j. L. MCDONALD
SCENES
or
"WONDER AND CURIOSITY
CALIFOKNIA.
ILLUSTRATED WITH $$&&£ flUNBKlit) ENGRAVINGS.
A TOURIST'S GUIDE
TO THE
YOSEMITE VALLEY,
THE Bio TREE GROVES— THE NATURAL CAVES AND BRIDGES— THE QUICKSILVER MINES OF
NEW ALMADEN AND HENRIQUITA — MOUNT SHASTA — THE FARALLONE ISLANDS, WITH THEIR SEA LIONS
AND BIRDS — THE GEYSER SPRINGS — LAKE TAHOE, AND OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST.
GIVING OUTLINE MAP OF EOUTES TO YO-SEMITE AND BIG TREE GROVES — TABLES OF DISTANCES —
KATES OF FARE — HOTEL CHARGES, AND OTHER DESIRABLE INFORMATION FOR THE TRAVELLER.
BY J. M. HUTCHINGS,
//
(OF YO-SEMITE.)
NEW YORK AND SAN FRANCISCO:
A. ROMAN AND COMPANY, PUBLISHERS.
1870.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy, by
J. M. HUTCHINGS,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of
New York.
u .,
PREFATORY NOTE FROM PUBLISHER,
SINCE the completion and appointments of the great
Overland Railway have made travelling to the Pacific
Slope easy, pleasant, speedy, and safe, a general desire has
arisen for information concerning its remarkable scenery,
the cost of travelling, distances, hotel charges, etc.
The cordial reception this volume has received in Cali-
fornia, where hitherto it has only been known, and the
often expressed wish for its more general circulation, has
led to the belief that a revised edition, giving the desired
information, would supply a present need, and prove
acceptable to the public.
The author's twenty years' experience in California has
made him familiar with its history and progress; a long
time devoted to studying and sketching its most interest-
ing features, and an actual residence of six years in the
wonderful Yo-Semite, together with his loving appreciation
of the beautiful, have very naturally fitted him to write
instructively and feelingly upon the subject.
Through his efforts, moreover, the attention of the
public was first called to its sublime scenes, and for years
he has, in many ways, been earnestly engaged in extending
a knowledge of its glories.
New York, May 2, 1870.
980493
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGH
How the Calaveras Big Tree Grove was first discovered — Principal Routes to the
Calaveras Grove — Alcatraces Island — Angel Island — Red Rock — Straits of
Carquinez — City of Benicia — Monte Diablo — Sailing up the San Joaquin —
City of Stockton — Stockton to Murphy's Camp — Road to the Mammoth-Tree
Grove— The Mammoth-Tree Grove— The Great South Grove 9
CHAPTER II.
Discovery and Location of the Caves of Calaveras — The Entrance — The Council
Chamber — The Cathedral — The Bishop's Palace — The Bridal Chamber —
Musical Hall— The Hotel 51
CHAPTER III.
Scenery around the Natural Bridges — The Upper Bridge — The Lower Bridge.. . . 56
CHAPTER IV.
THE TO-SEMITB YALLEY, and Circumstances that led to its Discovery — The
Mariposa Indian War — Things to Know before Starting on the Tour — Outline
Map and Table of Distances by the different Routes — Travelling Fares and
Time by the different Routes — Kinds and Amounts of Personal Baggage
desirable: — Hotel Charges in San Francisco, Yo-Semite, and while Travelling
— See the Route Agent — The Country between Stockton and Yo-Semite —
The Tuolumne South Grove of Big Trees and Road through it — Hints How
to secure Enjoyment on the Trip — Descending the Mountain — Ride up the
Yalley — Outline Map of the Yalley — The First Night in the Yalley — What
to do and see on the First Day — Walk to the Foot of the Lower Yo-Semite
Fall — The Second Day: Mirror Lake, the Legend of Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah and
Tis-sa-ack, the Bridal Yeil Fall — Third Day : Yisit to the Yernal and Nevada
Falls, Ascent of the " Cap of Liberty," the Country above the Nevada Fall,
the Little Yo-Semite Yalley — Fourth Day: Yisit to the Tu-lool-we-ack or
South Canon Fall, the South Dome from the South Canon — Fifth Day : Ride
to Mount Beatitude and Inspiration Point — Yiew from thence — Sixth
Day : Trip to the Top of the Yo-Semite Fall, what seen when there —
Seventh Day : To the Foot of the Upper Yo-Semite, the Glorious Yiew —
Eighth Day: Climb to the Top of Glacial Point and Sentinel Dome, Promi-
nent Peaks visible — What Chas. Loring Brace says about Yo-Semite, also
an English Gentleman — Comparison between Yo-Semite and different Scenes
in Switzerland — Attempt to Climb the South Dome — Summary of Yo-Semite,
and How the Name is Pronounced — Table of Altitudes at Yo-Semite,
including all the Principal Falls and Mountain Points — Departure from it. . . 61
CONTENTS. 5
CHAPTER V.
PAGE
The Discovery of the Mariposa and Frezno Groves of Mammoth Trees — The
Mariposa Grove — The South Grove — Visit to the Frezno Grove — The Ten
Different Groves of Big Trees in California ]72
CHAPTER VI.
Route to New Almaden — San Jose — An Old Saw — The Discovery and Ownership
of the New Almaden Mine — Process of Extracting Quicksilver — The Road
to the Mine — Process of Working the Mine — The Henriquita Quicksilver
Mine — Dedicatory Ceremony of Blessing the Mine 184
CHAPTER VII.
Mount Shasta — Ascent of Mount Shasta, Alone 203
CHAPTER VIII.
Sail through the Golden Gate — Crossing the Bar — Don't-care-ishness — Visits
from the Birds — Arrival at the Islands — The Sea Lions — The Hair Seal —
Birds and their Eggs — Wildness of the Scenes — The North Farallones 210
CHAPTER IX.
In and around San Francisco — Ride to the Cliff House — The Sea Lions — The
Beach — The Broad Pacific — The Old Mission Dolores — Woodward's Gar-
dens— Views from the Bay of San Francisco — The Presidio — Sights from
Telegraph Hill — Excursion to Tamed Pais 230
CHAPTER X.
The California Geysers — Scenes on the Way — Foss, the Driver — The Hotel — Gey-
ser Canon, its Unearthly Appearance, Proximity to a Warm Place, its Nu-
merous Kinds of Springs — Strange Sounds — Distances, and Cost 245
CHAPTER XL
The Riffle-Box Waterfall 262
CHAPTER XII.
Lake Tahoe 264
CHAPTER XIII.
Alabaster Cave — Discovery of the Cave — Scenery on the Sacramento River — Sal-
mon Fishing — The Hog's Back — Steamboat Slough — A Ride on the Sacra-
mento Valley Railroad — Folsom — The Stage Ride to the Cave — The Beau-
tiful Formations — The Wonderful "Dungeon of Enchantment, " and " Crystal
Chapel" 268
Errata. . . 292
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
No. PAGE
1. Section of the Mammoth Tree at the Calaveras Grove 9
2. River Steamboats leaving the Broadway Wharf, San Francisco 15
3. Alcatraces Island 16
4. Red Rock; 20
5. The Two Sisters ; 21
6. Straits of Carquinez 21
7. City of Benicia 23
8. Monte Diablo 26
9. Night Scene on the San Joaquin River 31
10. The City of Stockton • 33
11. A Prairie Schooner » 35
12. Hotel at Calaveras Grove of Big Trees 41
13. Cotillion Party on the Stump of the Mammoth Tree 42
14. "Workmen Felling the Mammoth Tree 43
15. Bowling Alley on the Trunk of Mammoth Tree 44
16. The Father of the Forest 46
1 7. Cone and Foliage of the Mammoth Trees 47
18. The Three Graces 49
19. Entrance to the Calaveras Cave 52
20. The Bridal Chamber in the Calaveras Cave 54
2 1. Hotel at the Calaveras Cave. 55
22* Upper Side of Upper Natural Bridge on Cayote Creek 56
23. Lower Side of Upper Natural Bridge 58
24. Upper Side of Lower Natural Bridge 09
25. Distant Yiew of the Yo-Semite Waterfall. 61
26. Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah 71
27. Outline Map of Routes to Yo-Semite and Big Trees 80
28. Ho 1 for Yo-Semite 103
29. Descending the Mountain to Yo-Semite 104
30. River Scene at the Foot of the Trail 106
LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS. 7
No. PAGE
31. Pom-pom-pa-sus ; or, The Three Brothers ' 108
32. Distant View of Pohono ; or, The Bridal Veil Fall 109
33. The Ferry 110
34. Outline Map of Yo-Semite Valley and Surroundings Ill
35. Ford of Yo-Semite Creek 114
36. Near View of the Yo-Semite Fall 115
37. Lake Ah-wi-yah, or Mirror Lake 119
38. The Sentinel 124
39. Near View of the Pohono. or Bridal Veil Fall 127
40. River Scene near Old Bridge 129
41. The Pi-wy-ack, or Vernal Fall 131
42. The Ladders 132
43. Merced River rushing through the G-orge at Diamond Flume 133
44. The Yo-wi-ye, or Nevada Fall '. 134
45. The South Dome as seen from the South Canon 139
46. The Tu-lool-we-ack, or -South Canon Fall 140
47. General View of the Yo-Semite Valley 144
48. Indian Canon .' 146
49. The North and South Domes from the Valley 152
50. Taking the Indian Trail up the Mountain 164
51. Ascending the Lower Dome. . • 167
52. Looking down the Valley toward Cathedral Rocks 170
53. Scene in the Frezno Grove of Mammoth Trees 172
54. The Twins in the Mariposa Grove of Mammoth Trees 175
55. Satan's Spear 176
56. The Grizzled Giant 181
57. Metal Yard and Entrance to the New Almaden Mine 184
58. San Jose, Santa Clara County 186
59. General View of the Quicksilver "Works at New Almaden 188
60. Section of Quicksilver Smelting Furnace 189
61. Mexicans weighing Quicksilver 190
62. The Shrine of Senora de Guadalupe 192
63. Miners taking out Quicksilver Ore 194
64. Tenateros carrying the Ore from the Mine. 1 95
65. The Henriquita Quicksilver Mine on the Morning of Dedication 201
66. Mount Shasta 203
67. The South Farallone Islands, from Big Rookery ,. 210
8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
No. PAGE
68. Clipper Ship crossing the Bar at the Entrance of the Bay of San Francisco. . 212
69. Enchanted with the delightful Prospect off the Bar 214
70. South-east View of the Farallone Islands 215
71. Man in a Tight Place 217
72. Sea Lions and their Toung. 218
73. The Hair Seal of the Pacific 219
74. The Murre, or Foolish Guillemot .' 222
75. Murre's Egg, natural size 223
76. The Tufted Puffin 224
77. Yiew from West End of Farallone Islands 225
78. View from the North Landing of Farallone Islands 227
79. South View of Fort Point and the Golden Gate 230
80. The Drive along the Beach 234
81. The Ocean House 235
82. The Old Mission Church and Out-buildings '. 236
83. General View of the Mission Dolores 238
84. San Francisco Industrial School 240
85. The Presidio 242
86. The Witches' Cauldron at the Geyser Springs 245
87. The Steamboat " Rambler " navigating Petaluma Creek 248
88. Ray's Ranch, and the Russian River Valley 251
89. The Geyser Springs Hotel 255
90. Geyser Canon 256
91. Proserpine's Grotto ... 257
92. View of Clear Lake, from the Bridge near the Geysers 260
93. The Riffle-Box Waterfall. 262
94. Lake Tahoe 264
95. The Pulpit in Alabaster Cave. 268
96. Lower Junction of the Main Sacramento and Steamboat Slough 273
97. Night Scene on the Sacramento River 274
98. Salmon Fishing — Paying out the Seine 275
99. Salmon Fishing — Hauling in the Seine 276
100. Group of Salmon on the Banks of the Sacramento 277
101. Upper Junction of the main Sacramento and Steamboat Slough 280
102. Levee Scene at Sacramento City 282
103. The Alabaster Lime-Kiln by Moonlight 286
104. The Crystal Chapel in the Alabaster Cave , . . 291
SCENES OF WONDER AND CURIOSITY
CALIFORNIA.
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVERAS.
SECTION OF MAMMOTH TREE.
From PhotograpJi by T. Houseworth & Co.
10 SCENES LN CALIFORNIA.
;;;: CHAPTEK i.
^ . ^ " God of the forest's solemn shade !
i b\ „ The grandeur of the lonely tree,
That wrestles singly with the gale,
Lifts up admiring eyes to Thee ,
•- l\ But more majestic far they stand,
t« i' When, side by side their ranks they form
* * • *• To wave on high their plumes of green,
And fight their battles with the storm."
PEABODY.
IT is much to be questioned if the discovery of any wonder, in
any part of the world, has ever elicited as much general interest,
or created so strong a tax upon the credulity of mankind, as the
discovery of the mammoth trees of California. Indeed, those who
first mentioned the fact of their existence, whether by word of
mouth or by letter, were looked upon as near, very near, relatives
of Baron Munchausen, Captain -Gulliver, or the celebrated Don
Quixote. The statement had many times to be repeated, and
well corroborated, before it could be received as true ; and there
are many persons who, to this very day, look upon it as as a some-
what doubtful " California story ;" such, we never expect to con-
vince of the realities we are about to illustrate and describe, al-
though we do so from our own personal knowledge and observa-
tion.
HOW THE CALAVERAS GROVE WAS FIRST DISCOVERED.
In the spring of 1852, Mr. A. T. Dowd, a hunter, was employed
by the Union Water Company, of Murphy's Camp, Calaveras
county, to supply the workmen engaged in the construction of
their canal, with fresh meat, from the large quantities of game
running wild on the upper portion of their works. Having
wounded a bear, and while industriously following in pursuit, lie
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVERAS. 11
suddenly came upon one of those immense trees, that have since
become so justly celebrated throughout the civilized world. All
thoughts of hunting were absorbed and lost in the wonder and'
surprise inspired by the scene. " Surely," he mused," this must
be some curiously delusive dream !" but the great realities stand-
ing there before him, were convincing proof, beyond a doubt,
that they were no mere fanciful creations of his imagination.
When he returned to camp, and there related the wonders he
had seen, his companions laughed at him and doubted his vera-
city, which previously they had considered to be very reliable.
He affirmed his statement to be true, but they still thought it
" too much of a story" to believe — thinking that he was trying to
perpetrate upon them some first of April joke.
For a day or two he allowed the matter to rest — submitting,
with chuckling satisfaction, to the occasional jocular allusions to
" his big tree yarn," and continued his hunting as formerly. On
the Sunday morning following, he went out early as usual, and
returned in haste, evidently excited by some event. " Boys,"
he exclaimed, " I have killed the largest grizzly bear that I ever
saw in my life. While I am getting a little something to eat,
you make preparations to bring him in. All had better go that
can possibly be spared, as their assistance will certainly be
needed."
As the big tree story was now almost forgotten, or by common
consent laid aside as a subject of conversation ; and, moreover, as
Sunday was a leisure day — and one that generally hangs the
heaviest of the seven on those who are shut out from social in-
tercourse with friends, as many, many Californians unfortunately
are — the tidings were gladly welcomed ; especially as the propo-
sition was suggestive of a day's excitement.
Nothing loath, they were soon ready for the start. The camp
was almost deserted. On, on they hurried, with Dowd as their
guide, through thickets and pine groves ; crossing ridges and
canons, flats and ravines; each relating in turn the adventures
experienced, or heard of from companions, with grizzly bears and
other formidable tenants of the forests and wilds of the moun-
12 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
tains ; until their leader came to a dead halt at the foot of the
tree he had seen, and to them had related the size. Pointing to
the immense trunk and lofty top, he cried out, " Boys, do you now
believe my big tree story ? That is the large grizzly I wanted
you to see. Do you still think it a yarn?"
Thus convinced, their doubts were changed to amazement, and
their conversation from bears to trees ; afterward confessing that,
although they had been caught by a ruse of their leader, they
were abundantly rewarded by the gratifying sight they had
witnessed ; and as other trees were found equally as large, they
became willing witnesses, not only to the entire truthfulness of
Mr. Dowd's account, but also to the fact, that, like the confession
of a certain Persian queen concerning the wisdom of Solomon,
" the half had not been told."
Mr. Lewis, one of the party above alluded to, after seeing these
gigantic forest patriarchs, conceived the idea of removing the
bark from one of the trees, and of taking it to the Atlantic states
for exhibition, and invited Dowd to join him in the enterprise.
This was declined ; but, while Mr. Lewis was engaged in obtain-
ing a suitable partner, some one from Murphy's Camp to whom
he had confided his intentions and made known his plans, took up
a posse of men early the next morning to the spot described by
Mr. Lewis, and, after locating a quarter section of land, imme-
diately commenced the removal of the bark, after attempting to
dissuade Lewis from the undertaking.* This underhanded pro-
ceeding induced Lewis to visit the large tree at Santa Cruz, dis-
covered by Fremont, for the purpose of competing, if possible,
with his quondam friend / but finding that tree, although large,
only nineteen feet in diameter and 286 feet in height, while that
in Calaveras county was thirty feet in diameter and 302 feet in
height, he then turned his steps to some trees reputed to be the
greatest in magnitude in the state, growing near Trinidad, KLamath
* In the winter of 1854, we met Mr. Lewis in Yreka, and from his own lips received
this account; and we think it no more than simple justice to him here to make a
record of the fact, that such an unfair and ungentlemanly violation of confidence may
be both known and censured, as it well deserves to be.
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVERAS. 13
county ; but the largest of these he found only to measure about
twenty-four feet in diameter, and two hundred and seventy-nine
feet in height ; consequently, much discouraged, and after spend-
ing about five hundred dollars and several weeks' time, he even-
tually abandoned his undertaking.
But a short season was allowed to elapse after the discovery
of this remarkable grove, before the trumpet-tongued press pro-
claimed the wonder to all sections of the state, and to all parts
of the world ; and the lovers of the marvellous began first to
doubt, then to believe, and afterward to flock from the various
districts of California, that they might see, with their own eyes,
the objects of which they had heard so much.
'No pilgrims to Mohammed's tomb at Mecca, or to the reputed
vestment of our Saviour at Treves, or to the Juggernaut of Hin-
dostan, ever manifested more interest in the superstitious objects
of their veneration, than the intelligent and devout worshippers
of the wonderful in nature and science, of our own country, in
their visit to the Mammoth-Tree Grove of Calaveras county, high
up in the Sierras.
Murphy's Camp, then known as an obscure though excellent
mining district, was lifted into notoriety by its proximity to, and
as the starting-point for, the Big-Tree Grove, and consequently
was the centre of considerable attraction to visitors.
PRINCIPAL ROUTES TO THE CALAVERAS GROVE.
As very many persons will doubtless wish to visit these re-
markable places, and as we cannot in this brief work describe all
the various routes to these great natural marvels, from every vil-
lage, town, and city in the state — for they are almost as numerous
and diversified as the different roads that Christians seem to
take to their expected heaven, and the multitudinous creeds about
the way and manner of getting there — we shall content ourselves
by giving the principal ones ; and, after having recited the follow-
ing quaint and unanswerable argument of a celebrated divine to
the querulous and uncharitably disposed members of his flock, we
shall, with the reader's kind permission, proceed on our journey.
14 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
" There was a Christian brother — a Presbyterian — who walkecj
up to the gate of the New Jerusalem, and knocked for admittance,
when an angel who was in charge, looked down from above and
inquired what he wanted. ( To come in,' was the answer. ' Who
and what are you ?' i A. Presbyterian.' ' Sit on that seat there/
This was on the outside of the gate ; and the good man feared
that he had been refused admittance. Presently arrived an
Episcopalian, then a Baptist, then a Methodist, and so on, until a
representative of every Christian sect had made his appearance ;
and were, alike ordered to take a seat outside. Before they had
long been there," continued the good man, " a loud anthem broke
forth, rolling and swelling upon the air, from the choir within ;
when those outside immediately joined in the chorus. ' Oh !'
said the angel, as he opened wide the gate, ' I did not know you
by your names, but you have all learned one song — come in!
come in ! The name you bear, or the way by which you came,
is of little consequence compared with your being here at all.'
As you, my brethren," the good man went on — " as you expect
to live peaceably and lovingly together in heaven, you had better
begin to practice it on earth. I have done."
As this allegorical advice needs no words of application either
to the traveller or the Christian, in the hope that the latter will
take the admonition of Captain Cuttle, " and make a note on't,"
and an apology to the reader for this digression, we will enter at
once upon our pleasing task.
Those who start from San Francisco, for the Yo-Semite Valley
or the Mammoth-Tree Groves, should first proceed to Stockton.
This can be done by two routes : one via the Western Pacific
railroad, and the other by steamboat. If the former, the distance
is ninety miles, time four hours, ten minutes, and the starting point
is the Alameda Ferry, at eight o'clock, A.M., and four o'clock, P.M.
If the latter, you repair to the Broadway wharf a little before four
o'clock, P.M., and the boat will arrive in Stockton in time next
morning for the six o'clock stage. This having been the route most
generally traveled, we shall confine our attention mainly to it.
There probably is not a more exciting and bustling scene of
THE MAMMOTH TUBES OF CALAVEKAS.
15
STEAMBOATS LEAVING THE WHARF — THE ANTELOPE FOR SACRAMENTO, AND THE BRAGDON
FOR STOCKTON.
business activity in any part of the world, than can be witnessed
on almost any day, Sunday excepted, at Broadway street wharf,
San Francisco, at a few minutes before four o'clock P.M. Men
and women are hurrying to and fro; drays, carriages, express-
wagons, and horsemen, dash past you with as much rapidity and
earnestness as though they were the bearers of a reprieve to some
condemned criminal, whose last moment of life had nearly ex-
pired, and, by its speedy delivery, thought they could save him
from the scaffold. Indeed, one would suppose, by the apparent
recklessness of manner in riding and driving through the crowd,
that numerous limbs would be broken, and carriages made into
pieces as small as mince-meat ; but yet, to your surprise, nothing
of the kind occurs, for, on arriving at the smallest real obstacle to
16
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
their progress, animals are suddenly reined in, with a promptness
that astonishes you.
On these occasions, too, there is almost sure to be one or more
intentional passengers that arrive just too late to get aboard, and
who, in their excitement, often throw an overcoat or valise on
the boat, or overboard, but neglect to embrace the only opportune
moment to get on board themselves, and are consequently left
behind, as these boats are always punctual to their time of starting.
With the reader's consent, as he may be a stranger to the vari-
ous scenes of our beautiful California, we will bear him company,
and explain some of the objects we may see. As it is always cool
in San Francisco on a summer afternoon, we would invite him to
please put on his overcoat or cloak, and let us take a cosy seat
together 011 deck ; and, while the black volumes of smoke are
rolling from the tops of the funnels, and our boat is shooting past
this wharf, and that vessel now lying at anchor in the bay, or,
while numerous nervous people are troubled about their baggage,
asking the porter all sorts of questions, let us have a quiet chat
upon the sights we may witness on our trip.
The first object of interest that we find after leaving the wharves
of the city behind, is
ALCATRACES, OR PELICAN ISLAND.
ALCATRACES ISLAND.
This, we see, is just opposite the Golden Gate, atad about half
way between San Francisco and Angel Island. It commands the
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVERAS. 17
entrance to the great bay of San Francisco, and is but three and a
half miles from Fort Point.
This island is one hundred and forty feet in height above low
tide, four hundred and fifty feet in width, and sixteen hundred
and fifty feet in length ; somewhat irregular in shape, and forti-
fied on all sides. The large building on its summit, about the
centre or crest of the island, is a defensive barracks or citadel,
three stories high, and in time of peace will accommodate about
two hundred men, and, in time of war, at least three times that
number. It is not only a shelter for the soldiers, and will with-
stand a respectable cannonade, but from its top a murderous fire
could be poured upon its assailants at all parts of the island, and
from whence every point of it is visible. There is a belt of forti-
fications encircling the island, consisting of a series of Barbette
batteries, mounting, altogether, about ninety-four guns — twenty-
four, forty-two, sixty-eight, and one hundred and thirty-two
pounders.
The first building that you notice, after landing at the wharf, is
a massive brick and stone guard-house, shot and shell proof, well
protected by a heavy gate and drawbridge, and having three em-
brasures for twenty-four pound howitzers, that command the
approach from the wharf. The top of this, like the barracks, is
flat, for the use and protection of riflemen. Other guard-houses,
of similar construction, are built at different points, between which
there are long lines of parapets sufficiently high to preclude the
possibility of an escalade ; and back of which are circular plat-
forms for mounting guns of the heaviest calibre, some of which
weigh from nine to ten .thousand pounds. In addition to these,
there are three bomb-proof magazines, each of which will hold
ten thousand pounds of powder. On the south-eastern side of the
island is a large furnace for the purpose of heating cannon balls,
and other similar contrivances are in course of construction.
Unfortunately, there is no natural supply of water on the island,
so that all of that element which is used there is taken from
Saucelito. In the basement of the barracks is a cistern, capa-
ble of holding fifty thousand gallons of water, a portion of
2
18 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
which can be supplied from the roof of that building in the rainy
season.
Appropriations have been made for the fortification of this
island, to the amount of eight hundred and ninety-six thousand
dollars; and about one hundred thousand dollars more will com-
plete them. From forty to two hundred men have been employed
upon these works since their commencement in 1853.
At the south-eastern end of the island is a fog-bell, of about the
same weight as that at Fort Point, which is regulated to strike by
machinery once in about every fifteen seconds.
The whole of the works on this .island are under the skilful
superintendence of Lieutenant McPherson, who very kindly ex-
plained to us the strength and purposes of the different fortifica-
tions made.
The lighthouse, at the south of the barracks, contains a Fresnel
lantern of the third order, and which can be seen, on a clear
night, some twelve miles outside the heads, and is of great service
in suggesting the course of a vessel when entering the bay.
Yet, as we are sailing on at considerable speed across the
entrance to the bay, toward Angel Island, we must not linger
here, even in imagination ; especially as we can now look out
through the far-famed Golden Gate; the golden-hinged hope of
many, who, with lingering eyes, have longed to look upon it, and
to enter through its charmed portals to this land of gold. How
many, too, have longed and hoped, for years, to pass it once
again, on their way out to the endeared and loving hearts that
wait to welcome them, at that dear spot they still call "Homef
God bless them !
Now the vessel is in full sail, and steamships that are entering
the heads, as well as those within that are tacking, now on this
stretch, and now on that, to make way out against the strong
north-west breeze that blows in at the Golden Gate for five-eighths
of the year, are fast being lost to sight, and we are just abreast of
ANGEL ISLAND.
This island, but five miles from the city of San Francisco, was
THE "MAMMOTH TKEES OF CALAVERAS. 19
granted by Governor Alvarado to Antonio M. Asio, by order of
the government of Mexico, in 1837 ; and by him sold to its present
owners in 1853. As it contains some eight hundred acres of ex-
cellent land, it is by far the largest and most valuable of any in
the bay of San Francisco, and the green wild oats that grow to its
very summit, in early spring, give excellent pasturage to stock of
all kinds; while the natural springs, at different points, afford
abundance of water at all seasons. At the present time there are
about five hundred sheep roaming over its fertile hills. A large
portion of the land is susceptible of cultivation, for grain and
vegetables.
From the inexhaustible quarries of hard, blue, and brown
sandstone that here abound, have been taken nearly all of the
stone used in the foundations of the numerous buildings in San
Francisco. The extensive fortifications at Alcatraces Island, Fort
Point, and other places, have been faced with it ; and the exten-
sive government works at Mare Island have been principally
built with stone from these quarries ; yet many thousands of tons
will be required from the same source, before the fortifications and
other government works are completed. Clay is also found in
abundance, and of an excellent quality for making bricks.
In 1856 Angel Island was surveyed by United States Engineers,
for the purpose of locating sites for two twenty-four gun batteries,
which are in the line of fortifications required, before our magnifi-
cent harbor may be considered as fortified. The most important
of these batteries will be on the north-west point of the island, and
will command Racqpon Straits ; and, until this is built, our navy
yard at Mare Island, and even the city of San Francisco itself,
cannot be considered safe, inasmuch as, through these straits, ships
of war could easily enter; if, by means of the heavy fog that so
frequently hangs over the entrance to the bay, or other cause,
they once passed Fort Point in safety. But here we are just
opposite
BED KOCK.
This singular looking island was formerly called Treasure, or
Golden Rock, in old charts, from a traditionary report being cir-
20 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
VIEW OP RED (OR TREASURE) ROCK.
dilated of some large treasure having been once carried there, by
early Spanish navigators. In charts of recent date, however, it is
sometimes called Molate Island, but is now more generally known
as Red Rock, from its general color.
There are several strata of rock, of different colors — if rock it
can be called — one of which is very fine, and resembles an article
sometimes found upon a lady's toilet-table — of course in earlier
days — known as rouge-powder. Besides this there are several
strata of a species of clay or colored pigment, of from four to
twelve inches in thickness, and of various colors. Upon the beach
numerous small red pebbles, very much resembling cornelian, are
found. There can be but little wonder it should be called " Red
Rock," by plain, matter-of-fact people like ourselves. It is cov-
ered with wild oats to its summit, on which is planted a flag-staff
and cannon. Several years ago its locater and owner, Mr.
Selim E. Woodworth, took about half a dozen tame rabbits over to
it, from San Francisco, and now there are several hundred.
As Mr. Woodworth, before becoming a benedict, made this his
place of residence, he partially graded its apparently inaccessible
sides ; and at different points planted several ornamental trees.
A small bachelor's cabin stands near the water's edge, and as this
affords the means of cooking fish and sundry other dishes, its
owner, and a small party of friends, pay it an occasional visit for
fishing and general recreation. Several sheep roam about on the
island ; and, as they seldom drink water, they do not feel the loss
of that which nature has here failed to supply.
But on, on, we sail, and pass Maria Island and the Two Sisters.
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVERAS.
VIEW OP THE TWO SISTERS.
After leaving these behind, and shooting by Point San Pablo,
we enter the large bay of that name ; and are charmed with the
fine table and grazing lands on our right, at the foot of the
Contra Costa range of hills.
