the 25th about 10a.m. This creek, which I named Gibbs Creek, in honor of his excellency Governor Gibbs, is a small creek which, wandering through trap-rock cañons a distance of about thirty miles from its head spring to the southwest, falls into the Owyhee about five miles below the mouth of Jordan Creek. As I found good grass and water here I halted, and sent Captain Rinehart with twenty men back to the camp of Captain Barry, at mouth of Owyhee, with orders for Barry to come on. While awaiting the arrival of the transportation and infantry I made two scouts with small parties, one to the west as far as the foot of a snow range of mountains, the same that affords (I am teld) a large portion of the waters of Malheur Lake; found a beautiful valley, but no Indian signs. The other up Jordan Creek, during which I succeeded in surprising a small party of six Indians and killed five. There were no women or children in camp. Some hours after this affair a lone Indian was discovered in the sage brush about half a mile from the road. I sent the Indians in chase. After a two miles’ run they caught and shot him, making six killed in all. Captain Barry, with the infantry and Captain Rinehart’s detachment, arrived on the 6th with the pack-mules. The wagons will cross Snake River on the Jordan Creek road and follow the wagon road used by miners from Boisé City to the mines, and thence to this place. I will start for Harney Lake as soon as the wagons arrive here, which will bé about the 12th instant. I have just heard of a party of sixty or seventy Indians on Jordan Creek. Will start in about three hours with four days’ cooked rations and find out more definitely their business.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,