STRAITS OF CARQUETEZ.
VIEW OF THE STKA1TS OP CABQUDfEZ.
Just before entering the Straits of Carqninez, that connects the
bays of San Pablo and Suisnn, on onr left, we obtain a glimpse
-he government works at Mare Island and the town of Yalkjo;
22 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
but as we shall probably have something to say about these points
at some future time, we will now take a look at the straits. As
the stranger approaches these for the first time, he makes up his
mind that the vessel on which he stands is out of her course, and
is certainly running toward a bluff, and will soon be in trouble
if she does not change her course, but as he advances and the
entrance to this narrow channel becomes visible, he concludes
that a few moments ago he entertained a very foolish idea.
Now, however, the bell of the steamboat and a porter both
announce that we are coming near Benicia, and that those who
intend disembarking here, had better have their baggage and their
ticket in readiness.
BENICIA.
One would suppose as the boat nears the wharf that she is
going to run " right into it," but soon she moves gracefully round
and is made fast ; but while those ashore, and those aboard, are
eagerly scanning each other, to see if there is any familiar face to
which to give the nod of recognition, or the cordial waving of the
hand in friendly greeting, we will take our seats, and say a word
or two about this city.
Benecia was founded, in the fall of 1847, by the late Thomas
O. Larkin and Roland Semple (who was also the originator and
editor of the first California newspaper published at Monterey,
August 15th, 1846, entitled The California^, upon land donated
them for the purpose by General M. G. Yallejo, and named in
honor of the general's estimable lady.
In 1848, a number of families took up their residence here.
During the fall of that year a public school was established,
which has been continued uninterruptedly to the present. In the
ensuing spring a Presbyterian church was organized, and has
continued under its original pastor to the present time.
The peculiarly favorable position of Benicia recommended it, at
an early day, as a suitable place for the general military head-
quarters of the United States, upon the Pacific. Being alike
convenient of access both to the sea-board and interior, and far
enough from the coast to be secure against sudden assault in time
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVERAS.
23
of war, it was seen that no more favorable position could be
selected, as adapted to all contingencies. These views met the ap-
proval of the general government ; and accordingly extensive store-
houses were built, military posts established, and arrangements
made for erecting here the principal arsenal on the Pacific coast.
There already are erected
barracks for the soldiers,
and officers' quarters ; two
magazines, capable of hold-
ing from six thousand to
seven thousand barrels of
gunpowder of one hundred
pounds each ; two store-
houses filled with gun-car-
riages, cannon, ball, and sev-
eral hundred stand of small
arms; besides workshops, etc.
About one hundred men
have been employed, under
the superintendence of Cap-
tain F. D. Calender, in the
construction of an arsenal
two hundred feet in length
by sixty feet in width, and
three stories in height, suit-
ably provided with towers,
loop-holes, windows, etc. Be-
sides this, a large citadel is
in course of erection. Two
hundred and twenty-five
thousand dollars have al-
ready been appropriated to
these works, and they will
most probably require as
much more before the whole
is completed.
24 SCENES IN CALIFOENIA.
Here, too, are ten highly and curiously ornamented bronze can-
non, six eight-pounders and four four-pounders, that were brought
originally from old Spain, and taken at Fort Point during our war
with Mexico. The following names and dates, besides coats of
arms, etc., are inscribed on some of them :
" San Martin, Ano. D. 1684."
" Poder, Ano. D. 1693."
" San Francisco, Ano. D. 1673."
" San Domengo, Ano. D. 1679."
u San Pedro, Ano. D. 1628."
As the barracks are merely a depot for the reception and trans-
mission of troops, it is difficult to say how many soldiers are
quartered here at any one time.
There are numerous other interesting places about Benicia, one
of which is the extensive works of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company, where all the repairs to their vessels are made, coal
deposited, etc., etc.
In 1853, Benicia was chosen the capital of the state by our
peripatetic legislature, and continued to hold that position for
about a year, when it was taken to Sacramento, where it still (for
a wonder) remains.
And, though last, by no means the least important feature of
Benicia, is the widely-known and deservedly flourishing boarding-
school for young ladies, the Benicia Seminary, under the charge
of Mr. and Mrs. Mills, founded in 1852, and in which several
young ladies have taken graduating honors.
Next to this is St. Augustine's College for young men, under the
superintendence of Rev. Dr. Breck, and which was established in
1853 ; adjoining which is the college of Notre Dame, for the edu-
cation of Catholic children. These, united to the excellent
sentiments of the people, make Benicia a favorite place of resi-
dence for families.
MARTINEZ.
Nearly opposite to Benicia, and distant only three miles, is the
pretty agricultural village of Martinez, the county-seat of Contra
Costa county. A week among the live-oaks, gardens, and farms
THE MAMMOTH TKEES OF CALAVEKAS. 25
in and around this lovely spot, will convince the most sceptical
that there are few more beautiful places in any part of the state.
A steam ferry-boat plies across the straits between this place and
Benicia, every hour in the day. The Stockton boat always used
to touch here both going and returning.
The run across the Straits of Carquinez, from Benicia to Mar-
tinez, three miles distant, takes about ten minutes. Then, after
a few moments' delay, we again dash onward — the moonlight
gilding the troubled waters in the wake of our vessel, as she
plows her swift way through the Bay of Suisun, and to all appear-
ance deepens the shadows on the darker sides of Monte Diablo,
by defining, with silvery clearness, the uneven ridges and summit
of that solitary mountain mass.
But now we must hurry on our way, as the steamboat is by
this time passing the different islands in the Bay of Suisun, named
as follows : Preston Island, King's, Simmons', Davis', Washing-
ton, Knox's, Jones', and Sherman's Island ; while on our right,
boldly distinct in outline and form, stands
MONTE DIABLO.
Almost every Californiaii has seen Monte Diablo. It is the
great central landmark of the state. Whether we are walking in
the streets of San Francisco, or sailing on any of our bays and
navigable rivers, or riding on any of the roads in the Sacramento
and San Joaquin Valleys, or standing -on the elevated ridges of
the mining districts before us — in lonely boldness, and at almost
every turn, we see Monte del Diablo. Probably from its apparent
omnipresence we are indebted to its singular name, Mount of the
Demi.
Viewed from the north-west or south-east, it appears double, or
with two elevations, the points of which are about three miles
apart. The south-western peak is the most elevated, and is three
thousand seven hundred and sixty feet above the sea.
For the purpose of properly surveying the state into a net-
work of township lines, three meridians or initial points were
established by the United States Survey, namely : Monte Diablo,
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
MONTE DIABLO, WITH A POETION OF SUISUN BAY, FEOM THE SULPHUR-SPRING HOUSE.
Mount San Bernardino, and Mount Pierce, Humboldt county.
Across the highest peaks of each of these, a " meridian line" and
a " base line" were run ; the latter from east to west, and the
former from north to south. The boundaries of the Monte Diablo
meridian include all the lands in the great Sacramento and San
Joaquin Valleys, between the Coast Range and the Sierras, and
from the Siskiyou Mountains to the San Bernardino meridian, at
the head of the Tulare Valley.
The geological formation of this mountain is what is usually
termed " primitive ;" surrounded by sedimentary rocks, abound-
ing in marine shells. Near the summit there are a few quartz
veins, but whether gold-bearing or not has not yet been deter-
mined. About one-third of the distance from the top, on the
western slope, is a " hornblende" rock of peculiar structure, and
said by some to contain gold. In the numerous spurs at the
base, there is an excellent and inexhaustible supply of limestone.
At the eastern foot of the mountains, about five miles from the
San Joaquin River, several veins of coal have been discovered,
and are now being worked with good prospects of remuneration,
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVEKAS. 27
as the veins grow thicker and the quality better, as they proceed
with their labors.
It is said that copper ore and cinnabar have both been found
here, but with what truth we are unable to determine. Some
Spaniards have reported that they know of some rich mineral
there ; but do not tell of what kind, and, for reasons best known
to themselves, will neither communicate their secret to others nor
work it themselves.
If the reader has no objection, we will climb the mountain — at
least in imagination, as the captain, although an obliging man
enough, will not detain the boat for us to ascend it de facto — and
see what further discoveries we can make.
Provided with good horses — always make sure of the latter on
any trip you may make, reader — an excellent telescope, and a
liberal allowance of luncheon, let us leave the beautiful village of
Martinez at seven o'clock A.M. For the first four miles, we ride
over a number of pretty and gently rolling hills, at a lively gait,
and arrive at the Pacheco Valley, on the edge of which stands
the flourishing little village of Pacheco. We now dash across the
valley at good speed for eight miles, in a south-east direction, and
reach the western foot of Monte Diablo, after a good hour's
pleasant ride.
For the first mile and a half of our ascent we have a good
wagon road, built in 1852, to give easy access to a quartz lead,
from which considerable rock was taken in wagons to the Bay of
Suisun, and, after being shipped to San Francisco, for the pur-
pose of being tested, was found to contain gold, but not in suffi-
cient quantities to pay for working it ; for the next two miles, a
good, plain trail to the main summit, passes several clear springs
of cold water.
From the numerous tracks of the grizzly bears that were seen
at the springs, we may naturally conclude that such animals have
their sleeping apartments among the bunches of chaparal in the
canons yonder : and, if we should see the track-makers before we
return, we hope our companions will keep up their courage and
sufficient presence of mind to prevent themselves imitating Mr.
28 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
Grizzly at the spring — at least not in the direction of the settle-
ments— and leave us alone in our glory.
As you will perceive, the summit of the mountain is reached
without the necessity of dismounting ; and as there are wild oats
all around, and the stores of sundries provided have not been lost
or left behind, suppose we rest and refresh ourselves, and allow
our animals to do the same.
The sight of the glorious panorama unrolled at our feet, we need
not tell you, amply repays us for our early ride. As we look
around us, we may easily imagine that perhaps the priests who
named this mountain may have climbed it, and as they saw the
wonders spread out before them, recalled to memory the following
passage of holy writ: "The devil taketh him [Jesus] up into an
exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of
the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these
things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me''
(MATTHEW 4th, verses 8 and 9) ; and from this time called it Monte
del Diablo. Of course, this is mere supposition, and is as likely
to be wrong as it is to be right.
The Pacific Ocean ; the city, and part of the bay of San Fran-
cisco ; Fort Point ; the Golden Gate ; San Pablo and Suisun
Bays; the government works at Mare Island ; Yallejo; Benicia;
the valleys of Santa Clara, Petaluma, Sonoma, Kapa, Sacramento,
and San Joaquin, with their rivers, creeks, and sloughs, in all
their tortuous windings ; the cities of Stockton and Sacramento ;
and the great line of the snow-covered Sierras ; with numerous
villages dotting the pine forests on the lower mountain range — are
all spread out before you. In short, there is nothing to obstruct
the sight in any direction ; and, with a good glass, the steamers
and vessels at anchor in the bay, and made fast at the wharves of
San Francisco, are distinctly visible.
Stock may be seen grazing, in all directions, on the mountains.
To the very summit, wild oats and chaparal alternately grow. In
the canons are oak and pine trees from fifty to one hundred feet
in height ; and, on the more exposed portions, there are low trees
from twenty to thirty feet in height.
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVERAS. 29
In the fall season, when the wild oats and dead bushes are per
fectly dry, the Indians sometimes set large portions of the surface
of the mountains on fire ; and, when the breeze is fresh, and the
night is dark, and the lurid flames leap, and curl, and sway, now
to this side and now to that, the spectacle presented is magnificent
beyond the power of language to express.
SAILING UP THE SAN JOAQUIN EIVEK.
The Sacramento boat, we see, is going straight forward, and
will soon enter the Sacramento River, up which her course lies ;
while ours is to the right, past "New York of the Pacific" (con-
taining three dilapidated houses), touching at Antioch, the conve-
nient depot of the Monte Diablo coal mines, just sufficiently long to
discharge passengers and freight, we shoot up the San Joaquin.
The evening being calm and sultry, it soon becomes evident
that, if it is not the height of the musquito season, a very numer-
ous band are out on a freebooting excursion ; and, although
their harvest-home song of blood is doubtless very musical, it is
matter of regret with us to confess that, in our opinion, but few
persons on board appear to have any ear for it. In order, however,
that their musical efforts may not be entirely lost sight of, they—
the muscjiiitos — take pleasure in writing and impressing their low
refrain, in red and embossed notes, upon the foreheads of the
passengers, so that he who looks may read, "Musquitos !" when,
alas! such is the ingratitude felt for favors so voluntarily per-
formed, that flat-handed blows are dealt out to them in impetuous
haste ; and blood, blood, blood, and flattened musquitos, are
written, in red and dark brown spots, .upon the smiter ; and the
notes of those singers are heard no more !
While the unequal warfare is going on, and one carcass of the
slain induces at least a dozen of the living to come to his funeral
and avenge his death, we are sailing on, on, up one of the most
crooked and monotonous navigable rivers out of doors ; and, as
we may as well do something more than fight the little, bill-
presenting, and tax-collecting musquitos, if only for variety, we
will relate to the reader how, in the early spring of 1849, just
30
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
before leaving our southern home on the banks of "The Father of
Waters," the old Mississippi, a gentleman arrived from northern
Europe, and was at once introduced, a member of our little family
circle. Ifow, however strange it may appear, our new friend had
never in his life looked upon a live musquito, or a musquito-bar,
and, consequently, knew nothing about the arrangements of a
goodfemme de charge for passing a comfortable night, where such
insects were even more numerous than oranges. In the morning,
he seated himself at the breakfast-table, his face nearly covered
with wounds received from the enemy's proboscis, when an in-
quiry was made by the lady of the house if he had passed the
night pleasantly. " Yes — yes," he replied with some hesitation ;
" yes — toler-a-bly pleasant ; although — a — small — fly — annoyed
me — somewhat!" At this confession we could restrain ourselves
no longer, but broke out into a hearty laugh, led by our good-
natured hostess, who then exclaimed : " Musquitos ! why, I never
dreamed that the marks on your face were musquito bites. I
thought they might be from a rash, or something of that kind.
Why, didn't you lower down your musquito-bars ?" But, as this
latter appendage to a bed, on the low, alluvial lands of a southern
river, was a greater stranger to him than any dead language
known, the " small fly" problem had to be satisfactorily solved,
and his sleep made sweet.
Perhaps it may be well here to remark, that the San Joaquin
River is divided into three branches, known, respectively, as the
west, middle, and east channels — the latter named being not only
the main stream, but the one used by the steamboats and sailing-
vessels bound to and from Stockton — or, at least, to within four
miles of that city, from which point the Stockton slough is used.
The east, or main channel, is navigable for small, stern-wheel
steamboats as high as Frezno City. Besides the three main chan-
nels of the San Joaquin, before mentioned, there are numerous
tributaries, the principal of which are the Moquelumne, Calaveras,
Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced Rivers.
An apparently interminable sea of tules extends nearly one
hundred and fifty miles, south, up the valley of the San Joaquin ;
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVERAS.
31
and when these are on fire, as 'they not unfrequently are, during
the fall and early winter months, the broad sheet of licking and
leaping name, and the vast volumes of smoke that rise, and eddy,
and surge, hither and thither, present a scene of fearful grandeur
at night, that is suggestive of some earthly pandemonium.
NIGHT SCENE" ON THE SAN JOAQUIN KIVER — MONTE DIABLO IN THE DISTANCE.
The lumbering sound- of the boat's machinery has suddenly
ceased, and our high-pressure motive power, descended from a
regular to an occasional snorting, gives us a reminder that we
have reached Stockton. Time, half-past two o'clock A.M.
At day-break we are again disturbed in our fitful slumbers, by
the rumbling of wagons and hurrying bustle of laborers dis-
charging cargo ; and before we have scarcely turned over for
another uncertain nap, the stentorian lungs of some employee of
the stage companies announce, that " stages for Sonora, Columbia,
Moquelumne Hill, Sacramento, Mariposa, Coulterville, and Mur-
phy's, are just about starting."
32 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
The reader knows as well as we do, tliat it is of no use, what-
ever, to be in too great a hurry when we are sight-seeing ; conse-
quently, with his permission, we will allow the stages to depart
without us this morning, and take a quiet walk about the city.
THE CITY OF STOCKTON.
This nourishing commercial city is situated in the valley of the
San Joaquin, at the head of a deep navigable slough or arm of the
San Joaquin River, about three miles from its junction with that
stream. The luxuriant foliage of the trees and shrubs impress the
stranger with the great fertility of the soil ; and the unusually
large number of windmills with the manner of irrigation. So
marked a feature as the latter has secured to this locality the cog-
nomen of "the City of Windmills."
The land upon which the city stands is part of a grant made by
Governor Micheltorena, to Captain C. M. Weber and Mr. Gulnac,
in 1844, who most probably were the first white settlers in the
valley of the San Joaquin ; although some Canadian Frenchmen,
in the employ of the Hudson Bay Company, spent several hunt-
ing seasons here, commencing as early as 1834.
In 1813, an exploring expedition, under Lieutenant Gabriel
Morago, visited this valley, and gave it its present name — the
former, one being " Yalle de los Tulares," or Yalley of Rushes.
At that time, it was occupied by a large and formidable tribe of
Indians, called the Yachicumnes, who, in after times, were for the
most part captured and sent to the Missions Dolores and San Jose,
or decimated by the small-pox, and now are nearly extinct. Under
the maddening influence of their losses by death from that fatal
disease, they rose upon the whites, burned their buildings and
killed their stock, and forced them to take shelter at the Mis-
sions.
In 1846, Mr. "Weber, reinforced by a number of emigrants, re-
newed his efforts to form a settlement ; but the war breaking out,
compelled him to seek refuge in the larger settlements, until the
Bear flag was hoisted, when Captain Weber, from his knowledge
of the country, and the devotedness of those who had placed
34 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
themselves under his command, was able to render invaluable aid
to the American cause.
When the war was concluded, in 1848, another and successful
attempt was made to establish a prosperous settlement here, but
upon the discovery of gold it \vas again nearly deserted.
Several cargoes of goods having arrived from San Francisco, for
land transportation to the southern mines, were suggestive of the
importance of this spot for the foundation of a city, when cloth
tents and houses sprung up as if by magic. On the 23d of De-
cember, 1849, a fire broke out for the first time, and the " linen
city," as it was then called, was swept away, causing a loss of
about two hundred thousand dollars. Almost before the ruins had
ceased smouldering, a new^er and cleaner "linen city," with a few
wooden buildings, was erected in its place. In the following
spring, a large proportion of the cloth houses gave place to wooden
structures; and, being now in steam communication with San
Francisco, the new city began to grow substantially in importance.
On the 30th of March, 1850, the first weekly Stockton newspa-
per was published by Radcliffe and White, conducted by Mr.
John "White.
On the same day, the first theatrical performance was given, in
the Assembly Room of the Stockton House, by Messrs. Bingham
and Fury.
On the 13th of May following, the first election wras held — the
population then numbering about two thousand four hundred.
June 26th, a fire department was organized, and J. E. Nuttman
elected chief engineer.
On the 25th of the following month an order was received from
the County Court, incorporating the city of Stockton, and author-
izing the election of officers. On the 1st of August, 1850, an
election for municipal officers was held, when seven hundred
votes were polled, with the following result: — Mayor, Samuel
Purdy ; Eecorder, C. M. Teak ; City Attorney, Henry A. Crabb ;
Treasurer, George D. Brush ; Assessor, C. Edmondson ; Marshal,
T. S. Lubbock.
On the 6th of May, 1851, a fire broke out that nearly destroyed
THE MAMMOTH TKEES OF CALAVERAS.
35
tlie whole city, at a loss of one million five
hundred thousand dollars. After this con-
flagration, a large number of brick buildings
were erected.
In 1852, steps were taken to build a City
Hall ; and about the same time, the south
wing of what is now the State Asylum for
the Insane, was erected as a General Hospi-
tal; but which was abolished in 1853, and
the Insane Asylum formed into a distinct
institution by an act of the Legislature. In
1854, the central building was added, and
in 1855, the kitchen, bakery, dining-rooms,
and bath-rooms were also added.
On the 1st of February, 1856, another
fire destroyed property to the amount of
about sixty thousand dollars ; and on the
30th of July following, by the same cause,
about forty thousand dollars' worth of prop-
erty was swept away.
There are twelve places of worship in
Stockton : two Presbyterian, two Baptist,
an Episcopal, Congregational, Methodist
Episcopal, Methodist Church South, Ger-
man Methodist, Catholic, colored Metho-
dist, and a Jewish synagogue.
Of newspapers published here, there are
the Stockton Independent, daily and weekly,
N. M. Orr & Co., proprietors ; San Joaquin
Republican, daily and weekly, H. C. Pat-
rick & Co., proprietors ; and the Evening
Herald, daily, Wm. Biven, proprietor.
There are seven public schools here, with
an aggregate attendance of 1,275 scholars,
as follows: Washington, 350 ; Lafayette,
325 ; Franklin, 225 ; North, 100 ; South, 80 ;
Vineyard, 125; Pacific, 70: Total, 1,275.
36 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
These are exclusive of several flourishing private schools, the
success of which will prove how well they were conducted.
Stockton can boast of having the deepest artesian well in the
state, which is one thousand and two feet in depth, and which
throws out two hundred and fifty gallons of water per minute, fif-
teen thousand per hour, and three hundred and sixty thousand
gallons every twenty-four hours, to the height of eleven feet above
the plain, and nine feet above the city grade. In sinking this well,
ninety-six different strata of loam, clay, mica, green sandstone,
pebbles, etc., were passed through. Three hundred and forty feet
from the surface, a redwood stump was found, imbedded in sand,
from whence a stream of water issued to the top. The tempera-
ture of the water is YT° Fahrenheit — the atmosphere being only
60°. The cost of this well was ten thousand dollars.
One of the principal features connected with the commerce of
this city, is the number of large freight wagons, laden for the
mines; these have, not inappropriately, been denominated " prairie
schooners," and " steamboats of the plains." One team, belonging
to Mr. Warren, has taken one hundred thousand pounds to Mariposa
in four frips, thus averaging twenty-five thousand per trip. An-
other team, belonging to Mr. Huffman, hauled thirty-two thousand
from Staple's Ranche to Stockton. Twenty-nine thousand six hun-
dred and eighty pounds of freight, in addition to seven hundred
pounds of feed, were hauled to Jenny Lind — a mining town on the
Moquelumne Hill road, twenty-seven miles from Stockton — by
twelve mules. The cost of these wagons is from nine hundred
to eleven hundred and fifty dollars. In length, they are generally
from twenty to twenty-three feet on the top, and from eighteen
to nineteen feet on the bottom. Mules cost upon the average three
hundred and fifty dollars each ; and some very large ones sell as
high as one thousand four hundred dollars the span. One man
drives and tends as many as fourteen animals, guiding and driving
with a single line. These teams have nearly superseded the use
of pack trains, inasmuch as formerly the number of animals in
the packing trade exceeded one thousand five hundred, and now
it is only about one hundred and sixty. It would be a source of
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVERAS. 37
considerable amusement to our eastern friends, could they see how
easily these large mules are managed. They are drilled like soldiers,
and are almost as tractable. When a teamster cracks his whip, it
sounds like the sharp quick report of a revolver, and is nearly as loud.
Several stages leave Stockton daily, at six o'clock, A.M. : For
Chinese Camp, fare, $7 (connecting at Chinese with stages for Big
Oak Flat, Garrote, Hardin's Mill, Tamarack Flat, and at the lat-
ter place with saddle train to Hutchings', in Yo-Sem'ite, eleven
miles distant. Also with Coulterville) ; Sonora and Columbia,
fare, $8 ; for Copperopolis, fare, $6 ; Murphy's Camp, fare, $8 ;
Calaveras Grove of Mammoth Trees, fare, $10. These fares, it
should be remembered, are from Stockton through to the points
named. On alternate days, at the same hour, for Mariposa, the
Mariposa Mammoth Tree Grove, and Yo-Semite, fare to Mariposa,
$10. A daily line is projected on this route.
The Western Pacific railroad, directly connected with the
" Central Pacific" and " Union Pacific," passes straight through
Stockton. Visitors who wish to see the Yo-Semite valley, or
either grove of big trees, before going to San Francisco, should
here leave the train, as every mile in either direction, on that great
thoroughfare, would be that much out of the way.
Two new lines of railway are now being constructed : " The
Stockton and Copperopolis," and " The Stockton and Tulare."
The terminus of the former will be thirty-six miles, on the shortest,
as well as on one of the most picturesque of routes, to both the
Calaveras Grove and the Yo-Semite. The latter will pass a point
some twelve miles west of " Snelling's," on the Merced River, and
will convey passengers on the Mariposa route to within some
ninety -five miles of Yo-Semite. Both these lines will afford
pleasant and rapid transit over the dusty plains — now the least
comfortable of any portion of the trip.
STOCKTON, VIA COPPKROPOLIS, TO THE CALAVERAS BIG TREES.
u All aboard for Copperopolis, Murphy's, and the Calaveras Big-
Tree Grove," cries the coachman. " All set," shouts somebody
in answer; when, "crack goes the whip, and away go we."
38 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
There is a feeling of jovial, good-humored pleasureableness that
steals insensibly over the secluded residents of cities when all the
cares of a daily routine of duties are left behind, and the novelty
of fresh scenes forms new sources of enjoyment. Especially is it so
when seated comfortably in an easy old stage, with the prospect be-
fore us of witnessing one of the most wonderful sights to be found
in any far-off country, either of the old or new world. Besides, in
addition to our being in the reputed position of a Frenchman with
his dinner, who is said to enjoy it three times — first, by anticipa-
tion ; second, in participation ; and third, upon retrospection ; we
have new views perpetually breaking upon our admiring sight.
As soon as we have passed over the best gravelled streets of any
town or city in the state, without exception, we thread our way
past the beautiful suburban residences of the city of Stockton, and
emerge from the shadows of the giant oaks that stand on either
side the road. The deliciously cool breath of early morning, laden
as it is in spring and early summer, with the fragrance of myriads of
flowers and scented shrubs, we inhale with an acme of enjoyment
that contrasts inexpressibly with the almost stifling and unsavory
warmth of a liliputian state-room on board a high-pressure steamboat.
The bracing air will soon restore the loss of appetite resulting
from, and almost consequent upon, the excitement created by the
novel circumstances and prospects attending us, so that when we
arrive at the first public-house for a change of horses, and break-
fast is announced, it is not by any means an unwelcome sound.
The inner man being allowed about fifteen minutes to receive
satisfaction, and a fresh relay of horses provided, we are soon upon
our way again. At the " twenty-seven mile house," we again
" change" horses. By this time the day and the travellers all be-
come warm together; and as the cooling land-breeze dies out,
the dust begins to pour in by every chink and aperture, so that
the luxurious enjoyments of the early morning depart in the same
way that lawyers are said to get to heaven — by degrees.
Leaving Copperopolis, we pass through the mining towns of
Angel's Camp, Yallecito, and Douglas Flat, arriving at Sperry
<fe Perry's hotel in Murphy's Camp about dark. Early the
next morning let us start for the Mammoth-Tree Grove.
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVERA8. 39
ROAD TO THE MAMMOTH-TREE GROVE.
Leaving the mining town of Murphy's Camp behind, we cross
the " Flat," and — about half a mile from town — proceed, upon a
good carriage road, up a narrow canon, now upon this side of the
stream, and now on 'that,* as the hills proved favorable, or other-
wise; for the construction of the road. If our visit is supposed to
be in spring or early summer, every mountain side, even to the
tops of the ridges, is covered with flowers and flowering-shrubs of
great variety and beauty ; while, on either hand, groves of oaks
and pines stand as shade-giving guardians of personal comfort ,to
the dust-covered traveller on a sunny day.
As we continue our ascent for a few miles, the road becomes
more undulating and gradual, and lying, for the most part, on the
top, or gently sloping sides, of a dividing ridge; often through
dense forests of tall, magnificent pines, that are from one hundred
and seventy to two hundred and twenty feet in height, slender,
and straight as an arrow. We measured one, that had fallen, that
was twenty inches in diameter at the base, and fourteen and a half
inches in diameter at the distance of one hundred and twenty-five
feet from the base. The ridges being nearly clear of an under-
growth of shrubbery, and the trunks of the trees, "for fifty feet
upward, or more, entirely clear of branches, the eye of the
traveller can wander, delightedly, for a long distance', among the
captivating scenes of the forest.
At different distances upon the route, the canal of the Union
"Water Company winds its sinuous way on the top or around the
sides of the ridge; or its sparkling contents rush impetuously
down the water-furrowed centre of a ravine. Here and there an
aqueduct, or cabin, or saw-mill, gives variety to an ever-changing
landscape.
When within about four and a half miles of the Mammoth-Tree
Grove, the surrounding mountain peaks and ridges are boldly
visible. Looking south-east, the uncovered head of Bald Moun-
tain silently announces its solitude and distinctiveness ; west, the
" Coast Mountain range" forms a continuous girdle to the horizon,
40 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
extending to ~the north and east, where the snowy tops of the
Sierras form a magnificent back-ground to the glorious picture.
While we have been thus riding and admiring, and talking and
wondering, and musing concerning the beautiful scenes we have
witnessed, the deepening shadows of the densely-timbered forest
we are entering, by the awe they inspire — at first gently and im-
perceptibly, then rapidly and almost to be felt — prepare our minds
to appreciate the imposing grandeur of the objects we are about
to see, just as
"Coming events cast their shadows before."
The gracefully-curling smoke from the chimneys of the Big-
Tree Cottage, that is now visible ; the inviting refreshment of the
inner man ; the luxurious feeling arising from bathing the hands
and temples in cold, clear water — especially after a ride or walk —
are alike disregarded. One thought, one feeling, one emotion—
that of vastness, sublimity, profoundness, pervades the whole soul ;
for there
" The giant trees,' in silent majesty,
Like pillars, stand 'neath Heaven's mighty dome,
'Twould seem that, perch'd upon their topmost branch,
With outstretch'd finger, man might touch the stars;
Yet, could he gain that height, the boundless sk\
Were still as far beyond his utmost reach,
As from the burrowing toilers in a mine.
Their age unknown, into what depths of time
Might Fancy wander sportively, and deem
Some Monarch-Father of this grove set forth
His tiny shoot, when the primeval flood
Receded from the old and changed earth ;
Perhaps, coeval with Assyrian kings,
His branches in dominion spread ; from age
To age, his sapling heirs with empires grew.
When Time those patriarchs' leafy tresses strew'd
Upon the earth, while Art and Science slept,
And ruthless hordes drove back Improvement's stream
Their sturdy oaklings throve, and, in their turn,
Rose, when Columbus gave to Spain a world.
How many races, savage or refined,
Have dwelt beneath their shelter ! Who shall say
THE MAMMOTH TKEES OF CALAVEliAS.
HOTEL AT THE CALAVERAS GROVE OF BIG TREES.
(If hands irreverent molest them not)
But they may shadow mighty cities, reared
E'en at their roots, in centuries to come,
Till, with the " Everlasting Hills" they bow,
When "Time shall be no longer!"*
Before wandering further amid the wild secluded depths of this
forest, it will be well that the horse and his rider should partake
of some good and substantial repast, such as he will here find
provided, inasmuch as it is not always wisest, or best, to explore
the wonderful, or look upon the beautiful, with an empty stomach,
especially after a bracing and appetitive ride of fifteen miles.
While thus engaged, let us explain some matters that we have
reserved for this occasion.
* Extract from Mrs. Conner's forthcoming play of "The Three Brothers; or, the
Mammoth Grove of Calavera^ : a Legend of California."
4:2
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
The Mammoth-Tree Grove,
then, is situated in a gently slo-
ping, and, as you have seen,
heavily-timbered valley, on the
divide or ridge between the San
Antonio branch of the Calaveras .
River and the north fork of the
Stanislaus River ; inlat. 38° north,
long. 120° 10' west ; at an eleva-
tion of 2,300 feet above Murphy's
Camp, and 4,370 feet above the
level of the sea; at a distance
of ninety-seven miles from Sac-
ramento City, and eighty-seven
from Stockton.
When specimens of this tree,
with its cones and foliage, were
sent to England for examination,
Professor Lindley, an eminent
English botanist, considered • it
as forming a new genus, and ac-
cordingly named it (doubtless
with the best intentions, but still
unfairly) " "Wellingtonia gigan-
tea ;" but through the examina-
tions of Mr. Lobb, a gentleman
of rare botanical attainments,
who has spent several years in
California, devoting himself to
this interesting, and, to him, fa-
vorite branch of study, it is de-
cided to belong to the Taxodium
family, and must be referred to
the old genus Sequoia sempervi-
rens ; and consequently, as it is
not a new genus, and as it has
THE MAMMOTH TREES . OF CALAVEKAS. 43
been properly examined and classified, it is now known, only,
among scientific men, as the Sequoia gigantea (sempervirens) and
not "Wellingtonia," or, as some good and laudably patriotic souls
would have it, to prevent the English from stealing American
thunder, " Washing tonia gigantea."
Within an area of fifty acres, there are one hundred and three
trees of a goodly size, twenty of which exceed twenty-five feet in
diameter at the base, and, consequently, are about seventy-five fe
in circumference !
WORKMEN ENGAGED IN FELLING THE MAMMOTH TREE.
But — the repast over — let us first walk upon the " Big-Tree
Stump" adjoining the cottage. You see it is perfectly smooth,
sound, and level. Upon this stump, however incredible it may
seem, on the 4th of July, thirty-two persons were engaged in
dancing four sets of .cotillions at one time, without suffering any
inconvenience whatever; and besides these, there were mu-
sicians and lookers-on. Across the solid wood of this stump,
five and a half feet from the ground (now the bark is removed,
which was from fifteen to eighteen inches in thickness), measures
4A SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
twenty-five feet, and with the bark, twenty-eight feet. Think for
a moment ; the stump of a tree exceeding nine yards in diameter,
and sound to the very centre.
This tree employed five men for twenty-two days in felling it —
not by chopping it down, but by boring it off with pump augers.
After the stem was fairly severed from the stump, the uprightness
of the tree, and breadth of its base, sustained it in its position.
To accomplish the feat of throwing it over, about two and a half
days of the twenty-two were spent in inserting wedges, and
driving them in with the butts of trees, until, at last, the noble
monarch of the forest was forced to tremble, and then to fall, after
braving "the battle and the breeze" of nearly three thousand
winters. In our estimation, it was a sacrilegious act ; although
it is possible, that the exhibition of the bark, among the unbe-
lievers of the eastern part of our continent, and of Europe, may
have convinced all the " Thomases" living, that we have great
facts in California, that must be believed, sooner or later. This
is the only palliating consideration with us for this act of desecra-
tion.
VIEW OF DOUBLE BOWLING- ALLEY OX TRUNK OF BIG TREE.
This noble tree was three hundred and two feet in height, and
ninety-six feet in circumference at the ground. Upon the upper
part of the prostate trunk is constructed a long double bowling1-
THE MAMMOTH TKEES OF CALAVERAS. 4:5
alley, where the athletic sport of playing bowls may afford a
pastime and change to the visitor.
Now let us walk, among the giant shadows of the forest, to
another of these wonders — the largest tree now standing ; which,
from its immense size, two breast-like protuberances on one side,
and the number of small trees of the same class adjacent, has been
named " The Mother of the Forest." In the summer of 1854, the
bark was stripped from this tree by Mr. George Gale, for pur-
poses of exhibition in the East, to the height of one hundred
and sixteen feet; and it now measures in circumference, without
the bark, at the base, eighty-four feet ; twenty feet from base,
sixty-nine feet ; seventy feet from base, forty-three feet six inches ;
one hundred and sixteen feet from base, and up to the bark,
thirty-nine feet six inches. The full circumference at base, in-
cluding bark, was ninety feet. Its height is three hundred and
twenty-one feet. The average thickness of bark was eleven
inches, although in places it was about two feet. This tree is
estimated to contain five hundred and thirty-seven thousand feet
of sound inch lumber. To the first branch it is one hundred
and thirty-seven feet. The small black marks upon the tree
indicate points where two and a half inch auger holes were bored,
into which rounds were inserted, by which to ascend and descend,
while removing the bark. At different distances upward, especi-
ally at the top, numerous dates, and names of visitors, have been
cut. It is contemplated to construct a circular stairway around
this tree. When the bark was being removed, a young man fell
from the scaffolding — or, rather, out of a descending noose — at a
distance of seventy-nine feet from the ground, and escaped with a
broken limb. We were within a few yards of him when he fell,
and were agreeably surprised to discover that he had not broken
his neck.
A short distance from the above lies the prostrate and majestic
body of the " Father of the Forest," the largest tree of the entire
group, half-buried in the soil. This tree measures in circumfer-
ence, at the roots, one hundred and ten feet. It is two hundred
feet to the first branch ; the whole of which is hollow, and through
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
VIEW OP THE "FATHER OP THE FOREST."
which a person can walk erect. By the trees that were broken
off when this tree bowed its proud head, in its fall, it is estimated
that, when standing, it could not be less than four hundred and
thirty-five feet in height. Three hundred feet from the roots,
and where it was broken off by striking against another large
tree, it is eighteen feet in diameter. Around this tree stand the
graceful, yet giant trunks of numerous other trees, which form a
family circle, and make this the most imposing scene in the whole
grove. From its immense size, and the number of trees near,
doubtless originated the name. Near its base is a never-failing
spring .of cold and delicious water.
Let us not linger here too long, but pass on to " The Husband
and Wife" — a graceful pair of trees that are leaning, with ap-
parent affection, against each other. Both of these are of the
same size, and measure in circumference, at the base, about sixty
feet ; ,and in height are about two hundred and fifty-two feet.
A short distance further is " The Burnt Tree ;" which is pros-
trate, and hollow from numerous burnings — in which a person can
ride on horseback for sixty feet. The estimated height of this
tree, when standing, was three hundred and thirty feet, and its
circumference ninety-seven feet. It now measures across the
roots thirty-nine feet six inches.
" Hercules," another of these giants, is ninety-five feet in cir-
cumference, and three hundred and twenty feet high. On the
trunk of this tree is cut the name of "G.M. "Wooster, June, 1850 ;"
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVERAS. 4<
so that it is possible this person may some day claim precedence to
Mr. Dowd, in this great discovery.* At all events, it was through
the latter that the world became acquainted with the grove. There
are many other trees of this group that claim a passing notice; but,
inasmuch as they very much resemble each other, we shall only
mention them briefly.
THE CONE, AND FOLIAGE OF THE MAMMOTH TREES — FULL SIZE.
The " Hermit," a lonely old fellow, is 318 feet in height, and
00 in circ-umfurence ; exceedingly straight and well formed.
* Since writing the above, we have made the acquaintance of Mr. Wooster, who
disclaims all title to the discovery, although of the same party; and gives it to W.
"VHiitehead, Esq., who, while tying his shoe, looked casually around him, and saw the
trees, June, 1850.
48 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
The "Old Maid" — a stooping, broken-topped, and forlorn-
looking spinster of the big-tree family — is two hundred and
sixty-one feet in height, and fifty-nine feet in circumference.
As a fit companion to the above, though at a respectful distance
from it, stands the dejected-looking " Old Bachelor." This tree,
as lonely and as solitary as the former, is one of the roughest, bark-
rent specimens of the big trees to be found. In size it rather has
the advantage of the " Old Maid," being about two hundred and
ninety-eight feet in height, and sixty feet in circumference.
Near to the " Old Bachelor" is the " Pioneer's Cabin," the top
of which is broken off about one hundred and fifty feet from the
ground. This tree measures thirty-three feet in diameter ; but, as
it is hollow, and uneven in its circumference, its average size will
not be quite equal to that.
The " Siamese Twins," as their name indicates, with one large
stem at the ground, form a double tree about forty-one feet
upward. These are each three hundred feet in height.
Near to them stands the " Guardian," a fine-looking old tree,
three hundred and twenty feet in height, by eighty-one feet in cir-
cumference.
The " Mother and Son" form another beautiful sight, as side by
side they stand. The former is three hundred and fifteen feet in
height, and the latter three hundred and two feet. Unitedly.
their circumference is ninety-three feet.
The " Horseback Ride" is an old, broken, and long prostrate
trunk, one hundred and fifty feet in length, hollow from one end
to the other, and in which, to the distance of seventy -two feet, a
person can ride on horseback. At the narrowest place inside, this
tree is twelve feet high.
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is another fanciful name, given to a tree
that is hollow, and in which twenty-five persons can be seated
comfortably (not, as a friend at our elbow suggests, in each other's
laps, perhaps !) This tree is three hundred and five feet in height,
and ninety-one feet in circumference.
The " Pride of the Forest" is one of the most beautiful trees of
this wonderful grove. It is well-shaped, straight, and sound;
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF CALAVEKAS. 49
and, although not quite as large as some of the others, it is, never-
theless, a noble-looking member of the grove, two hundred and
seventy-five feet in height, and sixty feet in circumference.
THE "THREE GRACES."
50 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
The " Two Guardsmen" stand by the roadside, at the entrance
of the " clearing," and near the cottage. They seem to be the
sentinels of the valley. In height, these are three hundred feet ;
and in circumference, one is sixty-five feet, and the other sixty-
nine feet.
Next — though last in being mentioned, not least in gracefulness
and beauty — stand the " Three Sisters" — by some called the
" Three Graces" — one of the most beautiful groups (if not the
most beautiful) of the whole grove. Together, at their base, they
measure in circumference ninety-two feet ; and in height they are
nearly equal, and each measures nearly two hundred and ninety-
five feet.
Many of the largest of these trees have been deformed and
otherwise injured, by the numerous and large fires that have
swept with desolating fury over .this forest, at different periods.
But a small portion of decayed timber, of the Taxodium genus,
can be seen. Like other varieties of the same species, it is less
subject to decay, even when fallen and dead, than other woods.
Respecting the age of this grove, there has been but one opinion
among the best informed botanists, which is this — that each con-
centric circle is the growth of one year ; and as nearly three thou-
sand concentric circles can be counted in the stump of the fallen
tree, it is correct to conclude that these trees are nearly three thou-
sand years old. "This," says the Gardener's Calendar, "may
very well be true, if it does not grow above two inches in diame-
ter in twenty years, which we believe to be the fact."
Could those magnificent and venerable forest giants of Calaveras
county be gifted with a descriptive historical tongue, how their
recital would startle us, as they told of the many wonderful
changes that have taken place in California within the last three
thousand years I*
* Almost eight miles from here is the wonderful " South Grove," by far the largest
and finest grove of Sequoias yet discovered in California. It contains 1,380 trees,
many of them of the most magnificent proportions. We measured ten trees that were
twenty-one feet larger in circumference than any others in either of the groves.
Through the prostrate trunk of one tree, resembling an immense tube, we could have
driven one of the heaviest Concord stages, crowded with passengers, a distance of 200
feet. The trip can be made there and back in one day from the Calaveras Grove.
THE CAVES OF CALAVERAS COUNTY.
51
CHAPTER II.
THE CAVES OF CALAVERAS COUNTY.
" Nature — faint emblem of Omnipotence !
Shaped by His hand — the shadow of His light;
The veil in which He wraps His majesty,
And through whose mantling folds He deigns to show,
Of His mysterious, awful attributes
And dazzling splendors, ah" man's feeble thought
Can grasp uncrushed, or vision bear unquenched."
STREET'S POEMS.
TI1K MOUTH OF THE CAVE.
AFTER the visitor has lingered long among the scenes we have
just described, he will feel that he
" Could pass days
Stretched in the shade of those old cedar trees,
Watching the sunshine like a blessing fall —
The breeze like music wandering o'er the boughs,
Each tree a natural harp — each different leaf
A different note, blent in one vast thanksgiving."
52 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
Yet lie may entertain a desire to look upon other wonders
that
" Are but parts of a stupendous whole,"
and pay a visit to the natural caves. These caves are situated on
McKinney's Humbug, a tributary of the Calaveras River, about
fourteen miles west of the mammoth trees, sixteen miles south,
by the trail, from Moquelumne Hill, seven miles north, from
Murphy's Camp, nine miles east of San Andreas, and near the
mouth of O'Neil's Creek.
They were discovered accidentally, in October, 1850, by Cap-
tain Taylor, who, with others, was engaged in mining on this
creek, and who, having finished their mid-day repast, were spend-
ing the interval, before resuming their afternoon's work, in shoot-
ing at a mark near the back of their cabin. Mr. Taylor, having
just fired his rifle, proceeded to examine the mark, and having
hit the centre, proposed that it should be placed at a greater
distance than any at which they had ever before tried their skill ;
and was looking out for a tree upon which to place it, when he
saw a hole among the rocks. He immediately went to it, and,
seeing that the aperture extended into the mountain for some
distance, he called to his companions, and they conjointly com-
menced to explore it.
But let us not keep the reader waiting ; and as the following
excellent description from the Pacific is so truthfully descriptive
of this curiosity, we transcribe it for this work.
" The entrance is round a jutting angle of a ledge of rocks
which hides the small mining town adjacent from sight.
THE ENTRANCE.
" Only the house of the proprietor is to be seen. The country
around is wild and romantic. Provided with adamantine candles,
we entered through a small doorway, which had been blasted out
to a sufficient size. Thence we crept along twenty-five or thirty
feet, threading our way through an irregular and difficult passage,
at first descending rapidly, but afterward level. Sometimes we
THE CAVES OF CALAVEEAS COUNTY. , 53
were forced to stoop, and at others to bend the body in accordance
with the seam of the rocks which constitute the passage. Sud-
denly we emerged into a large vault or room, about sixty feet in
length by twenty in breadth, with an irregular roof, running up
in some places thirty feet. This room is called
THE COUNCIL CHAMBER.
"The walls are dark, rough, and solid, rather than beautiful.
Descending a little to the south-west, we again made our way
through a long, low passage, which led to another room of half
the size of the Council Chamber. Rising from the floor of this
room, by another narrow passage, we soon came into a third large
room, of irregular construction. The roof ascends, until lost to
sight in perfect darkness ; here, as far up as the eye, assisted by
the dim taper, can reach, the lime depositions present a perfect
resemblance to a vast cataract of waters rushing from an incon-
ceivable height, in a perfect sheet of foam, leaping from one great
shelf of jutting rock down to others, onward, widening as they
near, in exact perspective. This room is called
THE CATAKACT.
" And well does it deserve the name. Next we descended a
short distance, by another passage, and entered a small, round
room, in the centre of the roof of which runs up a lofty opening,
sixty feet high, of singular appearance. This apartment is called
THE CATHEDRAL.
" Turning back by the Cataract, we passed an easy way by a
deep wTell of water upon the left, and very singular small pools or
reservoirs on the right. Leaving these, we soon entered a spa-
cious room, full one hundred feet square, and of fair proportionate
height. Through another low opening, we entered yet another
great room, near the centre of which stands a large, dark struc-
ture, the perfect likeness of a full-robed Roman Bishop, minus the
head ; whence the name for the room, the
54: , SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
BISHOP'S PALACE.
"Descending through another small opening, we entered a
room beautifully ornamented with pendents from the roof, white
as the whitest feldspar, and of every possible form. Some like
garments hung in a wardrobe, every fold and seam complete ;
others like curtains, with portions of columns, half-way to the
floor, fluted and scolloped for unknown purposes ; while innumer-
able spear-shaped stalactites, of different sizes and lengths, hung
from all parts; giving a beauty and splendor to the whole ap-
pearance surpassing description. Once, as the light was borne
up along a glorious fairy stairway, and back behind solid pillars
of clear deposits, and the reflected rays glanced through the
myriads of varying forms, the whole — pillars, curtains, pendents,
and carved work, white as snow, and translucent as crystal — glis-
tened and shone, and sparkled with a glory that surpassed in
splendor all that we had seen in art, or read in fable. This is
called
THE BRIDAL CHAMBER.
VIEW OF THE BRIDAL CHAMBER.
THE CAVES OF CALAVERAS COUNTY. 55
" Immediately at the back of this, and connected with it by dif-
ferent openings, is another room, now called
MUSICAL HALL.
" It is so called from the fact, that, on one side, suspended from
a singular rock, that has the character of a musical sounding-
board, hang a large number of stalactites, arranged in a line very
large at one end, and gradually increasing in size toward the
other, so that, if with a rod you strike the pendents properly, all
the musical tones, from a common bass to a very high key, can
be produced in perfection, ringing loud and clear through the
halls, as a well-toned instrument.
"Here the present exploration of the cave terminates, at the
distance of about one-sixth of a mile from the entrance."
THE HOTEL.
In 1853 it was taken up, under a pre-emption right, by Messrs.
Magee and Angel, who erected a large and substantial hotel ad-
joining the cave, for the convenience of the public, at a cost of
about four thousand five hundred dollars. This hotel is com-
modious and comfortable, and we shall long remember the enjoy-
ment of our visit, and the personal attention we received from the
agreeable and enterprising proprietors.
VIEW OF THE HOTEL AT THE CAVE.
56
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
VIEW OP THE UPPER SIDE OP UPPER NATURAL BRIDGE.
CHAPTEK III.
THE NATURAL BRIDGES OF CALAVERAS COUNTY.
" Here the great Architect
Did, with curious skill, a pile erect
Of carved marble."
CAREW.
THESE bridges are situated on Cayote Creek, about half way be-
tween Yalicita and McLane's Ferry, on the Stanislaus River, and
hold a high rank among the varied natural objects of interest and
THE NATURAL BRIDGES OF CALAVERAS COUNTY. 5T!
beauty abounding in California. The entire water of Cayote
Creek runs beneath these bridges. The bold, rocky, and precip-
itous banks of the stream, both above and below the bridges, pre-
sent a counterpart of wild scenery, in perfect keeping with
the strange beauty and picturesque grandeur of their interior
formation.
THE UPPER BRIDGE.
Approaching the upper bridge from the east, along the stream,
the entrance beneath presents the appearance of a noble Gothic
arch of massive stone-work, thirty-two feet in height above the
water, and twenty-five feet in width at the abutments ; while the
rock and earth above, supported by the arch, are thirty or more
feet in thickness, and overgrown to some extent with trees and
shrubbery.
Passing under the arch, along the border of the creek, the walls,
extend upward to an almost perfectly formed and pointed arch,
and maintaining their width and elevation ; but with here and
there an irregularity, serving, however, to heighten the interest
of the beautiful scene presented. Along the roof, or arch, hang
innumerable stalactites, like opaque icicles, but solid as the lime-
stone, or marble, of which they are formed.
As we advance, the width of the arch increases to nearly forty
feet, and in its height to fifty feet ; and here it really seems as
though nature, in her playful moments, determined for once, in
her own rude way, to mock the more elaborately-worked objects
of art. Yet, as more in accordance with reality, we think that
from such fine natural formation, the noble Gothic order of archi-
tecture was first suggested.
Here the spacious roof (with a little aid from the imagina-
tion) is made to resemble an immense cathedral, wTith its vaulted
arches supported by innumerable columns along the sides, with
here and there a jutting portion, as though an attempt had been
made to rough-hew an altar, and corridor with massive steps
thereto ; while stalactites, springing from the bottom and sides,
wrould appear like waxen candles, ready to be lighted, but for the
muddy sediment which has formed upon them.
58
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
Nor is this all, for near the foot of the altar is a natural basin
of pure water, clear as crystal, as though purposely for a baptismal
font.
Numerous other formations, some of them peculiarly grotesque,
and others beautiful, adorn the sides aiid roof of this truly mag-
nificent subterranean temple ; one of these, the " rock cascade," is
a beautiful feature, as it bears a striking resemblance to that which
would result from the instantaneous freezing, to perfect solidity,
of a stream of water rolling down the rocky sides of the cavernous
formation. Others resemble urns and basins; all formed from
the action of, and ever filled to their brims with, clear cold water,
as it trickles from the rocks above.
LOWER SIDE OF UPPER NATURAL BRIDGE.
Approaching the lower section of this immense arch, its form
becomes materially changed, increasing in width, while the roof,
becoming more flattened, is brought down to within five feet of
THE NATURAL BRIDGES OF CALAVERA8 COUNTY.
59
the water of the creek. The entire distance through or under this
vast natural bridge is about ninety-five yards.
THE LOWER BRIDGE.
I
Nearly half a mile down the creek from the bridge described,
is another, with its arched entrance differing but little from the
one already described, in size, but the form of the arch is quite
different, being more flattened and broader at the top. Advanc-
ing beneath its wide-spreading arch, and passing another beauti-
ful fount of water, issuing from a low, broad basin, wrought by
nature's own hand, we arrive at a point where a roof and sup-
porting walls present the appearance of a magnificent rotunda,
or arched dome, sixty feet in width, but with a height of only
fifteen feet.
THE UPPER SIDE OF LOWER NATURAL BRIDGE.
Here, too, are mimberless stalactites, hanging like opaque
icicles from above, while the rocky floor, where the creek does
not receive the trickling water from above, is studded thick with
60 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
stalagmites of curious and beautiful forms. The length of this
arch is about seventy yards.
These natural bridges give to the locality an interest exceeded
by few in the State ; they form the most remarkable natural tun-
nels known in the world, serving as they do for the passage of a
considerable stream through them.
The entire rock formation of the vicinity is limestone, and vari-
ous are the conjectures relative to the first formation of these
natural bridges or tunnels. Some believing them to have been
formed by the rocky deposit contained in, and precipitated by,
the water of countless springs, issuing from the banks of the
creek, that, gradually accumulating and projecting, at length
united the two sides, forming these great arched passages.
Others believe that, as these bridges are covered many feet in
depth with rock and earth, these natural tunnels were but so
many subterranean passages or caverns, formed, we will not at-
tempt to say how, but as other caverns are, or have been, in nearly
all limestone formations ; for were these subterranean passages to
exist in the adjoining hills or mountains, with either one or two
arches of entrance, they would be called caverns. But, by what-
ever freak of nature formed, they are objects of peculiar interest,
and will well repay the summer rambler, among the mines and
mountains, the trouble of visiting them. Our wonder is that so
few, comparatively, have visited these singular specimens of
nature's architecture.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
.61
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
THE YO-SEMITE WATERFALL, TWO THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR FEET IN HEIGHT.
From a. Photograph by C. Z. Weed.
62 SCENES IN CALIFOKN1A.
CHAPTEE IY.
" Where rose the mountains, there to him were friends ;
"Where rolled the ocean, thereon was his home;
"Where a blue sky and glowing clime extends,
He had the passion and the power to roam;
The desert, forest, cavern, breakers' foam,
"Were unto him companionship."
GUlde Harold.
" If thou art worn and hard beset
"With sorrows, that thou wouldst forget:
If thou wouldst read a lesson that will keep
Thy heart from fainting, and thy soul from sleep —
Go to the woods and hills."
LONGFELLOW.
THE reader knows as well as we do, that, although it may be
of Init little consequence in point of fact, whether a spirit of ro-
mance, the love of the grand and beautiful in scenery, the sugges-
tions or promptings of a fascinating woman — be she friend, sweet-
heart, or wife — the desire for change, the want of recreation, or
the necessity of a restoration and recuperation of an overtasked
physical or mental organization, or both — whatever may be the
agent that first gives birth to the wish for, or the love of travel ;
when the mind is thoroughly made up, and the committee of ways
and means reports itself financially prepared to undertake the
pleasurable task — in order to enjoy it with luxurious zest, we
must resolve upon four things : first, to leave the " peck of troub-
les," and a few thrown in, entirely behind ; second, to Lave none
but good, suitable, and genial-hearted companions ; third, a suffi-
cient supply of personal patience, good humor, forbearance, and
creature comforts for all emergencies; and,/0w£A, not to be in a
hurry. To these, both one and all, who have ever visited the Yo-
Semite Valley, we know will say — Amen.
As there are but few countries that possess more of the beauti-
ful and wildly picturesque than California, it seems to us a sin to
neglect to cultivate the knowledge and inspiration of it. Especi-
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 63
ally as her towering and pine-covered mountains ; her wide-spread
valleys, carpeted with flowers ; her leaping waterfalls ; her foam-
ing cataracts ; her rushing rivers ; her placid lakes ; her ever
green and densely timbered forests ; her gently rolling hills, cov-
ered with blooming shrubs and trees, and wild flowers, give a
voiceless invitation to the traveller to look upon her and admire.
Whether one sits with religious veneration at the foot of Mount
Shasta, or cools himself in the refreshing shade of the natural
caves and bridges, or walks beneath the giant shadows of the
mammoth trees, or stands in awe looking upon the frowning and
pine-covered heights of the Yo-Semite Yalley, he feels that
" A thing of beauty is a joy forever,"
and that the Californian's home will compare, in picturesque mag-
nificence, with that of any other land.
In later years, other employments and enjoyments have been
entertained as worthy the attention of the residents and visitors of
this coast, than money-making. Now, there are many who throng
the highway of elevating and refining pleasure, in spring and
summer, to feast the eye and mind upon the beautiful. In the
hope, though humbly, of fostering this feeling, we continue our
sketches of the most remarkable and interesting, among which
doubtless stands the great Yo-Semite Valley.
THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LED TO ITS DISCOVERY.
The early California resident will remember, that during the
spring and summer of 1850, much dissatisfaction existed among
the white settlers and miners on the Merced, San Joaquin, Chow-
chilla, and Frezno Rivers and their tributaries, on account of the
frequent robberies committed upon them by the Chook-chan-cie,
Po-to-en-cie, Noot-cho, Po-ho-ne-chee, Ho-na-chee, Ghow-chilla,
and other Indian tribes on the head waters of those streams. The
frequent repetition of their predatory forays having been attended
with complete success, without any attempted punishment on the
part of the whites, the Indians began seriously to contemplate the
64: SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
practicability of driving out every white intruder upon their hunt-
ing and fishing grounds.
At this time, James D. Savage had two stores, or trading-posts,
nearly in the centre of the affected tribes ; the one on Little Mari-
posa Creek, about twenty miles south of the town of Mariposa, and
near the old stone fort ; and the other on Frezno River, about two
miles above where John Hunt's store now is. Around these stores
those Indians who were most friendly, used to congregate ; from
them and his two Indian wives, Eekino and Homut, Savage ascer-
tained the state of thought and feeling among them.
In order to avert such a calamity, and without even hinting at
his motive, he invited an Indian chief, who possessed much influ-
ence with the Chow-chillas and Chook-chan-cies, named Jose
Jerez, to accompany him and his two squaws to San Francisco ;
hoping thereby to impress him with the wonders, numbers, and
power of the whites, and through him the various tribes who
were malcontent. To this Jerez gladly assented, and they arrived
in San Francisco in time to witness the first celebration of the
admission of California into the Union, on the 29th of October,
1850,* and they put up at the Revere House, then standing on
Montgomery street.
During their stay in San Francisco, and while Savage was pur-
chasing goods for his stores in the mountains, Jose Jerez, the
Indian chief, became intoxicated, and returned to the hotel about
the same time as Savage, in a state of boisterous and quarrelsome
excitement. In order to prevent his making a disturbance, Savage
shut him up in his room, and there endeavored to soothe him, and
restrain his violence by kindly words ; but this he resented, and
became not only troublesome, but very insulting ; when, after pa-
tiently bearing it as long as he possibly could, at a time of great
provocation, unhappily he was tempted to strike Jerez, and followed
it up with a severe scolding. This very much exasperated the
* The news of the admission, by Congress, of California into the Union, on the 9th of
September, 1850, was brought by the mail steamer " Oregon," which arrived in the Bay
of San Francisco on the ] 8th of October, 1850, when preparations were immediately
commenced for a general jubilee throughout the State on the 29th of that month.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 65
Indian, and lie indulged in numerous muttered threats of what
he would do when he went back among his own people. But,
when sober, he concealed his angry resentment, and, Indian-like,
sullenly awaited his opportunity for revenge. Simple, and appar-
ently small as was this circumstance, like many others equally in-
significant, it led to very unfortunate results ; for no sooner had
he returned to his own people, than he summoned a council of the
chief men of all the surrounding tribes ; and from his influence
and representations mainly, steps were then and there taken to
drive out or kill all the whites, and appropriate all the horses,
mules, oxen, and provisions they could find.*
Accordingly, early one morning in the ensuing month of Novem-
ber, the Indians entered Savage's store on the Frezno, in their
usual manner, as though on a trading expedition, when an imme-
diate and apparently preconcerted plan of attack was made with
hatchets, crow-bars, and arrows ; first upon Mr. Greeley, who had
charge of the store, and then upon three other white men named
Canada, Stiffner, and Brown, who were present. This was made
so unexpectedly as to exclude time or opportunity for defence, and
all were killed except Brown, whose life was saved by an Indian
named " Polonio" (thus christened by the whites), jumping be-
tween him and the attacking party, at the risk of his own personal
safety, thus affording Brown a chance of escape, which he made
the best of, by running all the way to Quartzburg, at the height
of his speed.
Simultaneously with this attack on the Frezno, Savage's other
store and residence on the Mariposa was attacked, during his
absence, by another band, and his Indian wivgs^ carried off.
Similar onslaughts having been made at different points on the
Merced, San Joaquin, Frezno, and Chow-chilla rivers, Savage
concluded that a general Indian war was about opening, and im-
mediately commenced raising a volunteer battalion. At the same
time a requisition for men, arms, ammunition, and general stores,
* These facts were communicated to us by Mr. J. M. Cunningham (now in the Yo-
Semite valley), who was then engaged as clerk for Savage, and was present during the
altercation between him and the Indian.
5
66 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
was made upon the Governor of the State (General John McDou-
gal), which was promptly responded to by him, and hostilities
were at once begun.
Doctor L. H. Bunnell, an eye-witness, belonging to the Mariposa
battalion, has kindly favored us with the following interesting
account of this campaign :
" Preparations were being made for defence, when the news came
of the sack of Savage's place on the Frezno, and of two men
killed, and one wounded ; and close on this report came another, of
the murder of four men at Doctor Thomas Payne's place, at the
Four Creeks ; one of the bodies being found skinned. The bearer
of the news was one who had escaped the murderous assault of
the Indians by the fleetness of his horse, but with the loss of an
arm, which was amputated, soon after this event, by Doctor
Leach, of the Frezno.
"These occurrences so exasperated the people, that a company
was at once raised and despatched to chastise the Indians. They
found and attacked a large rancheria, high up on the Frezno.
During the fight, Lieutenant Stein was killed, and William Little
severely w^ounded. It is not known how many Indians were
killed, but the whites assert that in that battle they did nothing to
immortalize themselves as Indian fighters. Most of the party
were very much dissatisfied with the result of the fight ; and
while some left for the settlements, others continued in search of
the Indians.
" In a few days it was ascertained that some four or five hundred
Indians had assembled on a round mountain, lying between the
north branches of the San Joaquin, and that they invited attack.
They were discovered late in the afternoon ; but Captain Boling
and Lieutenant Chandler were disposed to have a ' brush' with
them that evening, if for no other reason than to study their posi-
tion. Their object was gained, and the captain, with his company,
was followed by the Indians on his return from reconnoitring,
and annoyed during the night.
" In the morning volunteers were called for, to attack the ranch-
eria. Thirty-six offered, and at daylight the storming commenced
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 67
with such fury as is seldom witnessed in Indian warfare. The
rancheria was fired in several places at the same time, in accord-
ance with a previous understanding, and as the Indians sallied
from their burning wigwams, they were shot down, killed, or
wounded. A panic seized many of them, and notwithstanding
the fear in which their chief, 4 Jose,' was held, at such a time
his authority was powerless to compel his men to stand before the
flames, and the exasperated fury of the whites. Jose was mor-
tally wounded, and twenty-three of his men were killed upon the
ground. Only one of Captain Boling's party (a negro who fought
valiantly) was touched, and he but slightly. It is not my pur-
pose to eulogize any one, but it is right to say, that that battle
checked the Indians in their career of murder and robbery, and
did more to save the blood of the whites, as well as of Indians,
than any or all other circumstances combined.
uln a subsequent expedition into that region after the organiza-
tion of the battalion, which was in January, 1851, the remains of
Jose were found still burning among the coals of the funeral pyre.
The Indians fled at the approach of the volunteers, not even firing
a gun or winging an arrow, in defence of their once loved, but
dreaded chief.
" It will not, I think, be out of place in this connection, to repeat
a speech delivered by Captain Boling on the eve of the expected
battle. The captain's object was to exhort the men to do their
duty. He commenced : — ' Gentlemen — hem — fellow citizens —
hem — soldiers — hem — fellow volunteers — hem' — (tremblingly) —
and after a long pause, he broke out into a laugh, and said :
' Boys, I will only say in conclusion, that I hope I will fight better
than I speak.'
"It was during the occurrence of the events that have been men-
tioned above, that the existence of an Indian stronghold was
brought to light. When the Indians were told that they would
all be killed, if they did not make peace, they would laugh in de-
rision, and say that they had many places to flee to, where the
whites could not follow them ; and one place they had, which, if
the whites were to enter, they would be corralled like mules or
68 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
horses. After a series of perplexing delays, Major Savage, Cap-
tain Boling, and Captain Dill, with two companies of the battal-
ion, started in search of the Indians and their Gibraltar. On the
south fork of the Merced, a rancheria was taken without firing a
gun ; the orders from the Commissioners being in ' no case to shed
blood unnecessarily ;' and to the credit of our race, it was strictly
obeyed throughout the campaign, except in one individual in-
stance.
" As soon as the prisoners had arrived at the rendezvous designa-
ted, near what is now called Bishop's Camp, Pou-watch-ie and
Co w-chit-ty (brothers), chiefs of the tribes we had taken, despatched
runners to the chief of the tribe living in the then unknown val-
ley, with orders from Major Savage for him to bring in his tribe
to head-quarters, or to the rendezvous.
"Next morning the chief spoken of, Ten-ie-ya, came in alone,
and stated that his people would be in during the following day,
and that they now desired peace. The time passed for their arri-
val. After waiting another day, and no certainty of their coming
manifested, early on the following morning volunteers were
called for to storm their stronghold.
" The place where the Indians were supposed to be living, was
depicted in no very favorable terms ; but so anxious had the men
become, that more offered than were desired by Captain Boling
for the expedition. To decide who should go, the captain paced
off one hundred yards, and told the volunteers that he wanted
men fleet of foot, and with powers of endurance, and their fitness
could be demonstrated by a race. By this means he selected,
without offence, the men he desired. Some, in their anxiety to go,
ran bare-footed in the snow.
"All being ready, Ten-ie-ya took the lead as guide, very much
against his inclination ; and we commenced our march to the then
unknown and unnamed valley. Savage said he had been there,
but not by the route that we were taking. About half way to the
valley, which proved about fifteen miles from the rendezvous, on
the south fork, seventy-two Indians, women, and children, were
met coming in as promised by Ten-ie-ya.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 69
"They gave as an excuse for their delay the great depth of the
snow, which in places was over eight feet deep. Ten-ie-ya tried
to convince Major Savage that there were no more Indians in the
valley, but the whole command cried out as with one voice, * Let's
go on.' The major was willing to indulge the men in their desire
to learn the truth of the exaggerated reports the Indians had
given of the country, and we moved on. Ten-ie-ya was allowed
to return with his people to the rendezvous, sending in his stead a
young Indian as guide.
"Upon the arrival of the party in the valley, .the young Indian
manifested a great deal of uneasiness ; he said it would be impos-
sible to cross the river that night, and was not certain that it could
be crossed in the morning. It was evident that he had some
object in view ; but the volunteers were obliged to content them-
selves for the night, resolved to be up and looking out for them-
selves early in the morning, for a crossing, or way over the rocks
and through the jungle into which they had been led. Daylight
appeared, and with it was found a ford. And such a ford ! It
furnished in copious abundance, water for more than one plunge
bath, and that, too, to some who were no admirers of hydropathy ;
or, judging from their appearance, had never realized any of its
bounties.
" In passing up the valley on the north side, it was soon very evi-
dent that some of the wigwams had been occupied the night
before ; and hence the anxiety of the young Indian, lest the occu-
pants should be surprised. The valley was scoured in all direc-
tions, but not an Indian could be found. At length, hid among
the rocks, the writer discovered an old woman ; so old, that when
Ten-ie-ya was interrogated in regard to her age, he with a smile,
said, that 'when she was a child, the mountains were hills.' The
old creature was provided with fire and food, and allowed to
remain.
" It having snowed during the night, and continuing to snow in
the morning, the major ordered the return of the command, lest
it should be hemmed in by snow. This was in March, 1851.
Ten-ie-ya and others of his tribe asserted most positively that we
TO SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
were the first white men ever in the valley. The writer asked
Major Savage, ' Have you not been in the valley before ?' he an-
swered, ' No, never ; I have been mistaken ; it was in a valley
below this (since known as Cascade Yalley), two and a half miles
below the Yo-Semite.'
" On our return to the rendezvous where the prisoners had been
assembled, we started for the Commissioners' camp on the Frezno.
On our way in, about a hundred more Indians gave themselves
up to Captain Dill's company. When within about fifteen miles
of the Commissioners' camp, nine men only being left in charge,
owing to an absolute want of provisions, the Indians fled — fright-
ened, as it afterward appeared, by the stories told them by the
Chow-chillas. Only one of their number was left ; he had eaten
venison with such a relish at the camp-fire of the whites as to un-
fit him for active duties ; and on his awaking and finding himself
alone among the whites, he thought his doom sealed. He was
told that he had nothing to fear, and soon became reconciled.
" Upon the arrival, at the Commissioners' camp, of Captain Bol-
ing and his nine men, Von-ches ter (!), a chief, was despatched to
find and bring in the frightened Indians. In a few days lie suc-
ceeded in bringing in about a hundred ; but Ten-ie-ya with his
people said he would not return.
"After a trip to the San Joaquin, which before has been alluded
to, it was resolved to make another trip to the Yo-Semite Yalley,
there establish head-quarters, and remain until we had thoroughly
learned the country, and taken, or driven out, every Indian in it.
On our arrival in the valley, a short distance above the prominent
bluff known as El Capitan, or as the Indians call it, Tu-toch-ah-
nu-lah, which signifies in their language, The Captain, five Indians
were seen and heard on the opposite side of the river, taunting
us. They evidently thought, we could not cross, as the river was
so very high (this was in the early part of May), but they were
mistaken, as six of us plunged our animals in the stream, swam
across, and drove the Indians in among the rocks which obstruct
the passage of animals on the north side of the valley ; Captain
Boling in the mean time crossing above the rocks, succeeded in
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
71
TU-TOCK-AH-NU-LAH, THREE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED FEET ABOVE THE VALLEY.
From a Photograph ~by C. L. Weed.
taking them all prisoners. Three of these were kept as hostages,
while two were sent to Ten-ie-ya with an order for his immediate
presence. Of the three kept as hostages, two were sons of Ten-ie-
ya, while the two sent with a message, were a son and son-in-
law.
" The writer was despatched by Captain Boling to guard them
against the fire of any scouting party they might encounter in the
valley, and succeeded in saving them from an exasperated individual
who was met returning with C. H. Spencer, Esq. (now of Chicago),
72
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
who had been wounded while tracing out the hiding-places of the
Indians. When the two sent for Ten-ie-ya left, they said he would
be in by ten o'clock the next morning, and that he would not have
ran away but for the stories told by the Chow-chillas. On the
morning of the day Ten-ie-ya was expected, one of the three In-
dians escaped, having deceived the guard.
" Soon after, the two remaining were discovered untying them-
selves. Two men, instead of informing Captain Boling, that he
might make more secure their fastenings, placed themselves near
their arms to watch their movements, in order, if possible, to dis-
tinguish themselves. One was gratified ; for as soon as the Indians
bounded to their feet, freed from their fetters, they started to run ;
Ten-ie-ya's youngest son was shot dead — the other escaped.
" While this was occurring, a party was reconnoitring the scene
of Spencer's disaster, and while there, discovered Ten-ie-ya perched
upon a rock overlooking the valley. He was engaged in conver-
sation, while a party cut off his retreat and secured him as a pris-
oner. Upon his entrance into the camp of the volunteers, the
first object that met his gaze was the dead body of his son. Not
a word did he speak, but the workings of his soul were frightfully
manifested in the deep and silent gloom that overspread his coun-
tenance. For a time he was left to himself; but after a while
Captain Boling explained to him the occurrence, and expressed
his regrets that it should have so happened, and ordered a change
of camp, to enable the friends of the dead boy to go unmolested
and remove the body.
" After remaining inactive a day or two, hoping that the Indians
might come in, a ' scout' was made in the direction of the Tuo-
lumne. Only one Indian was seen, and he evidently had been de-
tailed to watch our movements. Yarious scouts' being made to
little purpose, it was concluded to go as far up the river as possi-
ble, or as far as the Indians could be traced.
" The command felt more confidence in this expedition, from the
fact that Co w-chit-ty had arrived with a few of the tribe mentioned
before as having been taken on the south fork of the Merced.
They knew the country well, and although their language differed
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY, 73
a little from that of the Yo-Semite tribe, yet, by means of a mis-
sion Indian, who spoke Spanish and the various Indian tongues
of this region, Ten-ie-ya was told if he called in his people they
were confident that we would not hurt them. Apparently he was
satisfied, and promised to bring them in, and at night, when they
were supposed to hover around our camp, he would call upon them
to come in ; but no Indians came.
""While waiting here for provisions, the chief became tired of his
food, said it was the season for grass and clover, and that it was
tantalizing for him to be in sight of such abundance, and not be
permitted to taste it. It was interpreted to Captain Boling, when
he good humoredly said that he should have a ton if he desired it.
Mr. Cameron (now of Los Angeles) attached a rope to the old
man's body, and led him out to graze ! A wonderful improve-
ment took place in his condition, and in a few days he looked like
a new man.
" With returning health and strength came the desire for liberty,
and it was manifested one evening, when Mr. Cameron was off his
guard, by his endeavor to escape. Mr. Cameron, however, caught
him at the water's edge, as he was about to swim the river. Then,
in the fury inspired by his failure to escape, he cried : ' Kill me
if you like ; but if you do, my voice shall be heard at night, call-
ing upon my people to revenge me, in louder tones than you have
ever made it ring.' (It was the custom of Captain Boling to ask
him to call for his people.)
" Soon after this occurrence, it being manifest to all that the old
man had no intention of calling in his people, and the provisions
arriving, we commenced our march to the head waters of the Py-
we-ah, or branch of the Merced, in the valley on which is situated
Mirror Lake, and fifteen miles above the valley lake Ten-ie-ya.
At a rancheria on the shore of this lake, we found thirty-five
Indians, whom we took prisoners. With this expedition Captain
Boling took Ten-ie-ya, hoping to make him useful as a guide ; but
if Cow-chit-ty, who discovered the rancheria, had not been with
us, we probably would have gone back without seeing an Indian.
In taking this rancheria no Indians were killed, but it was a death-
74: SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
blow to their hopes of holding out longer against the whites, for
when asked if they were willing to go in and live peaceably, the
chief at the rancheria (Ten-ie-ya was not allowed to speak) stretch-
ing his hand out and over the country, exclaimed : ' Not only
willing, but anxious, for where can we go that the Americans do
not follow us ?'
" It was evident that they had not much expected us to follow
them to so retired a place ; and surrounded as they were by snow,
it was impossible for them to flee, and take with them their
women and children.
" One of the children, a boy five or six years old, was discovered
naked, climbing up a smooth granite slope that rises from the lake
on the north side. At first he was thought to be a coon or a
fisher, for it was not thought possible for any human being to
climb up such a slope. The mystery was soon solved by an Indian
who went out to him, coaxed him down from his perilous position,
and brought him into camp. He was a bright boy, and Captain
Boling adopted him, calling him Reub, after Lieutenant Reuben
Chandler, who was, and is, a great favorite with the volunteers.
He was sent to school at Stockton,1 and made rapid progress. To
give him advantages that he could not obtain in Mariposa county
at that time, he was placed in charge of Colonel Lane, Captain
Boling' s brother-in-law. To illustrate the folly, as a general thing,
of attempting to civilize his race, he ran away, taking with him
two very valuable horses belonging to his patron.
" We encamped on the shores of the lake one night. Sleep was
prevented by the excessive cold, so in the gray of morning we
started with our prisoners on our return to the valley. This was
about the 5th of June ; we had taken at the lake four of old Ten-
ie-ya's wives and all of his family, except those who had fled to
the Mono country, through the pass which we saw while 011 this
expedition ; and, being satisfied that all had been done that could
be, and not a fresh Indian sign to be seen in the country, we were
ordered to the Frezno. The battalion was soon after disbanded,
and nothing more was heard of the turbulent Ten-ie-ya and his
band of pillager Indians (who had been allowed once more to go
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 5
back to the valley upon the promise of good behavior), until the
report came of their attack upon a party of whites who visited
the valley in 1852, from Coarse-Gold Gulch, Frezno county.
Two men of the party, Rose and Shurbon, were killed, and a
man named Tudor wounded.
" In June, Lieutenant Moore, accompanied by one of Major Sav-
age's men, A. A. Gray, and some other volunteers, visited the valley
with a company of United States troops, for the purpose of chas-
tising the murderers. Five of them were found and immediately
executed ; the wearing apparel of the murdered men being found
upon them. This may shock the sensibilities of some, but it is
conceded that it was necessary in order to put a quietus upon the
murderous propensities of this lawless band, who were outcasts
from the various tribes. After the murder, Ten-ie-ya, to escape
the wrath he knew awaited him, fled to the Monos, on the eastern
side of the Sierra. In the summer of 1853, they returned to the
valley.
" As a reward for the hospitality shown them, they stole a
lot of horses from the Monos, and ran them into the Yo-Semite.
They were allowed to enjoy their plunder but a short time before
the Monos came down upon them like a whirlwind. Ten-ie-ya
was surprised in his wigwam, and, instead of dying the very poetic
death of a broken heart, as was once stated, he died of a broken
head, crushed by stones in the hands of an infuriated and wronged
Mono chief. In this fight, all of the Yo-Semite tribe, except
eight braves and a few old men and women, were killed or taken
prisoners (the women only taken as prisoners), and thus, as a tribe,
they became extinct.
" It is proper to say, what I have before stated, that the Yo-Sem-
ite Indians were a composite race, consisting of the disaffected of
the various tribes from the Tuolumne to King's River, and hence
the difficulty in our understanding of the name, Yo-Semite ; but
that name, upon the writer's suggestion, was finally approved and
applied to the valley, by vote of the volunteers who visited it.
Whether it was a compromise among the Indians, as well as with
us, it will now be difficult to ascertain. The name is now well
76 .SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
established, and it is that by which the few remaining Indians
below the valley call it.
" Having been in every expedition to the valley made by volun-
teers, and since that time assisted George H. Peterson (Fremont's
engineer) in his surveys, the writer, at the risk of appearing ego-
tistical, claims that he had superior advantages for obtaining cor-
rect information, more especially as, in the first two expeditions,
Ten-ie-ya was placed under his especial charge, and he acted as
interpreter to Captain Boling.
" It is acknowledged that Ah-wah-ne is the old Indian name for
the valley, and that Ah-wah-ne-chee is the name of its original
occupants ; but as this was discovered by the writer long after he
had named the valley, and as it was the wish of every volunteer
with whom he conversed that the name Yo-Semite be retained,
he said very little about it. He will only say, in conclusion, that
the principal facts are before the public, and that it is for them to
decide whether they will retain the name Yo-Semite, or have
some other. L. H. BUNNELL.
" We, the undersigned, having been members of the same com-
pany, and through most of the scenes depicted by Doctor Bun-
nell, have no hesitation in saying, that the article above is correct.
" JAMES M. ROANE,
"GEO. H. CRENSHAW."
We cheerfully give place to the above communication, that the
public may learn how and by whom this remarkable valley was
first visited and named ; and, although we have differed with the
wrriter and others concerning the name given, as explained in sev-
eral articles that have appeared at different times in the several
newspapers of the day, in which Yo-ham-i-te was preferred, yet,
as Mr. Bunnell was among the first to visit the valley, we most
willingly accord to him the right of giving it whatever name he
pleases. At the same time, we will here enter the following rea-
sons for calling it Yo-ham-i-te, the name by which we have been
accustomed to speak of it.
In the summer of 1855, we engaged Thomas Ayres, a well-
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
known artist of San Francisco (who unfortunately lost his life by
the wreck of the schooner Laura Bevan), to accompany us on a
sketching tour to the Calaveras Big Trees and the valley above
alluded to. Mr. W. Millard and A. Stair were also of the party.
When we arrived tit Mariposa, we found that the existence
even of such a valley was almost unknown among a large ma-
jority of the people residing there. We made many inquiries
respecting it, and how to find our way there ; but, although one
referred us to another who had been there after Indians in 1851,
and he again referred us to some one else, we could not find a
single person who could direct us. In this dilemma we met Cap-
tain Boling, the. gentleman spoken of above, who, although desir-
ous of assisting us, confessed that it was so long since he was
there, that he could not give us any satisfactory directions.
" But," said he, " if I were you, I would go down to John Hunt's
store, on the Frezno, and he will provide you with a couple of
good Indian guides from the very tribe that occupied that valley."
We adopted this plan, although it took us twenty-five or thirty
miles out of our way ; deeming such a step the most prudent
under the circumstances. Up to this time we had never heard or
known any other name than " Yo-Semite."
Mr. Hunt very kindly acceded to our request, and gave us two
of the most intelligent and trustworthy Indians that he had, and
the following day we set out for the valley.
Toward night on the first day, we inquired of Kossum, one of
our guides, how far he thought it might possibly be to the Yo-
Semite Yalley, when he looked at us earnestly, and said : " No
Yo-Semite! Yo-Hamite; sabe, Yo-Ham-i-te.f" In this way were
we corrected not less than thirty-five or forty times on our way
thither, by these Indians. After our return to San .Francisco, we
made arrangements for publishing a large lithograph of the great
falls ; but, before attaching the name to the valley and falls for
the public eye, we wrote to Mr. Hunt, requesting him to go to
the most intelligent of those Indians, and .from them ascertain the
exact pronunciation of the name given to that valley. After at-
tending to the request, he wrote us that " the correct pronuncia-
78 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
tion was Yo-Ham-i-te, or Yo-Hem-i-te" And, while we most
willingly acquiesce in the name of Yo-Semite, for the reasons
above stated, as neither that nor Yo-Ham-i-te,- but Ah-wah-ne, is
said to be the pure Indian name, we confess that our preferences
still are in favor of the pure Indian being given ; but until that is
determined upon (which we do not ever expect to see done now),
Yo-Semite, we think, has the preference. Had we before known
that Doctor Bunnell and his party were the first whites who ever
entered the valley (although we have the honor of being the first,
in later years, to visit it and call public attention to it\ we should
long ago have submitted to the name Doctor Bunnell had given it,
as the discoverer of the valley.
At the time we visited it there was scarcely the outline of an
Indian trail visible, either upon the way or in the valley, as all Were
overgrown with grass or weeds, or covered with old leaves ; and
nothing could be found there but the bleaching bones of animals
that had been slaughtered, and an old acorn post or two, on which
a supply of edibles had once been stored bj the Indian residents.
Having thus explained the incidents and accidents connected
with the early history of this remarkable place, we invite the cour-
teous reader to give us the pleasure of his company thither, as we
propose, with his kind permission, to act as " guide " for the occa-
sion. But,
BEFORE STARTING ON THE TRIP,
Let us premise that almost every stranger who arrives on the Pa-
cific Coast is frequently " at his wit's ends " to know how or where
to obtain information upon the following subjects : —
1st. The direction and distances to the Yo-Semite Valley, and
to the different groves of mammoth trees.
2d. The easiest, cheapest, most expeditious, and most picturesque
routes to take, with the probable cost of transportation for himself
and effects to each and all of these places.
3d. The best kind and probable amount of personal baggage
necessary.
4th. The best general course for him to follow to secure safety,
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 79
comfort, economy, and a comprehensive knowledge of the most
remarkable points of interest.
Now, in order to make every tourist familiar with these facts, we
must presume — a very impertinent piece of presumption, no doubt,
in many instances — that they are not already in his possession.
This point conceded, by way of commencement, we will place before
him the following outline map of the different routes and points
mentioned, so that he may see at a glance how they can be reached.
With the map before you, a clear, general idea is obtainable.
STOCKTON, you will perceive, is the main starting-point. If,
therefore, as we have before suggested, you are on the great Over-
land Railroad, and do not wish to go out of your way before visit-
ing Yo-Semite, or the Big Tree Groves, you had better leave the
train at Stockton.
From here there are three main routes : First, via Copperopolis
and Murphy's Camp to the Calaveras grove of mammoth trees ;
thence back to Murphy's, through Sonora, Chinese Camp, and Big
Oak Flat, to Yo-Semite. Second, via Knight's Ferry, Chinese
Camp, and Big Oak Flat, to Yo-Semite. Third, by Hornitos,
Mariposa, and the Mariposa grove of mammoth trees to Yo-Semite.
One of the main travelled roads to Yo-Semite was formerly via Coul-
terville, Bower Cave, and Blacks to Yo-Semite. This recently
has been, we regret to say, but little travelled. A new road now in
progress may revive its old prosperity. It has our best wishes.
We now propose to give the following—
TABLES OF DISTANCES TO YO-SEMITE BY THE DIFFERENT ROUTES.
From Stockton, via the Calaveras Grove, to Jo- Semite.
Miles. Total.
f Copperopolis 36
Murphy's Camp. 20 56
Calaveras Grove 15 f 1
Back to Murphy's Camp 15 86
Sonora 14 100
Chinese Camp 10* 110£
Bi- Oak Flat 122^
Tuolumne South Grove Big Trees
I Tamarack Flat 5* 157 '
By Saddle Train.— Hutchings' Hotel, in Yo-Semite 11
80
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
THE YO8EMITE VALLEY. 81
From Stockton, via Knighfs Ferry (or Copperopolis), and Chinese Camp, to To- Semite.
Miles. Total.
f Knight's Ferry (or Copperopolis) 36
Chinese Camp 15 51
Jacksonville 4 55
Keith's Orchard and Vineyard 1£ 56£
Steven's Bar Ferry 1 57-J
Newhall & Culbertson's Vineyard 2£ 60
Kirkwood's 2 62
•3 Big Oak Flat 1 63
- First Garrote 2 65
^ Second Garrote 2 67
Sprague's Ranch 5£ 72£
Hamilton's Ranch 3£ 76
Hardin's Mill. 7 83
Bronson's Meadows 6 89
Tuolumne South Grove Big Trees 3 J 92£
Crane Flat f 93£
I Tamarack Flat 4| 98
f Top of Yo-Semite Mountain 3 101
i Bottom of Yo-Semite Mountain 2{ 103£
| Green Meadow Spring 1 104J
-{ Opposite Bridal Veil Fall f 105
j Tu-tock-ah-nu-la (El Capitan) 1± 106±
, Sentinel Hotel 2\ 108£
1 [ Hutchings' Yo-Semite Hotel i 109
From Stockton, via Mariposa, and the Mariposa Mammoth Tree Grove, to To- Semite.
Miles. Total.
Salter's (Tuolumne River) 45
Snelling's (Merced River) 13 58
Murray's Ferry (Merced River) 4 62
Hornitos 8 70
Bear Valley 9 79
Mariposa 13 92
MormonBar 1| 931
Spring House If 95£
Bolton's 4f lOOi
Thompson's 2 J 102-J
White & Hatch's H 103|
Little Cut-Off H 105}-
Forks of Road (take left hand) H 106f
^
Is
82 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
Lard's Ranch (Hogan's) ; 1 107*
South Fork Chowchilla 2 1 09|-
Upper Crossing Chowchilla 1 HOf
Summit Spring f 11 1£
Big Creek Bridge 2| 113£
Clark's Ranch (South Fork Merced) H H5|
Mariposa Grove of Mammoth Trees, and back to Clark's. . ]3 128|
Camp Placido I 3f 132J
Cold Water Creek ]£ 133f
Alder Creek ± 134
Grass Creek £ 134|
Empire Camp 1£ 136£
Owl Camp \ 136f
Green Spring Flat 2 138*
W Westfall's Meadow f 139*
Mountain View House 1 140f
Highest Point on Trail 1£ 142|
Last Meadow $ 143£
Inspiration Point £ 144
Mount Beatitude (turning-off place) £ 144£
Hermitage H 145f
Fern Spring (foot of mountain) 2 147f
Bridal Veil Fall 1 148f
Cathedral Spires 1 149|
Sentinel Hotel 2f 152
Hutchings' Yo-Semite Hotel | 152^
Miles.
By the above tables it will be observed that the route from Stockton, via
the Calaveras Big Tree Grove, to Yo-Semite is 168£
— 157^ by coach, and 11 on horseback.
Knight's Ferry (or Copperopolis) and Chinese Camp, to Yo-Semite 109
— 98 by coach and 11 on horseback.
Mariposa and Mariposa Big Tree Grove, to Yo-Semite 152£
— 106f by coach, and 45f on horseback.*
THE EASIEST. CHEAPEST, AND MOST EXPEDITIOUS ROUTE
And one of the most picturesque in scenery, is, doubtless, that from
Stockton, by Knight's Ferry (or if the Stockton and Copperopolis
railroad has sufficiently progressed to allow it, via Copperopolis),
to Chinese Camp, Big Oak Flat, Garrote, the Tuolumne South
* A turnpike road company has been formed, for the purpose of constructing a road
to Clark's, and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove ; so that during the summer of 1870 the
distance, by this route, on horseback, may be very materially decreased.
THE TO-SEMITE VALLEY. 83
Grove of Mammoth Trees, and Tamarack Flat, to Yo-Semite. The
entire distance by this route being only 109 miles — ninety-eight
of which are by coach, — and the total fare from Stockton to
Hutchings', in Yo-Semite Valley, not exceeding $20. It should
also be remembered by those whose time is very limited, that by
this route the tourist passes directly through the Tuolumne South
Grove of Mammoth Trees, several of which are remarkably fine
specimens of the genus. Through, by stage and saddle, in two
days.
Those persons who are unaccustomed to the fatigue of travel,
and to whom comfort is as much of an object as sight-seeing,
should not attempt the through trip in less than three days, —
reaching Chinese Camp only the first day. Next in importance,
the route,
claims our attention, not only on account of its being the first
grove discovered, and the most celebrated, or from the wonderful
size, height, and gracefulness of its trees, — and these are remarka-
ble,— but for its close proximity to the finest grove of sequoias yet
known in California. [For description of these groves see Chapter
I.] By reference to the map and table of distances, page 80, it
will be seen that our course lies through Copperopolis to Murphy's,
distance fifty-six miles, and the fare $8 ; to Mammoth Tree Grove
and back, thirty miles, fare $4 ; Murphy's to Sonora, fourteen
miles, fare $2,50 ; Sonora to Chinese Camp, ten and a-half miles,
fare $1.50; Chinese to Yo-Semite, fifty-eight miles, fare $13.
Total distance 168-J- miles, — 15T|- of which are by coach, — and the
total fare for the round trip, $29. Time required to make the journey
comfortably will be about as follows : first day, to Murphy's ; second
day, to and about the grove ; third day, return to Murphy's, thence
to Sonora and to Chinese Camp ; fourth day, to Tamarack Flat ;
fifth, arrive at Hutchings', in Yo-Semite, about noon. One day
should be added to this if a visit is paid to the large " South
Grove," near to that of Calaveras.
84 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
KOUTE VIA MARIPOSA, AND THE MARIPOSA GROVE OF BIG TREES.
Owing to the magnificence and number of the big trees in the
Mariposa groves, and the impressive views obtained of Yo-Semite
from Inspiration Point and Mount Beatitude, many prefer this
route to either of the others. There can be no question that the
scenes from the points named are unequalled ; but whether they
are to be enjoyed on entering the valley, or by a special visit from
the valley, or after becoming familiar with the different objects of
interest in and around the valley, and on leaving it, must be deter-
mined by the taste and wishes of the visitor. Those who prefer
to enter this way, by consulting the map and table of distances,
page 80, will find that, after leaving Stockton, their course lies
through the singular old mining town of Hornitos to Bear Yalley,
across the celebrated Mariposa or Fremont estate to Mariposa ;
distance ninety-two miles, fare $10. Here saddle horses and
guides have generally been obtained at the livery stables on the
following terms: horses each per day, $2.50; guide per day, $3 ;
board for guide, $3 ; horse for guide, $2.50, — making the cost per
day for each guide, $8.50, exclusive of horse feed. It is only just,
however, to say that but little horse feed need be purchased until
late in the summer and fall, as grass is tolerably abundant. Other
arrangements may be made during the season for making the round
trip from and to Stockton for about $50 or $55, but what they will
be we are now unable to say.
From Mariposa the road lies past the Mariposa Company's
quartz mill, and over a pleasant, hilly country, dotted with oaks
and pines, and numerous kinds of shrubs, to White & Hatch's, one
of the neatest and most agreeable stopping-places to be found on
either of the routes. Past De Long's orchard to the foot of the
Chowchilla Mountain ; thence by a long and fatiguing climb (all
mountain climbing generally partakes of this quality) to a delicious
spring near the top of the divide, and which is nearly 6,000 feet
above the sea, and some 2,800 feet above White & Hatch's.
Thence the trail winds down a magnificently timbered and easy
grade to Clark's ranch, on the South Fork of the Merced. Clark's
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY , 85
is about 4,180 feet above sea level. Here also very agreeable
quarters will be found : and Mr. Clark, one of the old pioneers of
this region, will take real pride and pleasure in looking out for
your creature comforts, and by giving you every information in his
power.
The road to the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, here diverges from
that for Yo-Semite, and is up a long and gradual ascent to an alti-
tude above Clark's of some 1,500 feet. [For description of this
grove, see Chapter Y.]
From Clark's the trail continues up the side of the mountain in
a dense growth of shrubbery nearly to the top of the divide, where
it enters and continues through some of the finest stretches of
forest, composed mainly of the yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa\ the
sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), and the cedar (Libocedrus decur-
rens\ to be found in any portion of the world. Then for a few
miles it runs across green patches of meadow, or over low ridges
and spurs, whence it threads among numerous clumps of silver firs
(Picea grandis and Picea amabalis), and groves of " tamaracks"
(Pinus contorta); and as you ride along, glimpses of. the distant
sierras are caught, upon whose lofty peaks, or in whose shadowy
and sheltered gorges, snow lies eternally slumbering. You are now
for the most part, about 7,000 feet above the sea. The highest
portions of the trail being about 7,500 feet.
As you now descend, the dark purple haze at your right reveals
a near approach to the goal of your anticipations, — the Mecca of
this pilgrimage. Almost before the gratifying fact is realized, you
have reached " Inspiration Point," and are standing out upon a
bold promontory of rock, and with feelings all your own, are
looking over the precipice of nearly three thousand feet, into the
deep abyss. This is the first view obtained of Yo-Semite Yalley.
Mr. Sidney Andrews, in his correspondence to the Boston Adver-
tiser, thus writes of this glorious scene* : —
" Suddenly as I rode along, I heard a shout. I knew the
valley had revealed itcelf to those who were at the front of the line.
I turned my head away — I couldn't look until I had tied my horse.
Then I walked down to the ledge and crawled out upon the over-
S6 „ SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
hanging rocks. I believe some men walk out there, — it's a dull
clod of a soul who can do that. In all my life, let it lead me where
it may, I think I shall see nothing else so grand, so awful, so sub-
lime, so beautiful, — beautiful with a beauty not of this earth, — as
that Vision of the Yalley. It was only yesterday evening, — I can-
not write of it yet. How long I sat there on the rocks I never
shall know. I brought the picture away with me ; I have only to
shut my eyes and I see it as I saw it in that hour of hours. I
think I shall see nothing else so sublime and beautiful, till, hap-
pily, I stand within the gates of the Heavenly City."
As you are now some eight and a half miles from the hotel, how-
ever enchanting this spot may be, you must not linger here too
long ; but, bringing lunch, after you are rested, pay it another visit
from the valley, and make a day of it. Besides, a really finer view
than this is obtained a short distance below, on " Mount Beati-
tude," from whence a more comprehensive picture of the valley is
realized. To see this, however, will require a short detour from
the trail, and a little more time.
Presuming that you could not resist the temptation of witness-
ing the imposing view from Mount Beatitude — and knowing the
impossibility of even approximating justice in any written descrip-
tion— you will think of it as you descend the mountain, and dream
of it both by day and by night. Presently you come to the " Hermit-
age," a hollow sugar-pine tree that was the home of a solitary
woodsman for nearly three months. One night, when the wind
blew unpleasantly strong, he concluded that u discretion was the
better part of valor," and vacated his nature-built cabin until the
storm had subsided.
Fine views of the valley are obtained at almost every turning
point and, while assisting to distract your attention from the long
and somewhat difficult descent, reward you for the trouble of
coming.
At the foot of the mountain you arrive at " Fern Spring." The
cooling, bower-like shade of the trees and shrubs, and the clear
and sparkling brightness of the water, bubbling up among rocks
and green-matted foliage, united to its almost icy coldness, may,
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 87
after your journey down, especially if both you and the weather
are warm, tempt an indulgence in too hearty a draught. This,
however, should be studiously resisted for the first day or two, as
persons unaccustomed to the pure cold water of Yo-Semite are in
danger of being uncomfortably troubled with diarrhoea.
Now as you ride across the Bridal Yeil meadow, with the u Bri-
dal Yeil Fall " in full sight ; rainbow hues are toying and playing
with its beautiful rockets, and mists, and sprays ; but, knowing that
a full afternoon can be well spent in such glorious companionship;
and that the setting sun, with scenes of interest on either hand to
be viewed as you ride up the valley, admonish not to linger here
too long — you had better not tarry. Besides, by this time you
will begin to feel that a refreshing glass of good California wine,
a bath, dinner, and such other acceptable comforts as may be found
at Hutchings' are not to be despised. Then, after you have rested
and are comforted, sally out at your pleasure.
The time required to make this trip by Mariposa comfortably
will be about as follows : First day, to Hornitos ; second day, to
Mariposa (or to White and Hatch's, llf miles farther), and in
obtaining outfits of horses, etc. ; third day, to Clark's ; fourth day,
to the Big Tree Grove and back ; fifth day, to Hutchings'. Those
in a hurry can go to White & Hatch's the second day, to Clark's
and the Big Tree Grove the third day, and to the Yo-Semite on
the fourth.
THE KINDS AND AMOUNT OF PERSONAL BAGGAGE TO BE TAKEN.
This, you will allow, is a difficult matter for us to determine,
and one that will require your generous forbearance and assist-
ance. These questions settled, we will suppose that your good
sense (no flattery is intended) will suggest at the start that all
Saratoga trunks should be eschewed — reven if their dimensions do
not exceed those of an ordinary cottage or two. If you have one
of moderate pretensions be sure and carefully examine its contents
with the view of laying aside every thing that you know will not be
wanted. Next, turn over your effects again, and reject every thing
you feel that you could conscientiously do without. The reason
88 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
for all this will be apparent when we inform you that after the
coach (and its capaciousness) is left behind, every article you take
will have to be carried on your saddle animal, or on a pack-mule,
for the balance of the way.
Now, if health and comfort are studied, gentlemen will see that
they have one extra of each of the following articles : One pair of
good serviceable boots (not necessarily very heavy) that have been
broken to the feet ; one complete outfit of under-clothing ; one
woollen over-shirt ; three or four pairs of hose (woollen should be
preferred) ; one pair of strong pants (old ones, if not too easily torn,
would be the best, as they will be good for nothing after returning) ;
pocket-handkerchiefs, and a few other necessary articles. Ladies
would do well by taking some of the hints thrown out to gentlemen —
in providing themselves with woollen dresses of suitable strength,
color, and texture, made in the Bloomer or other similar style, as
such would be found to possess both comfort and adaptability ; a
durable linen riding-habit ; boots that were made for wear more
than for ornament ; a warm shawl ; and by making choice of such
other articles that will suit their wants, wishes, and tastes, with-
out further enumeration from us.
At the best it will be difficult to give advice that will accord
with every variety of condition and of circumstance. By way
of illustration we may mention that an estimable and intel-
ligent lady correspondent of a San Francisco paper visited
To- Semite early in May, and finding the weather cool, advised
every lady to go there warmly clad. Other ladies, later in the
season, taking that advice, and finding the climate pleasantly
warm, remarked, " How could Mrs. — — recommend us to come
in such warm clothing ? when we return we will tell all our lady
friends to choose none but light summer dresses ! "
Trunks can be taken wherever coaches can go. Beyond that,
as they have to be packed upon mules, the expenses of transpor-
tation are necessarily increased. It is true that they can be safely
left at the end of the stage route, but this would suggest the
necessity of returning the same way. That necessity should
always be avoided. It is much more satisfactory to be left fully at
THE TO-SEMITE VALLEY. 89
liberty to make your own choice ; and, where time and conveni-
ence will permit, to go in one way and out the other, so that the
scenes upon one road, however beautiful, may afford a pleasing
contrast to those of the other. Our advice, therefore, would be to
leave your trunk in Stockton (unless you intend to spend some
weeks or months in Yo-Semite), so that after you return from your
ride in the mountains you may be refreshed by a bath and
change of clothing, before taking the steamboat or cars for San
Francisco or Sacramento.
Supposing, then, that you have concluded to leave your trunks
behind, as a portion of the journey is on horseback, the most con-
venient receptacle for clothing will be a pair of saddle-bags.
Next to these, a flexible valise is best. Gentlemen in a hurry
will sometimes strap up all the clothing they expect to need in an
overcoat, and tie it at the back of their saddle. Do not, how-
ever, suppose that it is impossible to pack in almost any thing,
from a cooking range to a six-story house — in pieces, — but such
things cost money. These remarks are only intended for those
who wish to be economical in their expenditures. (i Nuf ced."
THE MOST ACCEPTABLE COURSE FOR A STRANGER TO PURSUE,
It is presumed, would be that which will obtain for him the
greatest amount of enjoyment and information for the smallest
amount of money. To secure these, experience has taught us that
one cannot be too explicit in his directions. Therefore, the motive
which prompts the following details, let us hope, will be considered
a sufficient apology for their introduction.
HOTEL CHARGES IN SAN FRANCISCO.
San Francisco will doubtless be the central point of attraction.
There, the new " Grand Hotel," — leased by the former proprietor
of the " Lick House,"— the " Cosmopolitan," and the " Occidental,"
are the principal hotels. Their charges are, we believe, $3 per day.
Next come the " Kuss House," " Brooklyn Hotel," and others,
whose charges are from $2 to $2.50 per day. All prices in Califor-
nia, remember, are upon a gold basis. These hotels can all be
90 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
reached by street-car, fare 6J- cents, by making your destination
known to the conductor. Cars are near to most of the wharves
and railway termini. The obliging book-keepers and clerks at all
first-class hotels will give you reliable information concerning the
city and State.
HOTEL CHARGES WHEN TRAVELLING IN CALIFORNIA.
Meals and beds, when travelling in California, will be from 50 cts.
to $1 each — averaging about $3 per day. At Hutchings', in Yo-
Semite, hotel charges are $3 50 per day, $20 per week, or $75 per
month. At the Calaveras Grove of Mammoth Trees, and at
Clark's, — the nearest house to the Mariposa Grove, — the prices are
about the same. Perhaps it will not be far out of place here to say
that meals, on the great overland railway, are from 75 cts. (in cur-
rency) to $1.25, and will average about $1 each. From Chicago to
Omaha, a berth in a sleeping-car is $3 per night ; from Omaha to
Ogden, $4 per night, including its use in the day-time ; from Ogden
to San Francisco, $3 per day and night.
If you contemplate a visit to Yo-Semite, or the Big Trees, —
and but few would go to California, and have the courage on their
return to say that they had not been there, — send for the authorized
Route Agent, Edward Harrison, Esq., of the stage and saddle train
companies,"* and have a good talk and a clear understanding with
him about every thing. Know exactly how much will be his full
charge to convey you from San Francisco or Stockton to Yo-
Semite, and back direct ; how much if you wish to go by either
grove of mammoth trees, and back. See, also, that the sum named
includes guides, and saddle-horses in the valley, so that there shall
be no annoying "extras." Once fully satisfied that every thing is
" on the square " (as we say in California), pay him your fare, and
receive from him a properly certified set of coupons for the trip.
* "Where this gentlemen can be found or addressed, is generally published in some
..of the newspapers.
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 91
PRELIMINARY PREPARATIONS.
One word more before starting. Have you been accustomed to
horseback riding ? If you have not, you will add very much to
the enjoyment of the trip by practising a little every day on some
reliable animal ; as experience in this gives a fearlessness of action
that adds much to the pleasure of such a delightful ride.
Supposing that the reader has already formed one of our party
as far as Stockton from San Francisco, in Chap. I. ; and supposing,
also, that he will give us the pleasure of his company on the shortest
and easiest route to Yo-Semite, and especially as it is also one of the
most picturesque, — besides being the freest from dust, — with the
assurance, also, that the scenery on the others is substantially
very similar, we will choose that, via Big Oak Mat.
It is nearly six o'clock A. M., and time to be off. The most to be
desired of all places on a stage, is the one known as the " box-seat'7
This is with the coachman : for if he is intelligent, and in a good
humor, he can tell you of all the sights by the way, with the per-
sonal history of nearly every man and woman you may meet, the
qualities and a points" of every horse upon the road, with all the
adventures, jokes, and other good things he has seen and heard,
during his thousand and one trips, under all kinds of circum-
stances, and in all sorts of weather. In short, he is a living road
encyclopaedia, to be read and studied at intervals by the occupant
of " the box-seat."
You saw that look and motion of the coachman's head ? That
was at once a sign of recognition and of invitation to the privileged
seat at his side, as we are old acquaintances. But, as you are a
stranger, and as every excursion of real pleasure — like the happiest
experiences of social life — become dependent to a very great ex-
tent upon little courtesies and kindnesses that cost nothing, we
wish to set a good example to the party, and to you, by foregoing
selfishness, and by trying to secure that seat for you. No thanks are
needed, as every pleasure is doubled by being shared. Now, sup-
92 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
posing that you are the occupant of the " box-seat," \ve will make
one suggestion — invite the driver to accept one of your best cigars,
and as its smoke and fragrance are rising on the air, you will
gradually become better acquainted, learning his secrets on the out-
side, while we are talking to those within. Now,
OFF FOR THE MOUNTAINS.
Leaving Stockton, then, we journey over a level and oak-studded
plain to the " Twelve Mile House," where we change horses and
take breakfast, which generally occupies fifteen to twenty min-
utes. Here we change horses. The country then gradually be-
comes gently rolling, and, although covered with wild flowers, is
almost barren of trees or shrubs. We again change horses at the
Twenty-five Mile House, At noon we reach Knight's Ferry, a
small settlement on the Stanislaus River, where a group of sturdy
miners probably is congregated in front of the hotel, and a bell an-
nounces that dinner is ready.
This was once one of the most flourishing of placer mining towns,
but now, like many similar ones in the mining districts, its pros-
perity is on the wane. Being the seat of government for Stanis-
laus County, and surrounded by numerous ranches and vineyards,
there is considerable life still manifest. Miners here frequently
used to find garnets and opals in their mining sluices when clean-
ing them out at night A fine stratum of yellow ochre, several
feet in thickness, lies on the south bank of the river ; also large
masses of crude iron, in blocks containing scores of cubic feet each.
After taking refreshments, with loss of our appetites and forty-
five minutes, we not only again change horses, but find ourselves
and our baggage changed to another stage — as the newest and best-
looking ones seem to be retained for the comparatively level and
city end of the route, while the dust-covered and paint-worn are
used for the mountains.
Shortly after leaving Knight's Ferry, we cross the " Stanislaus
Bridge " — a very substantial structure — and wind to the left, over
a spur of the celebrated " Table Mountain." This formation is
very remarkable, from its being apparently level for some fifteen
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 93
miles, and composed of volcanic scoria or trap. Beneath it, and
in the bed of a now extinct river, very rich gravel diggings were
discovered, which made several men wealthy. At different points
upon onr winding way, as we thread our course among the oak-
studded hills, we obtain glimpses of this singular deposit.
About the middle of the afternoon we arrive at Chinese Camp,
where, if we are wise and have time, we shall remain for the night,
and place ourselves and our comforts in care of Count Solinsky,
the obliging landlord of the " Garrett House," who will, if we wish
it, cheerfully show us the interesting sights in and around the
town. Whether we go or stay, our bags and baggage are here
removed from the Sonora stage, and, if we want to continue our
journey without delay, will be promptly placed upon the one bound
for Garrote. In any event, let us see that our luggage is in our
own safe-keeping before the stage leaves the door. A little trouble
now will save us from much annoyance in the future.
FKOM CHINESE CAMP TO TAMARACK FLAT.
An early start — preceded by a good cup of coffee — on a sum-
mer's morning, will prove to us the pleasantest portion of the day.
The deliciously bracing "Champagne atmosphere" (as a lady
friend of ours so naively expresses it) is quaffed with a delight and
zest that makes itself felt through every portion of the human
frame. Still on, on we roll, now over gently swelling hills, now
along shallow ravines, then down a well-graded road to the Tuo-
lumne River and Jacksonville. This village is supported mainly
by river mining and the placer diggings of Wood's Creek. Within
a stone's throw is one of the earliest fruit gardens in the State. A
short drive above this will bring us to a shady flower-covered
retreat, known as " Keith's Orchard and Yineyard." Here fruits
of every rare variety known in the temperate zone can be found,
and of the finest quality. Let us hope that we are just in their
season. The grapes will be found especially large and fine in
flavor. Let us not pass without testing their excellence, not for-
getting the old adage, that fruit is gold in the morning, silver at
noon, and lead at night.
94 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
About a mile above Keith's we cross the Tuolumne River on the
Stevens' Bar Ferry, and drive up Moccasin Creek some two and a
half miles to "Newhall and Culbertson's Vineyard." This is
another of those delightful wayside tarrying-places where fruit of
the finest quality is in abundance, and where we can obtain a
glass of the most delicious white wine to be had in any portion of
the State. It is but simple justice to these people to say that their
charges are not only very reasonable, but always low.
For the next two miles our road is on the side of a mountain,
covered with a dense mass of shrubbery, among which will be
found the manzanita, buckeye, mountain mahogany, pipe wood,
Indian arrow, granite wood, and numerous other kinds — all of
which, if cut in the proper season, November to March, are hard
and useful furniture woods, susceptible of a very high polish.
You will think this quite a mountain to climb — and it is. It
will be well, however, to bear in mind, that, before we commence
the descent toward Yo-Semite, we have to attain an altitude of
nearly seven thousand feet ; we must, therefore, commence ascend-
ing somewhere, and why not here? It will be a task upon our
patience, perhaps, but as it seems to be a trial of both wind and
muscle to the horses, we may surely console ourselves with the
thought that we can stand it if they can. Up, up we toil, many
of us on foot, perhaps, in order to ease the faithful and apparently
overtasked animals, which puff and snort like miniature locomo-
tives, while the sweat drops from them i'n abundance.
One quiet evening in the height of summer, after the sun had
set, and the deep purple atmosphere — almost peculiar to California
— had changed to sombre gray, we (the passengers) were wending
our way up the mountain, on foot, and a little ahead of the stage,
when a rustling sound, just below the road, startled us with its
singular and suspicious distinctness, and dark, shadowy forms
were gently threading their way among the bushes. Our hearts
beat uncomfortably fast, and we instinctively felt for our revolvers,
but they were in the stage. It should be told that at this time
numerous robberies had been committed upon the highway by
Joaquin, Tom Bell, and their respective gangs. " We are caught,"
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 95
whispered one. " They will rob, and perhaps murder us," sug-
gested another. " We can die but once," bravely retorted a third.
" Let us all keep close together," pantomimed a fourth. " "Who
goes there? " loudly challenged a fifth. "A friend," exclaimed
the ringleader of a party of miners who were climbing the steep
sides of the mountain just at our side, with their blankets at their
backs, all walking to town, and who had caused all our alarm ;
and as he and his companions quietly seated themselves by the road-
side, they commenced wiping oif the perspiration, and gave us cor-
dial salutation in good plain English. " Why, bless us, these men,
who have almost frightened us out of our seven senses, are fellow-
travellers ! " " Couldn't you see that ? " now valorously inquired
one whose knees had knocked uncontrollably together with fear
only a few' moments before. At this we all laughed ; and the
coachman, having stopped his stage, said, " Get in, gentlemen,"
and we had enough to talk and joke about until we reached Kirk-
wood's.
This brings us to the last-named place. Here we stop to water
the horses and change the mails and passengers to the Coul-
terville-bound stage — this being the turning-off point for the
latter-named town. We have by this time probably received
sundry admonitions from within that the comforting morning meal
has not, as yet, been duly furnished to a tenantless stomach,
accompanied, possibly, with the secret wish that Garrote and
breakfast are not far off. That it is only three miles, over a
tolerably good road, is at this time an encouraging thought.
As we jog along, we must not omit to notice the evidences of
mining on either hand, even if we forget the unpleasant fact that
a miner's labors almost invariably bring desolation to the land-
scape. Nor must we pass unseen the sturdy branch-lopped and
root-cut veteran trunk of a noble and enormous oak, some eleven
feet in diameter, still standing on our right ; as it was from this
once famous tree that " Big Oak Flat," the village through which
we are passing, received its name. Then, however, its immense
branch-crowned top gave refreshing shadow to the traveller, and
beauty to the scene. We fear that many a year will have made
yb SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
its faithful record before our virtues become sufficiently Christian
to confess forgiveness to those who committed, or permitted, the
vandal act of its destruction. We take real comfort in the thought
that its storm-beaten, dead, and limbless form must daily admin-
ister stinging reproofs to every one whose act, or silence, gave
sanction to the deed. " So mote it be !"
" Breakfast !" shouts the coachman (a musical sound indeed to
us, even though his voice were cracked, and it isn't), as he " pulls
up " at Savory's, the jovial and obliging landlord of the Washing-
ton Hotel, Garrote. We predict that if he knows that we are
coming, and we are certain that he does, he will spread before us
an excellent repast, — especially for a mining town. Perhaps it
will not be out of place here to say, in all kindness, that no trav-
eller should expect to find meals and accommodations in the
mountains of California equal to those of the " Grand Hotel," the
" Cosmopolitan," or the " Occidental," in San Francisco. And
perhaps he doesn't. " If so, why so." Then we take it all back.
While the stage is settling our breakfasts, and we are advancing
toward another euphoniously named mining camp, known as " Sec-
ond Garrote" (we should like to " garrote" the name-givers of these
villages until they repented), we must caution you against stop-
ping (so soon after leaving Savory's, you know), at Chaffey & Cham-
berlain's ; for their delicious pears and other fruits will be sure to
tempt you to eat again, and it is a long way to the doctor's !
Then, if you think of the amount of internal freight taken in but
two miles below, ought you in conscience to add to it without
paying extra ? But this being the last orchard seen on this side
of Yo-Semite ; and this, moreover, being considered a " pleasure
trip," we will accept of your pardon for mentioning such trifles as
apples, hoping that you have sufficient caution not to allow the
driver to see you cram them into your pockets, unless prepared to
pay for " extra baggage." We will talk to him about a new road
up the mountain while you have an eye to business.
A short ascent up a somewhat steep hill, brings us to the ups
and downs of a ridge road, with timber and shrubbery on both
sides. The large ditch we cross several times is that of the Golden
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 97
Rock Water Co.'s, constructed for the purpose of supplying the
mining towns below with water for mining purposes. This work
will be seen at different times until we pass the " Big Gap," where
lie the broken fragments of a flume, once the pride of its engineers,
as the finest wooden structure of the kind in the State, having a
height of two hundred and sixty-four feet above the Gap, and a
length of two thousand two hundred feet, costing the snug little
amount of pocket change of eighty thousand dollars. A strong
wind one night told the sad story, that " the best-laid plans of
mice and men gang oft aglee," and made it the wreck you see.
Xow, a large iron tube placed upon the ground answers the pur-
pose of the flume. This only cost, we are informed, some twelve
thousand dollars. There is but little danger of this being blown
over, that is one comfort. Our hope and wish is that it may not
be inclined to go upon " a bender."
Calling at Sprague's Ranch to pay our respects to the owner, as
we are largely indebted to the enterprise of Mr. Sprague for the
construction of the new road to liardin's ; become refreshed if we
need " refreshing ;" change or water the horses ; and, to avoid a
side hill covered with loose volcanic scoria, pass through his farm
on our winding way.
As we advance it is evident that the timber becomes larger, and
the forest land more extensive. The gently rolling hills begin to
give way to tall mountains ; and the quiet and even tenor of the
landscape changes to the wild and picturesque. An occasional
deer may shoot across our track ; or covies of quail, with their
beautiful plumage and nodding " top-knots," whirr among the
bushes. The robin and meadow lark and oriole may prove to us
that they still have a love and a voice for music ; and the u too
coo-" ing of the dove tells that its voice " is still heard in our land."
Instead of the eastern " woodpecker tapping at the hollow beach-
tree," the red-headed Calilbrnian variety, known as the carpenter
(el carpintero) woodpecker, may be seen busily engaged boring
holes in the bark of a large pine-tree, and afterward carefully fit-
ting and filling them up with acorns, or critically examining them
apparently for his own amusement, or for purposes known only to
98 SCENES IX CALIFORNIA.
himself. The reason for these arc still, we believe, a mystery to
naturalists. As the greatest activity in storing was in the fall,
and the inspection went on at other seasons, it was for many years
supposed that an instinctive provision for a coming want was the
cause. But as this variety of woodpecker has seldom or never been
seen feeding on the acorn, or on the supposed insect which it con-
tained, some doubt has arisen as to the satisfactory nature of its
occupation. Perhaps some student of the habits of this singular
bird may give us some interesting facts connected with its history.
. While we are talking, the horses have again stopped before a neat
house in a green meadow. This is "Hamilton's," near to the
" Big Gap." We feel it a duty to mention every deserving way-
side public-house, above the settlements, so that any traveller who.
from either choice or necessity, wishes to eat, drink", or sleep, may
know where to go. But as we must not tarry too long by the way,
we will now say that seven miles above is u Hardin's Mill ;'' six
miles farther is " Hodgden's," at the Bronson meadows ; five miles
farther is u Goburn's," at Crane Flat ; and five miles farther
brings us to "Tamarack Flat." These people having provided for
the wants of the public, will be pleased to receive, we doubt not,
such patronage as any may have to bestow.
Who, in feeble language, can fully disclose to us the grandeur
of the scenery that opens before us a short distance east of the Big
Gap ? When the painter's art can build the rainbow upon canvas
so as to deceive the sense of sight — when simple words can tell the
depth and height, the length and breadth of u single thought —
or the physician's skill delineate, beyond peradventure, the hidden
mysteries of a living soul — then, ah ! then, it may be possible.
Deep down in an abyss before us is a gulf — a canon — of more
than two thousand feet. The gleaming, silvery thread, seen run-
ning among boulders, is the Tuolumne River, a hundred feet in
width. Its rock-ribbed sides, in places, show not a vestige of a
tree or shrub. In others, its generous soil has clothed the almost
perpendicular walls with verdure. As the eye wanders onward
and upward it traces the pine-clad outlines of distant gorges whose
tributary waters compose and swell the volume of the stream
THK YOSEMITE VALLEY. 99
beneath us. To the right, surrounded by noble trees, can be dis-
cerned a bright speck — it is a waterfall a hundred feet in height
and thirty feet in width. In the far distance, piercing the clouds,
the snow-covered peaks of the sierras lift their glorious heads of
sheen, while a beautiful purple haze casts its broad, softening
man tie over all.
Our road, shaded by lofty pines and umbrageous oaks and
cooled by a delicious breeze, lies safely near the edge of the preci-
pice, the whole panorama rolled vividly out before us. It is such
scenes as this that introduce refreshing change to such a journey.
We know of no view equal to it, so far from the valley, on either
of the other routes.
Crossing the bridge of the south fork of the Tuolumne, our
course is upward for a considerable distance until we reach liar-
din's, and possibly dinner. Beyond, we again cross the south
fork, and still our course is upward, until we have reached a long
stretch of elevated table-land that, for timber, is not excelled in
any portion of the State. Large sugar-pine trees (Pinus Lamber-
iiana) from live to ten feet in diameter, and over two hundred feet
in height, devoid of branches for sixty or a hundred feet, and straight
as an arrow, everywhere abound. Besides these, there are thou-
sands of yellow pines (Pinus ponderosa), Douglas firs (Abies
Douglasii\ and cedar (Libocedrus decurrens\ that are but little,
if any, smaller or shorter than the sugar-pines. These forests areS
not covered up with a dense undergrowth, as at the east, but give I
long and ever-changing vistas for the eye to penetrate.^) Well
might Mr. Horace Greeley write concerning them : —
" Here let me renew my tribute to the marvelous bounty and
beauty of the forests of this whole mountain region. The Sierra
Nevadas lack the glorious glaciers, the frequent rains, the rich
verdure, the abundant cataracts of the Alps ; but they far surpass
them— they surpass any other mountains I ever saw— in the wealth
and grace of their trees. Look down from almost any of their
peaks, and your range of vision is filled, bounded, satisfied, by
what might be termed a tempest-tossed sea of evergreens, filling
every upland valley, covering every hill-side, crowning every
100 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
peak but the highest, with their unfading luxuriance. That I
saw, during this day's travel, many hundreds of pines eight feet
in diameter, with cedars at least six feet, I am confident ; and
there were miles of such, and smaller trees of like genus, standing
as thick as they could grow. Steep mountain-sides, allowing
these giants to grow, rank above rank, without obstructing each
other's sunshine, seem peculiarly favorable to the production of
these serviceable giants. But the Summit Meadows are peculiar
in their heavy fringe of balsam fir, of all sizes, from those barely
one foot high to those hardly less than two hundred, their branches
surrounding them in collars, their extremities gracefully bent down
by the weight of winter snows, making them here, I am confident,
the most beautiful trees on earth. The dry promontories which
separate these meadows, are also covered with a species of spruce,
which is only less graceful than the firs aforesaid. I never before
enjoyed such a tree- feast as on this wearing, difficult ride."
THE TUOLUMNE SOUTH GROVE OF BIG TREES.
Talking of trees, almost before we know it, we are entering the
" Tuolumne South Grove " of mammoth trees, as our road lies
directly through it. These trees are of the same genus (Sequoia
giyantea) as those of Calaveras, Mariposn, and other similar
groves. There are about thirty in this group. Several of them
are remarkably fine specimens oT the Big Tree family. Two of
them, which grew from the same root, and unite a few feet above
the base, are called " The Siamese Twins." These are about one
hundred and fourteen feet in circumference at the ground, and,
consequently, about thirty-eight feet in diameter — of course,
including both. The bark has been cut on one side of one of these
* Mr. G-reeley, \vo believe, rode from Bear Valley to the Yo-Semite — over sixty
miles — in one day. He had not, it is said, been in a saddle before for thirty years.
Tho mule he rode was considered the hardest trotting brute in America ; and Mr. G.
(not the mule) being somewhat corpulent, there was but little unabrased cuticle left '
him. Arriving at the hotel after midnight, he was lifted from his saddle, and at his
own request, put supperless to bed. A little after noon the same day, having speak-
ing engagements to fulfill, lie started back without even seeing the Lake, or the great
sights on the main river— the " Vernal " and the •' Nevada " falls.
THE YO-SEMITK VALLEY. ,101 t
and has been found to measure twenty inches in thickness., ^
the u Twins" there are two others which mea&ure^se^
feet around their base. There is one black stump still standing
that must have once represented a tree not less than one hundred
feet in circumference. Within a few yards of this grows one of
the finest representatives of this wondrous family to be found.
" Excelsior " being our motto, we shall soon reach " Crane
Flat." These flats are grassy meadows, interspersed among the 7
mountain districts, and are generally the heads of creeks or rivers,
being almost always " springy." Of late years they are fed off by
bands of sheep brought up from the plains when the feed there
has become short or dry. Running upon or over trails, they are
apt to obliterate all traces of the traveller's course, and where a
short turn is made, great care is needed, by the inexperienced,
prevent being lost.
In the early spring the snow upon the main road being deep, a
detour is here made from the regular course. At such a time we
strike a little south of east, down the flat, past the front of the old
cabin, carefully looking out for and following u the blazes." These
"blazes " are axe marks in the trees. This is known as the " Old
Coulterville Route ;" and although, in addition to being several
miles further round, a long mountain has to be descended and
another one climbed, it is the safest and most speedy in the early
spring. A guide, then, however, will be very necessary.
Let us hope that we can continue on the shortest and easiest
route. This will be in a northeasterly course until we have sur-
mounted the crest of the dividing ridge which separates the waters
of the Tuolumne from those of the Merced. Here we are some
seven thousand feet above the sea. From this ridge magnificent
views of the distant landmarks and snow-covered peaks of the
sierras open at brief intervals before us ; while timber-covered
ridges and gorges, like waves of the sea, stretch farther and farther
away to the verge of the distant horizon; with an occasional
mountain of verdureless ruck, like an island, standing gloriously
out as if to defy the further encroachments of those evergreen
masses of pines. There does not seem to be a foot of ground over
102 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
, we , are passing that has not some novelty to charm us.
R^ tlje Jeixgtherting shadows in silence admonish us not to tarry
too long. Reluctantly we take a long lingering look, and com-
mence our descent toward the wonderful valley.
The apparently omnipresent forest overarches our way ; and
beautiful firs (Picea amabalis and, Picea grandis) and "tama-
racks" (Pinus contorta) stand sentinel guard on every hand ; while
patches of stunted manzanita (Arctostaphylos ylancd), with its
evergreen leaves and fragrant, waxy-like blossoms, and different
species of California lilac (Ceanothus), literally loading the air
with its perfume, and brightening the landscape with its flowery
plumes of purple or white, attract our attention, until, by a gentle
declivity, we arrive at " Tamarack Flat."
Here, for the present at least, our stage ride will probably end,
and that by horseback begin. Here, too, if we are not tired, we
should walk about among the singular groups of granite rocks that
surround the house. Their quaint forms and unique combinations
of picturesque beauty, will wrell repay examination. These will
make an agreeable interchange of rest and recreation for a few
hours. The house itself, and its accommodations, will be found to
be, like the scenery around it, somewhat meagre perhaps, but we
trust with enough of enjoyment in it to make the visit a remem-
brance of pleasure.
Now, the novelty of the circumstances and situation to many
may be fruitful of confusion, or disappointment, or dissatisfaction,
and even of discord, if the following motto is not inscribed upon
every one's intent and purpose :
" SELFISHNESS IS BANISHED FROM OUR PARTY."
This being cheerfully and unanimously conceded, we predict
for all a delightful trip. To secure its immediate as well as ulti-
mate success, permit us to make one or two suggestions before
starting : First, — Let there be one chosen leader for the party,
whose excellent judgment and considerate attention shall be
beyond question. Then, after mutual conference with each other
upon any desirable movement, let him execute the wishes of the
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 103
majority. Two heads, we grant, are better than one in consulta-
tion, but not in execution. Second, — In the selection of horses see
to it that the easiest and best is secured for the most aged, or most
weakly, or the most timid. And if experience teaches that an
error IIP,S been committed, and that after all either possesses the
favorite animal, let us promptly offer it to the one our better nature
tells us should be the rider. Third, — Start and keep as nearly as
possible together. Do not " straggle." If it is perceived that one
of our friends has not the knowledge of riding, or the daring to
keep up with us, let us not leave them, but rein in, and keep them
company. We shall thus make them our devoted friends, and
surely this would be a better reward than the boast that we had
reached the hotel first, and secured the best rooms. The most
thorough enjoyments of life are those which arise in generous and
sympathetic consideration for, or concession to, the wants and
wishes of others.
Before mounting let the guide examine and see that every
saddle is perfectly safe. There should be no neglect, or doubt,
about this ; for, although there is no real danger, due precaution
will avoid any. " All ready ? " Then,
"HOI FOR YO-SEMITE."
104 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
The gentle undulations and gradual declivities of the trail give
opportunity for renewed confidence, both in ourselves and in our
horses. This will leave us at liberty to notice the continuation of
the glorious forest : the singular and attractive groupings of the
rocks, additional to the conformation of numerous isolated speci-
mens, one of which (on our right) resembles, and is named, u The
Decanter." and another, " The Sphynx."
About two and a half miles from Tamarack Flat, we arrive at
Cascade Creek, across which is a rude bridge ; almost immediately
after crossing which it will be well for the whole party to keep at
least one eye open for the beautiful scene at our left. In the dis-
tance looms squarely up a bold and lofty mountain. In the fore-
ground the stream rushes heedlessly on among large rocks, as if
indifferent of its fate ; now leaping over this, and dashing on and
past that; here with a seething, there with a roaring sound; yon-
der bubbling and gurgling, or
" Smokin, and frothin'
Its tumult and wrath in,"
until the enchanting sight, united with its songs and performances,
may tempt us to linger too long.
Half a mile farther we come to the top of a rocky promontory,
and before us is presented a view that will equal, if not surpass,
any we have yet seen. This is u Prospect Point." While the
guide is again arranging and securing our saddles (never permit
this to be omitted), preparatory to the descent of the mountain, let
us realize, i f we can, its ineffable grandeur. That bright and
sparkling stream is the Merced (meaning " River of Mercy"). Re-
leased from its pure snowy reservoir among the tops of the Sierras,
it has leaped the wonderful walls of Yo-Semite, jind is hurrying
on through an almost impassable canon, to fertilize and gladden the
valleys below. Three clays were once spent by us in that canon,
alone, seeking to know if a home could be made in Yo-Semite
during winter. In the far distance lies "Mount Bullion," the
easterly boundary of the Fremont grant. In the hollow to the
right is a waterfall of some eight hundred feet, made by the union
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. •
105
of the " Big " and " Little " Cascade Creeks. Beyond that is the
" Stand-point of Silence," on the old Coulterville trail ; the view
from which look in or
£j
up through the canon
and into the valley is
inexpressibly grand.
Now with your per-
mission we \vill com-
mence the descent of
the mountain. There
is nothing in it to
make us nervous or
uneasy. Keep a mod-
erately tight rein, and
trust to your horse.
He knows where to
place his foot firmly
at every step. He
makes his own per-
sonal safety a study,
as well as ours. There
are but one or two
very steep places in
the entire descent.
The most timid may
wish to dismount and
walk at those places.
As they are short,
that is soon accom-
plished. And upon
the whole, although
we breathe more free-
ly when the valley is
reached, it is over with almost before we know it.
The picturesque wildness of the scene on every hand ; the excit-
ing wonders of so romantic a journey ; the difficulties surmounted ;
10G SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
the dangers braved and overcome, put us in possession of one
unanimous feeling of unalloyed delight ; so that when we reach
the foot of the mountain, and look upon the beautiful rapids of the
river rolling and swelling at the side of the trail, while a forest of
oaks and pines stands sentinel on its banks, or ride side by side
among the trees in the valley, we congratulate each other upon
looking the very picture of happiness personified.
RIVER SCENE IN THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY, NEAR THE FOOT OF THE TRAIL.
Irom a Photograph by C. L. Weed.
We will here remark that there are but two localities by which
this valley can at present be safely entered, the one by which
we have come, and the other immediately opposite the river, by
way of Mariposa. Should a railroad ever enter the valley— and
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 107
even now one is in contemplation — its course will, substantially,
follow that of the river up the canon.
THE RIDE UP THE VALLEY.
When nearly opposite the "Pohono" or " Bridal Veil " Fall,
by noticing the second high point of the mountain west, a large
head and strikingly noble features of a man in profile can easily
be distinguished. This is connected with the legend of Tu-tock-
ah-nu-lah, alluded to in other portions of this chapter, who is
awaiting the return of his long-lost and lamented Tis-sa-ac.
Here, too, if it is evening, a strong breeze is generally noticed,
first among the foliage of the trees, then by its swaying their tops
and branches, and afterward by its refreshing coolness on the
brow. This breeze seldom extends beyond a circumference half
a mile in diameter, and probably became the origin of the Indian
tradition from whence the name " Pohono " derived its significa-
tion. After passing through this cool circle, gusts of warm wind
are frequently felt at intervals for some two miles. Having had
to ride up the valley many times after sunset, these experiences
have almost always been realized.
Fatigued as we may be, every object around us has an interest
as we pass this point, or watch that shadow slowly climbing those
towering granite walls, when the last rays of the setting sun are
quietly draping the highest peaks of this wonderful valley with a
purple veil of hazy ether ; or, as Mr. Greeley expresses it, in his
interesting descriptive visit, —
" That first full, deliberate gaze up the opposite height ! can I
ever forget it ? The valley is here scarcely half a mile wide while
its northern wall of mainly naked, perpendicular granite, is at
least four thousand feet high — probably mor;. But the modicum
of moonlight that fell into this awful gorge [Mr. Greelqj| arrived
in the night] gave to that precipice a vagueness of outline, an
indefinite vastness, a ghostly and weird spirituality. Had the
mountain spoken to me in audible voice, or begun to lean over
with the purpose of burying me beneath its crushing mass, I
should hardly have been surprised. Its whiteness, thrown into
108
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
bold relief by the patches of trees or shrubs which fringed or
flecked it wherever a few handfuls of its moss, slowly decomposed
to earth, could contrive to hold on, continually suggested the
presence of snow, which suggestion, with difficulty refuted, was
at once renewed. And, looking up the valley, we saw just such
mountain precipices, barely separated by intervening water-
courses of inconsiderable depth, and only receding sufficiently to
make room for a very narrow meadow inclosing the river, to the
furthest limit of vision."
POM POM-PA-SUS," OR THE THREE BROTHERS, 4,000 FEET HIGI
From a Photograph by C. L. Weed.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
109
Our trail, for the most part, lies among giant pines, from two
hundred to two hundred and fifty feet in height, and beneath the
refreshing shade of outspreading oaks and other trees. Not a
sound breaks the expressive stillness that reigns, save the occa-
sional chirping and singing of birds as they fly to their nests, or
the low, distant sighing of the breeze in the tops of the forest.
Crystal streams occasionally gurgle and ripple across our path,
whose sides are fringed with willows and wild flowers that are
ever blossoming, and grass that is ever green. On either side of
us stands almost perpendicular cliifs, to the height of thirty-five
hundred feet ; and on whose rugged faces, or in their uneven tops
DISTANT VIEW OF THE " POIIOXO," OH BRIDAL VEIL WATERFALL,
From a Photograph l>y C. L. Weed
110
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
and sides, here and there a stunted pine struggles to live, and
every crag seems crowned with some shrub or tree. The bright
sheen of the river occasionally glistens from among the dense
foliage of several long vistas that continually open before us.
At every step, some new picture of great beauty presents itself,
and some new shapes and shadows from trees and mountains
form new combinations of light and shade, in this great kaleido-
scope of nature.
Shortly after passing Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah, on our left, we come
in sight of three points which the Indians know as uPom-p
pa-sus" — mountains playing leap-frog, but which some lacks
cal person has given the common-place name of " The Three
Brothers,'1 beyond which we get the first glimpse of the upper
part of the Yo-Semite waterfall.
Perhaps we ought previously to have mentioned, that the first
water-fall of any magnitude which strikes our attention on en-
tering the valley — and, indeed, on several occasions before reach-
ing the bottom land of the valley — is the "Pohono" (Indian
THE FERRY.
From a Photograph "by C. L. Weed.
THE YO-SEMITE YALLEY.
Ill
name), or " Bridal Veil " Fall, and which we shall more fully de-
scribe when we take a near view of it.
Surrounded by such scenes of loveliness and sublimity, we feel
a reluctance to break the
charm they throw upon us
by any speech ; when some
one is almost sure to cry out
— " The Ferry." Here the
river is about sixty feet
wide, and twelve feet deep
— across which we can be
speedily conveyed on a good
boat, at the rate of thirty-
seven and a-half cents per
head for men, women, and
animals.
By consulting the accom-
panying outline map of the
valley and its surroundings,
it will readily be seen that
a little detour to the left
will enable us to avoid the
delay and expense of the
ferry. By taking the trail
indicated, we cross " The
Point of Rocks ; " from
whence some charming
scenes are obtained, and are
on the direct course for
Hutchings' Bridge, the only
one in the valley, — which
spans the Merced River just
opposite his house, and is
entirely free to the public.
As we ride along, the " Yo- Semite Fall," the " North Dome,"
'• Royal Arches," <• Washington Tower," " Clouds Rest," " South
112 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
Dome," " Sentinel," and other grand points of interest, now seen
only at a distance, impressively suggest the treat in store for us
when we obtain a closer personal interview with their matchless
wonders.
Now, notwithstanding the many objects of interest we have
passed, we venture, upon a guess, that one thought has frequently
intruded itself upon our notice, it is this — u Shall we ever come
up to that mountain ?" and the length of time consumed -in the
attempt — especially if the unaccustomed ride has brought with it
a corresponding amount of fatigue — would seem to give back the
nonchalant and unfeeling answer, *' Never ! " There is, however,
no greater proof of the unrealized altitudes of these mountain-sides
than this — the time it takes to reach or pass them.
But amidst all these we can hear one ejaculation that seems to
contain more real satisfaction in it than any amount of sight-see-
ing just now. It is this one : u Thank goodness. Here's the Yo-
Semite Hotel. Here's Hutchings' ! " — and commending ourselves
to its most generous hospitalities — for we need them — we will dis-
mount in the hope that a refreshing glass of pure California wine
(or something stronger, if we prefer it, as none but excellent
liquors are considered by the landlord to be worth packing in) a
•good wash, and an acceptable dinner await us.
THE FIEST NIGHT IN THE VALLKY.
After the fatigue and excitement of the ride, and the novel cir-
cumstances of the past few nights, it is natural to suppose that
with a comfortable bed will come refreshing slumbers ; yet experi-
ence may prove that, weary as we are, it seems such a luxury to
lie awake and listen to the splashing, washing, roaring, surging,
hissing, seething sound of the great Yo-Semite Falls, just opposite :
or to pass quietly out of our resting-place, and look up between the
lofty pines and spreading oaks to the granite cliffs that tower up
with such majesty of form and boldness of outline against the vast
ethereal vault of heaven ; or watch, in the moonlight, the ever-
changing shapes and shadows of the water, as it leaps the cloud-
draped summit of the mountain, and falls in gusty torrents on the
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 113
unyielding granite, to be dashed to an infinity of atoms. Then to
return to our welcome couch and dream of some tutelary genius,
of immense proportions, extending over us his protecting arms —
of his admonishing the waterfall to modulate the music of its
voice, that we may sleep and be refreshed.
THE FIRST DAY IN THE VALLEY.
Some time before the sun can get a good, honest look at us,
deep down as we are in this awful chasm, we see him painting
his rosy smiles upon the ridges, and etching lights and shadows in
the furrows of the mountain's brow, as though he took a pride
in showing up, to the best advantage, the wrinkles time had made
upon it ; but all of us feel too fatigued fully to enjoy the thrilling
grandeur and beauty that surrounds us.
But little laborious effort being desired on the first day after
arrival, it will be well to rest long and breakfast late. The morn-
ing can be devoted to scenes that are near the hotel, and there are
O '
enough to employ and charm us. Fortified by a morning of quiet
and a substantial lunch, let us in the afternoon pay a visit to
THE LOWER YO-SEMITE FALL.
Crossing the bridge over the main stream, which is here about
eighty feet in width and five in depth,' we keep down the northern
bank of the river for a short distance, to avoid a large portion of the
valley in front of the hotel, that is probably overflowed with water.
Presently we reach one of the most beautifully picturesque
scenes that eye ever saw. It is the ford. The oak, dogwood
maple, cotton wood, arid other trees, form an arcade of great beautj
over the sparkling, rippling, pebbly stream, and, in the back-
ground, the lower fall of the Yo-Semire is dropping its sheet of
snowy sheen behind a dark middle distance of pines and firs.
As the snow rapidly melts beneath the fiery strength of a hot
summer sun, a large body of water, most probably, is rushing
past, forming several small streams — which, being comparatively
shallow, are easily forded. When within about a hundred and
fifty yards of the fall, as numerous large boulders begin to inter-
114
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
THE FORD OF THE YO-SEM1TE.
From a Photograph ly C. L. Weed.
cept our progress, we may as well dismount, and, after fastening
our animals to some young trees, make our way up to it on foot.
Now a change of temperature soon becomes perceptible, as we
advance; and the almost oppressive heat of the centre of the
valley is gradually changing to that of chilliness. But up, up, we
climb, over this rock, and past that tree, until we reach the foot,
or as near as we can advance to it, of the great Yo-Semite Fall,
when a cold draught of air rushes down upon us from above,
about equal in strength to an eight knot breeze ; bringing with it
a heavy shower of finely comminuted spray, that falls with suf-
ficient force to saturate our clothing in a few moments. From
KEAR VIEW OF THE YO-SEMITE FALLS. — 2,550 FEET IN HEIGHT.
ft Phntnnrnnh i,ii C!. L.
116 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
this a beautiful phenomenon is observable — inasmuch as, after
striking our hats, the diamond-like mist shoots off at an angle of
about thirty-five or forty degrees, and as the sun shines upon it, a
number of miniature rainbows are formed all round us.
Those who have never visited this spot, must not suppose that
the cloud-like spray that descends upon us is the main fall itself,
broken into infinitesimal particles, and becoming nothing but a
; sheet of cloud. By no means ; for, although this stream shoots
over the margin of the mountain, nearly seven hundred feet
above, it falls almost in a solid body — not in a continuous stream
exactly, but having a close resemblance to an avalanche of snowy
rockets that appear to be perpetually trying to overtake each
other in their descent, and mingle the one into the other; the whole
composing a torrent of indescribable power and beauty.
Huge boulders, and large masses of sharp, angular rocks, are
scattered here and there, forming the uneven sides of an immense,
and apparently ever-boiling cauldron ; around, and in the inter-
stices of which, numerous dwarf ferns, weeds, grasses, and flowers,
are ever growing, where not actually washed by the falling
stream.
It is beyond the power of language to describe the awe-inspir-
ing majesty of the darkly-frowning and overhanging mountain
walls of solid granite that here hem us in on every side, as though
they would threaten us with instantaneous destruction, if not total
annihilation, did we attempt for a moment to deny their power.
If man ever feels his utter insignificance at any time, it is when
looking upon such a scene of appalling grandeur as the one here
presented.
The point from whence the photograph was taken from which
our engraving is made — being almost underneath the fall — might
lead to the supposition that the lower section, which embraces
more than two-thirds of the picture, was the highest of the two
seen ; when, in fact, the lower one, according to the measure-
ments of Mr. Denman, superintendent of Public Schools in San
Francisco ; of Mr. Peterson, the engineer of the Mariposa and
Yo-Semite Water Company ; and of Mr. Long, county surveyor,
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 117
is about seven hundred feet above the level of the valley, while
the upper fall is about one thousand four hundred and forty-
eight feet, and between the two, measuring about four hundred
feet, is a series of rapids rather than a fall, giving the total height
of the entire fall at two thousand five hundred and forty-eight
feet*
After lingering here for several hours, with inexpressible feel-
ings of suppressed astonishment and delight, qualified and in-
tensified by veneration, we may take a long and reluctant last
upward gaze, convinced that we shall "never look upon its like
again," until we pay it another visit at some future time ; and,
making ,the best of our way to where our horses are tied, return to
the hotel.
SECOND DAY IN THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. — RIDE TO LAKE AH^K^^j
OK MIRROR LAKE.
After a substantial breakfast, made palatable by that best of all
sauces, a good appetite, our guide announces that the horses are
ready. As much of the beauty of the lake consists in the reflection
of its glorious surroundings — mountains four thousand to between
five and six thousand feet in height — it is desirable that a
reasonably early start should be obtained. Sometimes the un-
broken calm of its glassy bosom is not disturbed before twelve
o'clock M. At other times the breeze has broken it up by ten
o'clock A. M. But generally the mirror is perfect until nearly
noon. On account of the early time desirable for setting out on
this trip, it is better to postpone it until the second day, as a pre-
mature departure from our couch on the first morning, will
generally bring on premature fatigue, and a consequent decrease
in the amount of our enjoyment. The distance is only three miles,
and we can ride all the way on horseback.
*Prof. J. D. Whitney makes the height of this fall to be from 2,537 to 2,641 feet.
First fall 1,500 — Second 626 — and Third 400. A notice we saw upon a stump, placed
there by the State Geological Survey, in 1863, gave its total height above the valley as
2,634 feet. That we think should be the preferred measurement.
118 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
Leaving the hotel, \ve cross the bridge and thread our way
through the far-stretching vistas of luxuriant green that open
before us ; the bright sunlight and somber shadows ever winking
and twinkling upon the sparkling and gurgling streams that
cross our trail, until we emerge on a grassy and flower-
covered plateau on the north side of the valley, near the base of '
the great North Dome, called by the Indians u>To-coy-ae." This
mountain of naked granite, with scarcely a treo or shrub growing
from a single crevice, towers above you to the height of three
thousand seven hundred and twenty-five feet. Its sides are nearly
perpendicular for more than two thousand feet, and in which a
colossal arch is formed, doubtless from the falling of several
sections of the rock. This has been designated the " Royal Arch
of To-coy-se." This, we believe, has never been measured ; but
we should judge its altitude, from the valley to the crown of the
arch, to be about one thousand seven hundred feet, and its
span about two thousand feet ; its depth in, from the face of the
rock, is about eighty or ninety feet.
On our way up we pass the winter-quarters of Mr. Lamon on
our left, and about half a mile above his cabin we can see his
garden and orchard on our right. Between the two are several
brushy structures in the Indian style of architecture, built by the
Mono Indians for the purpose of storing acorns during the winter,
in order to give them a supply of that (to them) useful edible during
summer. Piilons, or pine nuts, and acorns are their staple articles
of diet. When the supply of pinons fail, acorns are generally
abundant, and the Indians visit Yo Semite during fall, in strings
of from forty to fifty, for the purpose of packing acorns over the
sierras to Mono for their winter supply. This is generally done
by the women ! They peel and dry them before packing. When
wanted for use they are ground by being pounded on a rock.
The tannin is then taken out by means of warm water ; and after
boiling it with hot stones dropped into water-tight baskets it re-
sembles mush and is eaten with the fingers. There is one feature
here that should not be overlooked, and that is the small streams of
water that leap down over the granite walls, like falling strings of
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
119
pearls and diamonds. These add much, in early spring, to the
attractiveness of the scene.
Having crossed the plateau, we ride over some rocky hillocks,
and among a park-like array of oak trees, until we arrive at Lake
Ah-wi-yah, so named and known by the Indians, but which has
LAKE AH-WI-YAH, OR MIRROR LAKE.
been newly christened by American visitors " Lake Hiawatha,"
" Mirror Lake," and several others, which, though pretty enough,
are equally common-place and unsuitable. But of this we shall
have something to say in another place.
This lake, although a charming little sheet of crystal water of
almost a couple of acres in extent, in which numerous schools of
speckled trout may be seen gaily disporting themselves, would
be unworthy of a notice, but for the picturesque grandeur of its
surroundings. On the north and west lie immense rocks that
have become detached from the tops of the mountain above ;
120 SCENES IN CALIFOKNIA.
among these grow a large variety of trees and shrubs, many of
which stand on and overhang the margin of the lake, and are
reflected on its mirror-like bosom. To the north-east opens a vast
gorge or canon, down which impetuously rush the waters of the
north fork of the Merced, which debouches into and supplies the
lake.
On the south-east stands the majestic Mount Tis-sa-ack, or
" South Dome," four thousand five hundred and ninety-three feet
4n altitude above the valley. Almost one-half of this immense
mass, either from some convulsion of nature, or
" Time's effacing fingers,"
has fallen over, by which, most probably, the dam for this lake
was first formed. Yet proudly, aye, defiantly erect, it still holds
its noble head, and is not only the highest of all those around,
but is the greatest attraction of the valley. Moreover, in this
are centred many agreeable associations to the Indian mind ; as
here was once the traditionary home of the guardian spirit of
the valley, the angel-like and beautiful Tis-sa-ack, after whom
her devoted Indian worshippers named this gloriously majestic
mountain. "While we sit in the shade of these fine old trees, and
look upon all the objects around us, mirrored on the unruffled
bosom of the lake, let us relate the following interesting legend
of Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah, after whom the vast perpendicular and
massive projecting rock at the lower end of the valley was
named, and with which is interwoven this history of Tis-sa-ack.
This legend was told in an eastern journal, by a gentleman
residing here, who signs himself " Iota," and who received it from
the lips of an old Indian ; the relation of which, although several
points of interest are omitted, will, nevertheless, prove very
entertaining :
THE LEGEND OF TU-TOCK-AH-NTJ-LAH AND TIS-SA-ACK.
" It was in the unremembered past that the children of the sun
first dwelt in Yo-Semite. Then all was happiness ; for Tu-tock-ah-
nu-lah sat on high in his rocky home, and cared for the people
THE YO-SEMITE VALLKY. 121
whom he loved. Leaping over the upper plains, he herded the
wild deer, that the people might choose the fattest for the feast.
He roused the bear from his cavern in the mountain, that the
brave might hunt. From his lofty rock he prayed to the Great
Spirit, and brought the soft rain upon the corn in the valley.
The smoke of his pipe curled into the air, and the golden sun
breathed warmly through its blue haze, and ripened the crops,
that the women might gather them in. When he laughed, 'the
face of the winding river was rippled with smiles ; when he,
sighed, the wind swept sadly through the singing pines ; if he
spoke, the sound was like the deep voice of the cataract ; and
when he smote the far-striding bear, his whoop of triumph rang
from .crag to gorge — echoed from mountain to mountain. His
form was straight like the arrow, and elastic like the bow. His
foot was swifter than the red deer, and his eye was strong and
bright like the rising sun.
" But one morning, as he roamed, a bright vision came before
him, and then the soft colors of the West were in his lustrous
eye. A maiden sat upon the southern granite dome that raises its
gray head among the highest peaks. She was not like the dark
maidens of the tribe below, for the yellow hair rolled over her
dazzling form, as golden waters over silver rocks ; her brow
beamed with the pale beauty of the moonlight, and her blue eyes
were as the far-off hills before the sun goes down. Her little
foot shone like the snow-tufts on the wintry pines7 and its arch
was like the spring of a bow. Two cloud-like wings wavered
upon her dimpled shoulders, and her voice was as the sweet, sad
tone of the night-bird of the woods.
u < Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah,' she softly whispered ; then gliding up the
rocky dome, she vanished over its rounded top. Keen was the
eye, quick was the ear, swift was the foot of the noble youth as
he sped up the rugged path in pursuit ; but the soft down from
her snowy wings was wafted into his eyes, and he saw her no
more.
" Every morning now did the enamored Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah leap
the stony barriers, and wander over the mountains, to meet the
lt>2 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
lovely Tis-sa-ack. Each day he laid sweet acorns and wild flowers
upon her dome. His ear caught her footstep, though it was light
as the falling leaf ; his eye gazed upon her beautiful form, and
into her gentle eyes ; but never did he speak before her, and
never again did her sweet-toned voice fall upon his ear. Thus
did he love the fair maid, and so strong was his thought of her
that he forgot the crops of Yo-Semite, and they, without rain,
wanting his tender care, quickly drooped their heads, and shrunk.
The wind whistled mournfully through the wild corn, the wild
bee stored no more honey in the hollow tree, for the flowers had
lost their freshness, and the green leaves became brown. Tu-tock-
ah-nu-lah saw none of this, for his eyes were dazzled by the shin-
ing wings of the maiden. But Tis-sa-ack looked with sorrowing
eyes over the neglected valley, when early in the morning she
stood upon the gray dome of the mountain ; so, kneeling on the
smooth, hard rock, the maiden besought the Great Spirit to bring
again the bright flowers and delicate grasses, green trees, and
nodding acorns.
"Then, with an awful sound, the dome of granite opened
beneath her feet, and the mountain was riven asunder, while the
melting snows from the Nevada gushed through the wonderful
gorge. Quickly they formed a lake between the perpendicular
walls of the cleft mountain, and sent a sweet murmuring river
through the valley. All then was changed. The birds dashed
their little bodies into the pretty pools among the grasses, and
fluttering out again, sang for delight ; the moisture crept silently
through the parched soil ; the flowers sent up a fragrant incense
of thanks ; the corn gracefully raised its drooping head ; and the
sap, with velvet footfall, ran up into the trees, giving life and
energy to all. But the maid, for whom the valley had suffered,
and through whom it had been again clothed with beauty, had
disappeared as strangely as she came. Yet, that all might hold
her memory in their hearts, she left the quiet lake, the winding
river, and yonder half-dome, which still bears her name, ' Tis-sa-
ack? It is said to be four thousand five hundred feet high, and
every evening it catches the last rosy rays that are reflected from
THE YO-SKMITE VALLEY. 123
the snowy peaks above. As she flew away, small downy feathers
were wafted from her wings, and where they fell — on the margin
of the lake — you will now see thousands of little white violets.
" When Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah knew that she was gone, he left his
rocky castle and wandered away in search of his lost love. But
that the Yo-Semites might never forget him, with the hunting-
knife in his bold hand, he carved the outlines of his noble head
upon the face of the rock that bears his name. And there they
still remain, three thousand feet in the air, guarding the entrance
to the beautiful valley which had received his loving care
If a precautionary provision was not made in the morning for
our noon repast, by this time an admonishing voice from the organs
of digestion will be seductively suggestive of an early departure
for the hotel. On our way we should by no means deny ourselves
the gratification of a visit to Lamon's Garden. For in addition
to its excellent cultivation, the variety and abundance of fine and
delicious fruits, it will be an acceptable intrusion upon the
owner's bachelor solitude to see so many cheery faces within it.
Much of his pleasure consists in showing it to appreciative visitors,
and the charge is merely nominal, only twenty-five cents each for
all the fruit we can eat. He has two orchards of over five hun-j
dred fruit-trees in each. One winter he lived in Yo-Semite en-
tirely alone, locked in by the snowy ridges and was some twenty-
five miles from his nearest neighbor.
Our lunch snugly disposed of, succeeded by a good rest, let us
take a delightful ride of four miles, and pay an afternoon's visit to
THE " POIIONO " OR BRIDAL VEIL WATERFALL.
Visitors generally prefer paying a visit to the Pohono Fall,
before undertaking those of greater difficulty at the upper end of
the valley, that they may become somewhat better rested from
the fatigue of the journey. Let us, therefore, not be out of the
fashion, but take a quiet ride down the south side of the valley at
once ; and the first point of striking interest we shall notice on
our left will be Sentinel Eock, a lofty and solitary peak, upon
which the watch-fires of the Indians have often been lighted to
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
SENTINEL ROCK, 3,270 FEET HIGH.
give warning of approaching danger ; and which can readily be
seen from all the principal points within and around the valley.
Further on, we see a singular group of peaks, that will resemble
almost any thing we can conjure up, according to the time of day
we may be passing, as every change in the position of the sun will
give a new set of shadows ; but that which it most resembles, is
the dilapidated front of some grand old cathedral, with towers
and buttresses ; and, in one place, a circle that a strong imagina-
tion can make into a clock, which will indicate the time of day to
a moment !
This passed, we come in front of the Pohono Fall. After
threading our way among trees and bushes, over rocks and water-
courses, it becomes necessary that we should dismount, and tie
THE YO-SEMITE VALLKY. 125
our animals, as the remaining distance is over a rough ascent of
rocks, which will have to be accomplished on foot. As this is
short, we shall thread our way among bushes and boulders, with-
out much difficulty, until the heavy spray from the fall saturates
our clothing, and the velvety softness of the moist grasses growing
upon the little ridge we have climbed, reminds us that the goal of
our desire is reached.
It is impossible to portray the feeling of awe, wonder, and ad-
miration— almost amounting to adoration — that thrills our very
souls as we look upon this enchanting scene. The gracefully un-
dulating and wavy sheets of spray, that fall in gauze-like and
ethereal folds ; now expanding, now contracting ; now glittering
in the sunlight, like a veil of diamonds ; now changing into one
vast and many-colored cloud, that throws its misty drapery over
the falling torrent, as if in very modesty, to veil its unspeakable
beauty from our too eagerly admiring sight.
In order to see this to the best advantage, the eye should take
in only the foot of the fall at first ; then a short section upward ;
then higher, until, by degrees, the top is reached. In this way the
majesty of the waterfall is more fully realized and appreciated.
The stream itself — about forty feet in width — resembles an
avalanche of watery rockets, that shoots out over the precipice
above you, at the height of nearly nine hundred feet, and then leaps
down, in one unbroken train, to the immense cauldron of boulders
beneath, where it surges and boils in its angry fury, throwing up
large volumes of spray, over which the sun forms two or more
magnificent rainbows which arch the abyss.
Like most other tributaries of the main middle fork of the Mer-
ced, this stream falls very low toward the close of the summer,
but is seldom, if ever, entirely dry. When we visited the valley
in July, 1855, this branch did not contain more than one-tenth
the water usually seen in the month of May or June.
The river has its origin in a lake at the foot of a bold, crescent-
shaped, perpendicular rock, about thirteen miles above the edge
of the Pohono Fall. On this lake a strong wind is said to be con-
tinually blowing; and, as several Indians have lost their lives
126 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
there and in the stream, their exceedingly acute and superstitious
imaginations have made it bewitched.
An Indian woman was out gathering seeds, a short distance
above these falls, when, by some mishap, she lost her balance and
fell into the stream, and the force of the current carried her
down with such velocity, that before any assistance could be
rendered, she was swept over the precipice, and was never seen
afterward.
1 rt Pohono," from whom the stream and the waterfall received
' their musical Indian name, is an evil spirit, whose breath is a
blighting and fatal wind, and, consequently, is to be dreaded and
shunned. On this account, whenever, from necessity, the Indians
have to pass it, a feeling of distress steals over them, and they fear
it as much as the wandering Arab does the simooms of the African
desert ; they hurry past it at the height of their speed. To point
at the waterfall, when travelling in the valley, to their minds, is
certain death. 'No inducement could be offered sufficiently large
to tempt them to sleep near it. In fact, they believe that they
hear the voices of those that have been drowned there, perpet-
ually warning them to shun " Pohono."
How much more desirable is it to perpetuate these expressive
Indian names — many of which embody the superstitious and
highly imaginative characteristics of the Indian mind — than to
give them Anglicized ones, be they ever so pretty. We think the
name of " Bridal Veil Fall" is not only by far the most musical
and suitable of any or of all others yet given, but is the only one
that is worthy of the object named ; and yet, we confess that we
should much prefer the beautiful and expressive Indian name of
"Pohono," to that of " Bridal Veil."
The vertical, and, at some points, overhanging mountains on
either side of the Pohono, possess quite as much interest as the fall
itself, and add much to the grandeur and magnificence of the
whole scene. A tower-shaped rock, about three thousand feet in
height, standing at the south-west side of the fall, and nearly op-
posite " Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah," has on its top a number of projecting
rocks that very much resemble canon. In order to assist in per-
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
137
NEAR VIEW OF THE "POHONO," OR BRIDAL VEIL FALL, 940 FEET HIGH.
From a Photograph ~by C. L. Weed.
petuating the beautiful legend before given concerning that Indian
semi-deity, we shall take the liberty of christening this point Tu-
tock-ah-nu-lah's Citadel.
Other wild and weird-like points of equal interest stand before
iiSjOn the summit and among the niches of every cliff; so that it
is not this or that particular rock that attracts, so much as the
infinite variety, all of which are so distinctly different.
As the line of shadow is rapidly climbing the mountain, we
had better retrace our steps to the hotel.
128 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
As we sit in the stillness and twilight of evening, thinking
over and conversing about the wondrous scenes our eves have
looked upon this day ; or listen, in silence, to the deep music of
the distant waterfalls, our hearts seem full to overflowing with a
sense of the grandeur, wildness, beauty, and profoundness to be
felt and enjoyed when communing with the glorious works of
nature, which call to mind those expressive lines of Moore : —
" The earth shall be my fragrant shrine I
My temple, Lord ! that arch of thine ;
My censer's breath, the mountain airs;
And silent thoughts, my only prayers."
THIRD DAY IN YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
By this time it is to be hoped that all of our party have been
sufficiently toughened by exercise and rest to endure the fatigue
of the trip we are about to take. Fortified with a substantial
lunch and other etceteras, let us now set out for
THE " PI-WY-ACK" OR VERNAL, AND YO-WI-YE, OR NEVADA, FALLS.
It is always well to start as early as we conveniently can, with-
out hurrying ourselves too much, as by this course we obtain
many advantages that need not now be enumerated; therefore, as
soon as the sun has begun to wink at us from among the pine-
trees on the mountain-tops, we may as well start on our visit to
the Pi-wy-ack, or Vernal, and the Yo-wi-ye or Nevada, falls.
At first, we pass round the granite points that extend into the
level meadow land, just above the hotel ; then, as we advance,
the valley gradually widens, and, with the oak-trees growing at
irregular intervals of distance, reminds us of the beautiful parks
of Europe, especially those of England and France.
On our right is a high wall of granite, nearly perpendicular,
to the height of three thousand seven hundred and forty feet-
down which several small, silvery, ribbon-like streams are leaping.
Here and there, from the sides of this vast mountain, a single tree
or shrub is standing alone. Surmounting one of the lower points
of rock, several rugged peaks unite, and resemble an immense
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY
129
hospice, which has, not inappropriately, been named Mount St.
Bernard. Another has a distant kinship, in form at least, with
a bear. Another, a huge head. In fact, you can look at the
various parts of the mountain, and trace a resemblance to a hun-
RIVER SCENE JUST BELOW THE BRIDGE, LOOKING EAST.
From a Photograph by C. L. Weed.
dred different objects ; and as the shadows change, when the day
advances, to as many more. On our left stand the Royal Arches,
Washington Tower, North and South Domes, and other objects
of absorbing interest. Numerous majestic trees overshadow the
9
130 SCENES IN CALIFOKNIA.
way, such as the yellow pine (Pinus ponderosd), the cedar (Libo-
cedrus decurrens), the black oak (Quercus sonomensis), with
here and there a Douglas spruce (Abies Douglasii), and an
occasional dogwood or two. By the streams can be found the
balm of Gilead (Populous balsamifera) and the alder (Alnus
virinis) in considerable abundance. On the debris piles large
numbers of the live oak (Quercus chrysolepis) and maples (Acer
macrophyllum) are found. Shrubs of various kinds are abun-
dant, among the most beautiful and most fragrant stands the
white azalea (Azalea occidentalis) ; then comes the pungent-
flavored and aromatic laurel (Tetr anther a Calif or nica), — the
latter is occasionally seen six inches in diameter, and could be
classed among trees, — and many others. Flowers of many kinds
are abundant, such as the yellow and purple evening primroses,
larkspur (CEnotliera\ and also a very pretty pink everlasting
-(Spraguea). But to give a complete list of flowers would fill a
volume.
About two miles above Hutchings' we arrive at, and continue
up, the southern bank of the Merced, beneath a bower of trees
and shrubs, over the roughest and rockiest portion of the trail.
Formerly visitors used to tie their horses here, and make the
ascent on foot, but some recent improvements now induce visitors
to ride nearly up to the Vernal Fall. On our left the river forms
a foaming cataract to the very foot of the fall, and the thundering
boom of its waters rises at times above the sound of human
voices.
Presently we arrive at a stream of very respectable size, which,
having made the leap of the Tu-lool-we-ack Fall, about a mile and
half above, has hurried down the " South Canon," and now runs
directly across our path. If the water is not too high we can ford
it with safety ; but if it is, it will be inexpedient to attempt it. In
the latter event we will here tie our horses, and crossing a log-
formed bridge, make the remainder of the ascent on foot.
Upward and onward we climb ; and, after passing a bold point,
and reading some of the names inscribed on Register Rock, we
obtain, suddenly, the first sight of the Pi-wy-ack, or Yernal
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY.
131
Fall. While gazing
its beauties, let ns, now
,and forever, earnestly
protest against the per-
petuation of any other no-
menclature to this won-
der, than "Pi-wy-ack,"
the name which is given
to it by the Indians,
which means " a shower
of sparkling crystals,"
while "Venial" could,
with much more appro-
priateness, be bestowed
upon the name-giver, as
the fall itself is one vast
sheet of sparkling brightness and snowy whiteness, in which
there is not the slightest approximation, even in the tint, to any
thing " vernal."
Still ascending and advancing, we are soon enveloped in a
sheet of heavy spray, driven down upon us with such force as to
resemble a heavy storm of comminuted rain. Now, many might
suppose that this would be annoying, but it is not, although the
only really unpleasant part of the trip is that which we have here
to take, on a steep hill-side, and through a wet, alluvial soil, from
which, at every footstep, the water spirts out, much to the incon-
venience and discomfort of ladies — especially of those who wear
THE "PI-WY-ACK," OR VERNAL FALL, THREE HUNDRED
AND FIFTY FEET HIGH.
132
SCENES
CALIFORNIA.
long dresses. As the distance through this is but short, it is soon
accomplished, and in a few minutes we stand at the foot of " The
Ladders." Beneath
a large, overhanging
rock at our right, is
a man who takes toll
for ascending the lad-
ders, eats, and " turns
in " to sleep, upon the
rock. The charge for
ascending and descend-
ing is seventy-five,
cents; and as this in-
cludes the trail as well
as the ladders, the
charge is very reason-
able.
Formerly there were
no means of ascending
or descending this per-
pendicular wall of rock,
except with ropes fas-
tened to an oak-tree
that grows in one of
the interstices; and
that, too, at great per-
sonal risk and incon-
venience— so that but
few persons would make the dangerous attempt.
By the measurements of different gentlemen whose figures ap-
proximate, the height of this fall is given at three hundred and
fifty feet Prof. J. D. Whitney says : " Our measurements give,
all the way, from 315 to 475 feet." But as the professor ascribes
the difference to the height of the water, at the various seasons,
instead of, as we think, to the difference (160 feet) in the calcula-
tions, we regret our inability to concur in his conclusions.
THE LADDERS.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
THE
"YO-WI-YE,"
OK NEVADA FALL.
Ascending the ladders, we reach an elevated plateau of rock, on
the edge of which, and about breast high, is a natural wall of
granite, that seems to have been constructed by nature for the
especial benefit and convenience of people with weak nerves, en-
abling them to lean upon it, and look down over the precipice
into the deep chasm below.
The waters of the river, which rush through a narrow gorge
above, with great speed and power, here spread out to the width
of about sixty-five feet, before shooting over the edge of the fall.
RIVER RUSHING THROUGH THE GORGE ABOVE THE PI-WY-ACK FALL.
Advancing gently and pleasantly, we arrive at the gorge, before
alluded to, and as several large pieces of burnt timber are proba-
bly lying near, if we roll them in upon the angry bosom of the
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
hurrying current, we shall find that they are tossed about, and
borne along as though they were waifs. After working our way
over a low point of rocks, we come in sight of the Yo-wi-ye Fall,
the greatest, yet not the highest fall, in or near the Yo-Semite
THE "YO-WI-YE," OR NEVADA FALL, 700 FEET IN' HEIGHT.
From a Photograph by C. L. Weed.
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 135
Valley, several different measurements making it about seven
hundred feet in height.
When the base of this fall is reached, or as nearly so as the
eddying clouds of spray will permit, it appears to be different in
shape to either of the others ; for, although it shoots over the
precipice in a curve, and descends almost perpendicularly for
four-fifths of the distance, it then strikes the smooth surface of
the mountain, and spreads and forms a beautiful sheet of silvery
whiteness, about one hundred and thirty feet in width.
This point is about as far as visitors generally go, although some
more enthusiastic spirits work their way by the side of the smooth
mountain wall — that here prevents further progress, without con-
siderable toil and difficulty — to the top of the fall; and as we
expect the courteous reader is of the latter class, we will, with his
consent, make one of the party to see what we can find.
By the enterprise of the commissioners, who have constructed a
rustic bridge over the gorge below, we are enabled to make the
ascent to the wondrous scenes above by an easier and safer route.
Let us, therefore, retrace our steps to the bridge ; and, standing on
its center, look for a moment into the angry stream. If the sun is
brilliantly shining, the rushing waters above the bridge will be
transformed below into a cascade of diamonds. As those gems
are, unmistakably, of the u purest wrater," there would seem to be
a reckless disregard for the danger " from chipping," to be appre-
hended from this method of transportation. But as all the chips
seem to be carefully gathered and re-run, let us not linger here,
but attempt
THE ASCENT OF THE CAP OF LIBERTY.
This is the name given to the striking mass of almost perpendic-
ular rock that stands boldly out at the north side of the Nevada
Fall. Its altitude above the foot of the fall is estimated at about
two thousand feet. The singularity and majesty of its presence
are impressed upon every beholder. Numerous aspirants, or their
friends, have attempted to attach individual names to it, such as
" Mount Francis," " Mount Gwin," "Bellows Butte," " Mount
136 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
Broderick," and others ; but these names, however highly thought
of in the circles among which their owners lived, have not been
respected in connection with this magnificent formation.
The best route for us to take in order to reach its lofty summit,
wrill be on its western side. Avoiding the mouth of the precipi-
tous ravine up which our course runs, let us strike across the first
mountain bench, and, threading our way among bushes, make for
and keep up the ravine named, until we reach a grassy meadow
at its head. Then it will be readily seen there is but one way by
which the top of the " Cap " can be gained. That followed, let
us suppose ourselves standing upon its grand old crown.
Here our first attention will be called to a group of large juniper-
trees (Juniper occidentalis), two of which are ten feet each in
diameter. There are also a few stunted Douglas spruce trees, and
several dwarf shrubs belonging to some variety of oak with which
we are unacquainted. How they find sustenance, or even foot-
hold, on such an apparently barren mass of naked granite is a mys-
tery to us. Down, deep down, in the little Yo-Semite Valley,
meanders the Merced. The tall pines, everywhere abundant,
appearing about the size of ordinary walking-canes. But, if we
have courage, let us go to its southeastern corner, and holding
firmly to the rock, look down the almost vertical precipice upon
the Nevada Fall. All will confess that this sight alone repays
us. So that the Yo-Semite Fall, the Sentinel Dome, Mount Starr
King, and above all, the apparently omnipresent South Dome,
with numerous other wonderful mountains, are all thrown into the
bargain. Descending to the meadow land at the back of the Cap,
let us take a hasty glance at the little Yo-Semite Yalley and
THE COUNTRY ABOVE THE YO-WI-YE FALL.
Our course now lies up and across the numerous spurs that hem
in, or rather that almost monopolize and form the so-called valley,
with the exception, perhaps, of from a third to a half mile on the
sides of the stream. Numerous clumps of fir-trees and pines stand
here and there ; some on the banks of the river, and some in moist
pV«es, that, during a short season of the year, are shallow lakes.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 137
Numerous grouse and mountain quail whirr past us — simply, as
we think, perhaps, to torment us, as on this occasion most likely
we have no gun, knowing that at other times when we had, we
found no use for one. By the side of every little hillock, espe-
cially at the bottom of the spurs, there are deer trails, deeply worn,
and full of recent imprints of their feet; also those of the cinna-
mon and grizzly bear. On the limited portions of alluvial soil, a
thick growth of short, fine grass is growing, resembling the buffalo
grass of the plains. On the low ridges or spurs in the valley,
there is also an abundance of tuft or bunch grass.
The mountains on either side of this valley, are, if possible,
more singular than those of the great Yo-Semite Valley, on account
of the formation being distinctly different. For instance, a large
and uneven, yet sugar-loaf shaped rock, at its eastern extremity,
near another waterfall, has a wide belt of reddish, fine-grained
granite near its base, and which extends from the one side to the
other ; similar layers of rock continue, although of different kinds
and colors, to the very summit of the rock, while that in the valley
below is of gray granite almost exclusively. The waterfall at the
head of this valley, and two and a half miles from the Yo-wi-ye,
might more properly be denominated a cascade, as the main body
of water forming the river rushes down an inclined plane of about
150 feet in length, at an angle of about 3TP. The mountains on
either side being lofty, rugged, pine-studded, and precipitous, add
much to the grandeur as well as beauty of the scene.
On reaching the top, near the edge of the fall, we find the rock
very smooth and bare for many rods, with here and there a stunted
tree, living on a short allowance of soil in a narrow crevice. At
the back of this bare rock is a limited forest of pines and firs.
Huge boulders and masses of granite lie scattered here and there.
The river, for some distance above, forms a series of rapids. As
a tree has lodged across the stream about a quarter of a mile from
the fall, and the smooth rock to the eastward forms another bar-
rier to our progress in that direction, let us cross to the edge of
the Merced, and take one brief glance down into the gulf into
which the Yo-wi-ye (Nevada) is leaping.
138 SCENES IX CALIFORNIA.
Lying down upon a flat and solid rock, apparently formed — -
like the parapet at the head of the Pi-wy-ack (or Yernal) Fall —
for the purpose of enabling the beholder safely to see those won-
derful sights, let us have one good look at the majesty and
glory beneath us. The fall as it daringly leaps its rocky rim,
soon strikes the unvertical wall, and apparently forms into an im-
mense mass of wavy, lacy folds, composed from top to bottom of
sparkling diamonds, now swaying to this side, now draping the
other. The base — as if to make the whole scene a miniature
heaven, and, if possible, convey to man some faint idea of the
outer footstool of the Almighty throne — is spanned with rainbows;
while the beautiful river hurries on heedlessly, the grand moun-
tains around stand sentinel carelessly, and, as the mantle of night
will soon embrace them in its sombre folds, and cover up and
change it into u weird spirituality," unless we wish to take lodg-
ings under its cold coverlet, let us up and be going.
FOURTH DAT IN THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
After the feast as well as the fatigues of yesterday — as we have
but one life — perhaps it would be a good plan to rest to-day, and
review and digest the scenes witnessed. But, if a majority think
otherwise, let us to-day pay a visit to
THE TU-LOOL-WE-ACK, OR SOUTH CANON FALL.
It will be remembered that, in riding up the uneven trail to
the Yernal and Nevada falls, we crossed a stream of considerable
volume, divided into two or three branches ; this came down the
Tu-lool-wTe-ack,* or South Canon. About two miles above the
crossing alluded to, up the rough bed of the stream, we come to
* Prof. Whitney has given this fall and canon the name of " Illilouette,1' Thinking, as
this was a Yo-semite Indian name, that we might be in error in its proper pronunci-
ation, we have carefully questioned the Indians concerning it ; and while every one,
without exception, calls it Tu-lool-we-ack, the name of " Illilouette " is entirely unknown
among them. The difference in the pronunciation of Indian names by Americans re-
sults from the difficulty of catching and rendering the exact pronunciation of the
vowels.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
139
another large fall, which, although but seldom seen, it will be
well for us to visit.
This crossing is about three miles above Hutchings', and is
the usual place of leaving animals, at which point we leave the
trail and soon find that, poor as it undoubtedly is, we are prepared
to accord to it any amount of excellence, in comparison with the
steep, boulder-filled, and trailless canon of the South Fork.
Here we have to stoop or creep beneath low arches ; there we
assist each other to climb a rock ; yonder a spur shoots out from the
mountain to the very margin of the stream and forces us to cross it.
At such places, fortunately, the few who have preceded us have
bridged the river, by felling trees over it, thus enabling us to fol-
THE SOUTH DOME AS SEEN FROM THE SOUTH CAXOX.
From a Photograph by C. L. Weed.
140
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
low in their footsteps with great advantage to ourselves. Minia-
ture mountains of loose rocks seem to be piled on each other, still
higher and higher as we advance.
About a mile and a half above the confluence of the South with
the Middle Fork, we emerge from a heavy growth of timber into
an open and treeless chasm, the bed of which is covered with
large angular rocks, bounded on either side with vertical walls of
time-worn and rain-stained granite. On the uneven tops of these,
a few of ths Douglass spruce-trees are struggling to weather the
storms and live. From this point, we obtain a fine distant view,
above the tops of the lofty pines, of the Great South Dome, and
also of the Pi-wy-ack Fall.
THE TU-LOOL-WE-ACK, OR SOUTH FORK WATERFALL.
From a Photograph by C. L. Weed.
.THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
About two o'clock P. M. (if we start early) we reach the head
of the canon and the foot of the Tu-lool-we-ack Fall. This caiion
here is suddenly terminated by an irregular, horse-shoe shaped
end, the sides and circle of which, on the one side, are perpendic-
ular, and on the other so much so as to be inaccessible without
great danger of slipping, and consequently requiring great care.
This waterfall is about five hundred and fifty feet in height,
which, after shooting over the precipice, meets with no obstacle
to break its descent, until it nearly reaches the basin into which
it falls. It is a fine sheet of water, of about the same volume as
the Yo-Semite (four hundred gallons per second), at the time we
visited and measured it. As we had no instruments for ascertain-
ing the altitude of the Tu-lool-we-ack, of course the above is only
given as its approximate height.
The engraving given of this, presents a side section only, as the
distance across the caiion, opposite the fall, not being over one
hundred and fifty yards, is altogether too short to allow the instru-
ment to take in the whole front view on one picture.
Our fatiguing ascent having occupied the greater portion of the
day, and the sunshine having already departed from the west side
of the caiion, and as we are not prepared to pass the night here,
our work and return has to be conducted with brevity and dis-
patch ; consequently, the moment we have satisfied our minds we
had better commence the descent. On our way down, we secure
another good view of Tis-sa-ack (the South Dome), from the south
canon, and which, from this point, presents a singular conical
shape of that mountain which is not to be seen from any other
point; and arrive at our quarters at the hotel in safety just after
dark, well pleased with the result of our difficult undertaking.
While discussing the viands of our much relished evening's
repast (for after such a jaunt our appetites will supply the most
desirable of condiments), we venture to predict that before very
long the rapidly increasing travel to Yo-Sernite will not only call
for, but justify, the expenditure of considerable sums of money by
the State, or some one else, in the making of trails to open up all
such points of interest as this, so that they can be visited on
142 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
'
horseback, and consequently with so much additional pleasure.
Now, it requires a strong frame, well trained by exercise, to
accomplish such fatiguing undertakings. Of the reward after
success, even with the present labor, there will be no question.
FIFTH DAY IN THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
It is not for us to say how many days should be spent in Yo-
Semitc. Nor, whether there should be alternating days of activity
and quiet — these must be determined by individual tastes and
convenience. Experience has taught us that our capacity for
enduring comfort (without complaining), united with an undying
love for the beautiful, leads us occasionally to prefer luxuriating
siestas, in the shadow of trees, day-dreaming and resting ; short
strolls among picturesque " little bits " of landscape ; mental
photograph taking of these unparalleled walls of granite ; trout
fishing ; fruit gathering^ and all such agreeable methods (as the
uncontrollably active, or the unappreciative mind would suggest)
of "killing time." But if the majority say let us travel — let us
to-day —
RIDE TO MOUNT BEATITUDE AND INSPIRATION POINT.
We immediately concur. It is especially desirable that those
who have accompanied us thus far by Big Oak Flat, and who,
from whatever cause, prefer returning the same way, should be
with us on this trip. For if possibly we exclude the scene from
" Glacial Point," or from the summit of the " Three Brothers,"
there is nothing in this world known to man that can equal the
views from "Mount Beatitude" and "Inspiration Point." If,
however, it has been determined to return via the Mariposa grove
of big trees and Mariposa, — and we emphatically hope that it has,
inasmuch as all tourists who can, should arrive one way and
depart the other, — these glorious sights can be witnessed on the
route homeward,. without an especial visit.
On our ride down the valley, almost immediately opposite
Pompompasus (the " Three Brothers "), on our left there is upon
the face of the mountain a white irregular spot, from which,
THE YO-SEM1TE VALLEY. 143
althougli of apparently insignificant size, the debris covered
several acres. Back of this point, high up toward the top, Mr. E.
J. Muybridge, in 1868, discovered a remarkable fissure in the wall
rock. " It is," he says, " one thousand feet deep, five feet wide
at the top and front, and gradually grjwing narrower as it goes
down and back into the mountain. Several stones have fallen
into it, and lodged about half way down."
Near here can be seen some of the eifects of the great storm of
Dec. 23, 1867j when the whole valley was a broad foaming river ;
and rocks weighing many tons were hurled down these mountain
torrents with terrible power : the talus when w ashed down filled
up ravines, as you see, and buried the base of trees from two to
twenty feet high. In the meadow opposite, within eleven acres of
ground, there are forty-two large pine and cedar trees piled one upon
the other. We have already counted one hundred and thirty-one
of those noble tenants of the valley, that were prostrated by the
one single storm ; — enough, if cut into lumber, to construct all
improvements wanted in the valley for many years. Others shot
over the Yo-Semite Fall, and after making a surging swirl or two
struck the unyielding granite, and broke into thousands of frag-
mentary pieces. By evidences everywhere apparent there has
been no storm to equal it during the present century.
River views ; forest openings ; rocky points ; waterfalls ; indis-
tinct animals, heads of men and women outlined in projection, or
shadow, or water stain upon the vertical walls of granite, with
numerous other objects to attract and interest, are all the way to
the very foot of the mountain. Then comes the climb. Let us
travel easily, and slowly, and while the horses breathe, we can
catch glimpses and foretastes of our expected reward when the
sroal of our desires is reached at the top.
o -1-
Up, up we climb, bench after bench, stretch after stretch, with
fine views all the way, until at last, we arrive at the turning off
place for u Mount Beatitude." Let us now tie our horses, and
while they rest, walk out about one hundred and fifty yards to the
wonderful sight.
There is a truism that " Some things can be done as well as
1:1!
I I1
I I
,
O §
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 145
others." In our opinion a full description of this scene is not one
of them. A passage in the good book says, " Eye hath not seen,
neither hath ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of
man to conceive what there is laid up in heaven for those who
love and serve God." Now, without wishing to detract from the
interesting inducement there so graphically pictured and offered,
we simply wish to apply the language to those who have the good
fortune to see Yo-Semite from this stand-point. Is that satisfac-
tory ? We hope so, as we can only give a few plain facts and
leave you to "do the sublime."
Remember we are standing on a precipice of nearly three
thousand feet. The whole valley and its surroundings are unrolled
before us like a map. The river below is as a ribbon of silver,
seen only at intervals, winding among the trees ; the trees resem-
bling mere shrubs. The grand old sides, and proud head, of
Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah loom grandly up. Ditto the " South Dome,"
and the " Clouds Best," and the " Sentinel Dome," and the
" Sentinel," with any number of others. In the distance are many
snow-covered peaks of the sierras, visible almost to their culmina-
ting crest. In the foreground, on our left, is the " Ribbon Fall,"
three thousand three hundred feet above the valley ; on our right
is the Poliono, or u Bridal Yeil Fall," nine hundred and forty
feet. Above and back of that stands the " Three Graces," three
thousand six hundred feet high. If the storm has been gathering,
perhaps we can see it swoop down " on the wings of the wind,"
and drape the whole landscape in cloud. At times the entire
valley is filled with them, piled layer above layer, stratum above
stratum, to the very tops of the mountains, their edges sufficiently
light to allow the granite walls to be dimly revealed.
Inspiration Boint stands out and up at a somewhat greater
altitude than Mount Beatitude, but although the view of the distant
sierras is more comprehensive, that of the valley is more limited.
The general characteristics of both being similar there is no neces-
sity for any further remarks. Therefore let us enjoy the scene in
peaceful reflection, and when we can say " enough," let us depart
on our winding way, and dream of that we have seen.
10
146
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
SIXTH DAY IN YO-SEMITE VALLEY. VISIT TO THE TOP OF THE
YO-SEMITE FALL.
Those who walk past and look up at the great Yo-Semite
Fall, as it shoots out over the precipice its four hundred gallons
every second during the early melting of the snows above ; or
VIEW OF INDIAN CANON, IN FRONT OF THE HOTEL.
watch the gauzy clouds that float below its summit, feel an in-
definable longing to stand upon and look down from the top
of the mountain walls that encompass this valley ; to examine
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 14 7
the surrounding country above, and measure the width and depth of
the Yo-Semite Creek below. Accordingly, let us repair to the foot of
an almost inaccessible mountain gorge, named Indian Canon, situ-
ated about a quarter of a mile to the east of the Yo-Semite Falls,
and nearly opposite to the hotel, for the purpose of making the
ascent. This, also, is a fatiguing and difficult task, that few have
ever undertaken.
In order the better to insure our success, we must start early in
the morning. The day may prove to be very warm ; yet, after
fairly entering the canon, the trees and shrubs that grow between
the rocks, afford us a very grateful shelter, for a quarter of the
distance up, when the almost vertical mountain side on our right
throws its refreshing shadow across the ascent, for the greater por-
tion of the remaining distance.
Thus protected, we climb over, creep beneath, or walk around,
the huge boulders that form the bed of the gorge ; and which,
owing to their immense size, frequently compel us to make a de-
tour in the sun to avoid them, and to seek as easy an ascent as pos-
sible in the accomplishment of this, our excessively fatiguing task.
A cascade of considerable volume is leaping over this, dashing
past that, rushing between those, and gurgling among these rocks,
affording us gratuitous music, and drink, as we climb. Large pine
trees that fell across the canon, during the rapid melting of the
snow, have been lifted up and tossed, like a skiff by an angry sea,
to the top of some huge rocks, and there left.
Onward and upward we toil, the perspiration rolling from our
brows ; but we are cheered and rewarded by the increasing novelty
and beauty of the scenes that are momentarily opening to our view
as we ascend.
About noon we can reach the summit of the mountain. It is im-
possible to describe the magnificent panorama that is here spread
out before us. Deep, deep below, in peaceful repose, sleeps the
valley ; its carpet of green cut up by sheets of standing water, and
small brooks that run down from every ravine and gorge, while
the serpentine course of the river resembles a huge silver ribbon,
as its sheen flashes in the sun. On its banks, and at the foot of
148 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
the mountains around, groves of pine trees, two hundred feet in
height, look like mere weeds.
All the hollows of the main chain of the Sierras, stretching to
the eastward and southward, apparently but a few miles distant,
are filled with snow, above and out of which sharp and bare saw-
like peaks of rock rise, well defined, against the clear blue sky.
The south dome from this elevation, as from the valley, is the
grandest of all the objects in sight ; a conical mountain beyond,
and a little to the south of the south dome, is apparently as high,
but few points, even of the summits of the Sierras, seem to be but
little higher than it. *
The bare, smooth granite top of this mountain upon which we
stand, and the stunted and storm-beaten pines that struggle for
existence and sustenance in the seams of the rock, with other
scenes equally unprepossessing, present a view of savage sterility
and dreariness that is in striking contrast with the productive fer-
tility of the lands below, or the heavily timbered forests through
which we pass on our way to the valley.
From this ridge, which most probably is not less than 3,500
feet above the valley, we descend nearly 1,000 feet, at an easy
grade, to the Yo- Semite River. The current of this stream, for
half a mile above the edge of the falls, runs at the rate of about
eight knots an hour. Upon careful measurement with a line, we
find it to be thirty-four and a half feet in width, with an average
depth of twelve inches. The gray granite rock over which it runs
is very hard, and as smooth as a sheet of ice ; to tread which in
safety great care is needed, or before one is aware of it, he will
find his head where his feet should be, and the force of the current
sweeping him over the falls.
When, on our return, we have reached the top of the ridge be-
fore mentioned, and again see the wonders and glories that are
beyond us, all that we seem to wish or hope for is the possession of
a single pound of bread, or any other edibles ; and after building us •
a fire, by which to sleep for the night without blankets, that we
may pursue our interesting explorations to a more satisfactory
close on the morrow.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 149
We must not allow this charming spot to detain us too long,
however, as the descent will probably keep us busy for at least
three hours ; and as the uneven character of our pathless way
down the canon will be attended with both difficulty and danger
after dark, a liberal allowance of time will be a good investment.
Therefore, let us say, u off."
SEVENTH DAY IN YO-SEMITE. VISIT TO THE FOOT OF THE UPPER
YO-SEMITE FALL.
Every sight worth seeing, with a knowledge how to see it,
should be known to every visitor/ It does not follow that because
each one is thus pointed out, and its attractions mentioned, that
every one has the strength, or the wish, or the time to go to see it.
That must be determined according to mental or bodily condition,
and other contingencies. After journeying so far, all other con-
siderations permitting, it will be well that as many scenes of
beauty, or of singularity, or of majesty, should be witnessed, as
may be possible. There are but few more astonishing and im-
pressive than the one planned out for to-day. Therefore, hoping
that " circumstances," over which we are supposed to have some
control, are on our side, let us make the attempt.
Leaving behind all unnecessary clothing, but taking some little
refreshment, let us cross the bridge, and striking out over the
meadow in a northerly direction, climb the debris on the
opposite side. Arriving at the first bench of the mountain, let us
work our way along it, almost to the upper edge of the lower Yo-
Semite Fall. The surging cataract at our side, and the compre-
hensive view into and around the valley, at this point alone,
amply repay us already for our trouble. The garden, trees, bridge,
river, house, and farm -buildings ; the diminutive cattle and horses,
and men and women, all seem smaller ; while the walls that sur-
round us appear larger and higher, and more weird-like and
wonderful.
Let us not linger, however, too long ; but, threading our way
upward, among stunted live oaks and manzanita bushes that grow
in a gently-ascending crevice of the mountain, and give us foot-
150 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
hold and protection, until we have surmounted its top, and
stand, awed, in the immediate presence of such untold and bewil-
dering majesty as that now rewarding- our toil. Alas ! who can
describe it? Who tell of its glories, its wonders, its beauties? A
simple, realizing idea merely, is almost next to impossible.
The fall, very naturally, first attracts our attention. That it is
an avalanche of water about to bury us up, or sweep us into the
abyss beneath, is the apparently irresistible first impression. By
degrees we take courage, and, climbing the watery mass with our
eye, discern its remarkable changes and forms. Now it would seem
that numerous bands of fun-loving fairies have undisputed posses-
sion, each of whom had set out for a frolic ; and, assuming the
shape of a watery rocket, have entered the fall ; and, after making
the leap, are now playing " Hide-and-Seek " with each other ; now
chasing, now catching ; then, with retreating surprises, disappear-
ing from view, and re-forming, or changing, shoot again into sight.
While the \vind, as if shocked at such playful irreverence, takes
hold of the white diamond mass, and lifts it aside like a curtain ;
when each rocket-formed fairy, leaping down from its folds, dis-
appears from our eyes and becomes lost among rainbows and
clouds.
The first great vertical leap of this fall is sixteen hundred feet —
the highest in any portion of the globe yet known to man. The
wall of granite at its back, although less than half the height of
Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah, is scarcely less impressive when we stand almost
immediately beneath it. The pine-tree that grows at the top of the
shrubby point, east of the stream, although apparently but a mere
speck, is one hundred and twenty-five feet in height.
During the winter large quantities of ice form each night at
the sides of the fall, and being immediately opposite the east, the
rays of the morning sun soon loosen them, when they fall with a
loud boom, and the opposite walls catch and re-echo the sound
until the whole valley seems filled with its reverberating peals.
This is not all. The descending water, by displacing the air
around it, creates an immense vacuum, and the atmosphere above,
for a large circumference, rushing in to fill it, makes almost a
THE YO-SEMITK VALLEY. 151
tornado in its immediate circle. The result is, that when snow is
falling, it is drawn from quite a distance into this vacuum, and
uniting with the ice deposited at the foot of the fall, forms an
immense depth of congealed snow and ice, of from three hundred
to four hundred feet. When the spring thaw commences in good
earnest, the large stream played from above upon that mass of
ice, soon wears out a funnel-shaped hollow, into which it falls,
and, after striking, rebounds upward from five to seven hundred
feet, filling the whole space at the left with heavy clouds of spray.
The sun, shining upon these, paints them with all the colors of
the rainbow ; and when one gust of spray drives stronger than
another into this beautiful mass, the colors are made to run and
intermix, until the whole scene is beyond description one of the
most gorgeous and overpowering.
Beneath the upper fall, there is a cave, of some thirty-five or
forty feet in depth, from its face. Some few persons, more ven-
turesome than prudent, have run into this when the wind has
lifted the entire body of falling water to one side. But it is a
" risky " experiment ; for, in addition to the danger of its return
to its vertical position, thus cutting off all chances of retreat, the
whole cave is densely filled with comminuted spray, which renders
breathing almost impossible.
The top of the fall can be reached by the steep canon on the
west, when the waters of Yo-Semite are low enough to permit
crossing. But owing to a dense growth of shrubbery, bent for-
ward and downward by winter snows, its ascent would be
attended with difficulty, arid perhaps with sundry rendings of the
garments.
Still this has been several times successfully accomplished by
enterprising tourists ; when, after crossing Yo-Semite above the
fall, they have returned to the valley by Indian Caiiori.
EIGHTH DAY IN YO-SEMITE. CLIMB TO THE TOP OF GLACIAL POINT
AND SENTINEL DOME.
Supposing that exercise is toughening us into the endurance of
almost any reasonable amount of physical fatigue, and that the
162
SCENES IX CALIFORNIA.
great sights witnessed much more than compensate us for the toil
expended in reaching them, let us set out at once for the new
points above indicated — at least in imagination : — for if any of us
wish to see Yo-Semite in its glory, from a precipice of nearly four
thousand feet, and, by climbing to the top of the Sentinel Dome
look upon nearly every prominent peak of the sierras for a dis-
tance of fifty miles, we had better not stay behind. Leaving the
hotel, we take the same course for about a mile that we did when
on our way to the Vernal and Nevada falls.
As our feet fall on the flower-covered and beautiful, though not
very fertile bottom-lands of the upper part of the valley, arid we
thread our way through a labyrinth of oak, pine, maple, cotton-
wood, and other trees, the mountain wTalls on either side throw
their awe-inspiring and heavy shadows over us, and make our
hearts to leap with wild emotion and new pleasure, as though we
stood upon enchanted ground, and all the scenes upon which we
look are the magical creations of some wonder-working genii.
VIEW OF NORTH AND SOUTH DOMES, "TO-COY M" AND "TIS-SA-ACK," FROM THE VALLEY.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 15.3
"A thin mist is lying," as Mr. Tirrel so beautifully remarks,
" upon the valley, and stealing up the mountain sides. The cliffs
upon our left are all in deep shadow, the outline of their summits
cutting darkly and strongly against the brilliant light of the
unclouded sky. Great streams of sunlight come pouring through
the openings in the cliffs, illuminating long, radiating belts of
mist, which extend clear across the valley, and are lost among the
confusion of rock and foliage forming the debris on the opposite
side. Directly in front of us, and about three miles distant, is
the South Dome, the highest mountain in the valley, as well as
the boldest and most beautiful in outline. Its base is shrouded
in the hazy mystery which envelops every thing in the valley.
Numerous little white clouds, becoming detached from this misty
curtain, are sailing up the mountain side. Dodging about among
the projecting spurs, intruding their beautiful forms slowly into
the dark caverns, puffed out again in a hurry by the eddying
winds which hold possession of these gloomy recesses, and then
resume their upward flight, each following the other with the pre-
cision and regularity of a fleet of white-winged yachts rounding a
stake-boat, and each eaten up by the sun with astonishing rapidity,
as they sail slowly past the angle of shadow cast across the lower
half of the mountain. High above all this, in the clear, bright
sunshine, towers the lofty summit. Every projection and indenta-
tion, weather and water stain, fern, vine, and lichen, so clearly
defined that one can almost seem to touch it."
Turn where we may, objects of interest seem inexhaustible.
Every new point passed, by rock or by river, has some new beauty
to attract and charm us ; so that even when we have left the com-
paratively level bottom-lands of the valley, and ascended the
debris to a considerable height, views of the opposite walls over
the tops of the trees reward us at every step. Ferns, mosses, -flow-
ers, and flowering shrubs, arc at our side. The "shadow of a great
rock " is on our left hand, giving us its refreshing shelter. Then,
turning past a bold, jutting promontory of rock, from whence views
of great majesty arc unfolded to us, our course is up the rocky bed
of a ravine, somewhat steep, but perfectly safe to the very top. By
154: SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
sitting down frequently, to rest and look about us, we are con-
stantly receiving our reward.
Reaching a shrub and tree covered plateau, we strike eastwardly,
and soon arrive at the summit of Glacial Point. Before looking
down, let us call attention to a somewhat noticeable projecting point,
that, seen from the valley, apparantly extends out some three or
four feet, but which we find, when standing by it, is over thirty
feet beyond the nearly vertical wall. Watkins, the photographer,
once ran out to the very point of this rock, and from it took one of
the finest views of the South Dome and the country beyond ever
obtained.
Now let us advance to the margin of the precipice. We can
steady ourselves by pressing against the large rock at our side ; or
we can lie down, and, having some one to take hold of our feet,
slide out like a snake to its utmost edge. It may make us a
little nervous, perhaps, but, taking all necessary precautions, we
shall find it unaccompanied with any real danger, and we shall
certainly never regret that our courage was equal to the task of
one good look into such an awful abyss.
The greatest of artists have almost invariably failed in portray-
ing depth from a high stand-point ; and we know of no writer,
living or dead, who has been any more successful than the artist.
"We wish, for the sake of our friends who cannot see this with
their own eyes, that "the coming man" had arrived — he who
would prove the exception to the rule. But, alas, he has not, as
yet, made his appearance. "No " trumpet of fame " announces the
gratifying fact of his approach. " Under these distressing circum-
stances," as the pathetic novelist would say, " we are prepared to
wait ;" and looking down with our own common-place eyes, " see
what we shall see."
Large trees, two hundred feet high, are dwarfed to utter insig-
nificance. The little checker-board like spot first noticed is
Lamon's apple-orchard of four acres, and which contains over five
hundred trees, each of which are twenty feet apart. The other
cultivated point beyond, formed by the junction of Tenieya Creek
with the Merced River, is Lamon's other orchard, and fruit and
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 155
vegetable garden. The bright speck which throws out its silvery
sheen in that deep, tree-dotted canon, is Mirror Lake. While the
South Dome, apparently forever omnipresent in any scene near
or within the valley, overshadows and eclipses every lesser wonder
by monopolizing a large share of our admiration and attention.
Elsewhere, the North Dome, Cloud's Rest, Cap of Liberty, Mount
Starr King, Yo-Semite, and other prominent objects here visible,
would have their due effect ; but, although at this altitude and
position they differ altogether in outline and conformation, the
South Dome stands, pre-eminently, king over all.
On the right of this " monarch," in the deep gorge of the river,
the magnificent Nevada Fall, Diamond Flume and Apron, Vernal
Fall, and the foaming cataract of the Merced, all flash out their
silvery sheen most gloriously, while mountains piled on mountains
in every conceivable shape, stand guard on every side. But to see
these, and other points, to advantage, let us ascend the now easily
reached Sentinel Dome.
Had this lofty dome been " scalped " by some tornado it could
have scarcely shown less vegetation ; for, with the exception of one or
two stunted and deformed storm-beaten pines, whose solitary and
exposed condition almost excite our sympathy, there is scarcely a
vestige of a living thing upon it ; but almost every failing has some
virtue to counterbalance it, and often among the meanest of men.
It is thus with this point ; for if it has no trees to clothe and to
beautify, it certainly has none to obstruct or circumscribe the
limit of our vision.
Before us lies the very backbone — so to speak — of the Sierra
Nevadas; and, although some thirty miles distant, and every
prominent peak distinctly visible for fifty miles, it seems almost
near enough for us to stretch our hands and touch it. Its verte-
brae, however, besides being very uneven, has altitudes upon it
exceeding thirteen thousand feet above the sea ; and in its sheltered
hollows immense banks of snow are eternally sleeping. The fol-
lowing are some of the most noteworthy mountains seen from this
stand-point : Mt. Hoffman, 10,872 feet high ; Cathedral Peak,
11,000 ; Mt. Dana, 13,227 ; Mt. Lyell, 12,270 ; Castle Peak,
150 SCENKS IX CALIFORNIA.
12,500 ; Gothic Peak, 10,850 ; Mount Starr King, 9,600 ; South
Dome, 10,000 feet. There are numerous others visible which,
although both high and prominent, are as yet nameless.
Did time permit us we might profitably tarry here for hours,
or even days, as new beauties would be opening, and strange
forms made manifest on every side. Before leaving, however,
let us look once more down into the valley, as the haze-draped
vertical walls of Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah can be seen from base to sum-
mit. The Yo-Semite too, with the country above it through
which it runs, before making its wonderful leap, — its bare ridges,
singular groups of rocks, -forest- clothed heads of ravines, up to its
source at Mount Hoffman, are all spread Beneath us — for, remem-
ber, we are over one thousand feet above the Yo-Semite Fall.
Stretching far away to the west we can look upon the broad
valleys of the San Joaquin and Sacramento, and distinctly see the
Coast Range near the Golden Gate. But, the rapidly declining
sun admonishes us to return ; so, let us not tempt the danger that
will lurk in our path, if we have to descend any portion of the
way in the dark.
How many days — or weeks, or even months — could be well
spent in Yo-Semite it would be difficult to determine. Hurried
visits like those we are making only give glimpses and foretastes
of a few of its wonderful sights. Quiet, rest-giving rides, with
intervals of physical toil, should give us all time to feel as well as
to see, its infinite glories, and beauties, and wonders.
As yet our feet have not trod the tops of such mountains as
Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah (El Capitan), Pom-pom-pa-sus (Three Brothers),
North Dome, and Mount Hoffman, on the north side of the
valley ; while .on the south side there would be the fissure, one
thousand feet deep, the Clouds' Rest, and others' equally worthy.
But in order to see all of such points to advantage, and with real
enjoyment, camping-out parties should be organized, properly
provided with suitable outfits and servants, and the "round trip "
be made from Tamarack Flat to Tuolumne Yalley, by Cathedral
Yalley and Lake Tenieya ; and returning by the Mountain Mead-
ows on the Mariposa side.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 157
The time will come when such glorious scenes as could be
witnessed on such an excursion will be one of the great charms
in visiting Yo-Semite. The health-giving properties of such a
journey too, would in untold instances renew the apparently short
lease of life vouchsafed to many. The comfortably bracing at-
mosphere and the pure delicious water, united with the sublime
scenery would be the magical genii of their cure.
Charles Brace, in his valuable work " The New West," thus
graphically writes :—
" From this hotel [the Yo-Semite] there are excursions enough
to occupy one for weeks, among the beautiful scenes of the valley.
Each morning the guide saddles the horses — which had been turned
loose in the mountain pasture — and fastens them in front of the
house ; and after lunch has been packed, we set off in different
directions, to see the famous points and objects. One of the most
enjoyable features of the excursion is simply cantering up and
down the valley, getting the new aspects which open freshly
every half-mile, and are different every hour of the day. The
wonderful thing about the canon, which will hereafter draw many
an invalid here from distant lands, is its divine atmosphere. To
me, just recovering from a tedious fever, it seemed the very elixir
of life — cool, clear, stimulating, and filled with light and glory
from the sun of the south, which here never seems in summer to
have a cloud. The nights are cool, but midday would be too
warm w^ere it not for the delicious sea-breeze which every day at
eleven, blows in from the Golden Gate, a hundred and fifty miles
away. The gorge is fortunately east and west just about opposite
to San Francisco, and about midway between the two flanks of
the sierras — here some seventy miles in width. Were it a north
and south valley, even at its altitude (4,000 feet), it would be
almost intolerable.' "Now nothing can surpass its mild, invigora-
ting climate, and harmonious atmosphere. Life seems to have a
new spring and hope under it. The charm of the wonderful
valley is its cheerfulness and joy. Even the awe-inspiring gran-
deur and majesty of its features do not overwhelm the sense of its
exquisite beauty, its wonderful delicacy, and color, and life, and joy.
158 SCENES m CALIFORNIA.
" As I recall those rides in the fresh morning or the dreamy
noon, that scene of unequalled grandeur and beauty is forever
stamped on my memory, to remain when all other scenes of earth
have passed from remembrance — the pearly -gray and purple
precipices, awful in mass, far above one, with deep shadows on
their rugged surfaces, dark lines of gigantic archways or fantastic
images drawn clearly upon them, the bright white water dashing
over the distant gray tops seen against the dark blue of the
unfathomable sky, the heavy shadows over the valley from the
mighty peaks, the winding stream, and peaceful greensward wTith
gay wild-flowers below, the snowy summits of the sierras far
away, the atmosphere of glory illuminating all, and the eternal
voice of many waters wherever you walk or rest ! This is the
Yo- Semite in memory !
"I have been thinking much of scenes in Norway, Tyrol, and
Switzerland, with which to compare this. Switzerland, as a
whole, is much superior in combinations and variety of features to
the sierra region. But there is no one scene in Switzerland, or
the other parts of mountainous Europe, which can at all equal
this Californian valley. The Swiss scene has the advantage in
the superb glaciers which flow into the upper end of the valley,
but it is inferior in grandeur, arid even in life, to the Californian.
The latter having immensely grander precipices, and, instead of
one waterfall — the Staubbach — a dozen on a much grander
scale."
An English gentleman, a member of the celebrated Alpine
Club, spent seventeen days in Yo-Semite, and upon leaving he
remarked to the writer. "I never left a place with so much
pleasurable regret in my life. I have several times visited all
the noted places in Europe, and many that are out of the ordinary
tourist's round. I have crossed the Andes in three different
places, and been conducted to the sights considered most remark-
able— I have been among the charming. scenery of the Sandwich
Islands, and the mountain districts of Australia, but never have I
seen so much of sublime grandeur relieved by so much beauty, as
that which I have witnessed in Yo-Semite."
THE YO-8EMITE VALLEY.
COMPARISON BETWEEN THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY AND SOME PARTS OF
SWITZERLAND.
A love for the beautiful, in nature or art, is not only a magnet
of attraction to persons of kindred tastes, but, dispelling all
national prejudices and social ceremonies, becomes a bond of
individual friendship between men of different countries, habits,
arid peculiarities. Especially is this remarkable in those who
travel much ; for, without being offensively obtrusive, they have
learned to accept and bestow kindnesses promptly, as matters of
natural courtesy ; and to ask or answer questions, sometimes in
partial anticipation of the wishes and pleasures of a fellow-
traveller, without any apparent obligation to or from either, and
which places them upon terms of intimacy and friendliness to
each other.
Through such a medium, by the kindness of Rev. P. Y. Yeeder,
of Napa, we are favored with the following notes of comparison
between the scenery of the Yo-Semite Yalley, and that of some
parts of Switzerland :
" The Alps of Switzerland and Savoy may be compared to a
vast shield or buckler, lying on the bosom of the earth, and ex-
tending one hundred and fifty miles from the borders of France
to the Alps of the Tyrol, and one hundred miles from the plains of
Piedmont to the broad valley between the Alps and the Jura
Mountains. From this rough-seamed surface, there rise three im-
mense bosses, or projecting points — three radiating centres, sending
off lofty chains of mountains toward each other, and into the
plains of France, Italy, and Switzerland, at their feet. The loftiest
of these bosses or centres is Mont Blanc in Savoy, the height of
which is fifteen thousand seven hundred and forty-four feet ; the
next in height is Monte Rosa, fifteen thousand two hundred feet
high ; and the third is the Bernese Alps, the culminating point of
which is the Finster-aarhorn, fourteen thousand one hundred feet
high. These three grand centres are about sixty miles apart, and
each has a scenery peculiar to itself. They are alike vast, rugged,
mountain masses, towering six thousand feet into the region of
1(50 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
perpetual snow ; but Mont Blanc has its " aiguilles" or needles ;
Monte Rosa, its wonderful neighbor, Mont Cervin; and the Ber-
nese Alps have their beautiful valley of misty waterfalls, leaping
over perpendicular cliffs. The traveller who visits Yo-Semite
Yalley after seeing the Alps, will be reminded of each of these
three grand centres. He will see the aiguilles of Mont Blanc in
the ' Sentinel,' or 'Castle Rock,' rising, as straight as a needle,
to the height of three thousand two hundred feet above the valley,
and in several other pointed rocks of the same kind. He will be
reminded of the sublimest object in the vicinity of Monte Rosa,
the Materhorn, or Mont Cervin, the summit of which is a dark
obelisk of porphyry, rising, from a sea of snow, to the height of
four thousand five hundred feet. The ' South Dome,' at Yo-
Semite Falls, is a similar obelisk, four thousand five hundred and
ninety-three feet in height.
" But, above all, the general shape, the size, and the waterfalls
of Yo-Semite Valley give it the closest resemblence to the famous
valley of Lauterbrunnen, at the base of the Jungfrau, in the
Bernese Alps. No part of Switzerland is more admired and
visited. To me, its chief charm is not so much its sublime preci-
pices, and its lofty waterfalls, which give the valley its name,
4 Lauterbrunnen,' meaning £ sounding-brooks,' as the magnificent
mountain summits, towering up beyond the precipices, and the
unearthly beauty and purity of the glistening snows on the bosom
of the Jungfrau, and the mountains at the head of the valley.
But these summits are not the peculiar characteristic features of
Lauterbrunnen Valley. These are the waterfalls, the perpen-
dicular precipices, and the beautiful grassy and vine-clad vale
between. And these are the grand features of Yo-Semite Yalley.
Here you stand in a level valley of about the same dimensions as
the Lauterbrunnen — from eight to ten miles long, and a little
more than a mile wTide — covered here with a magnificent pine
forest, the trees averaging two hundred feet in height ; there, with
a growth of noble oaks ; and elsewhere opening into broad, grassy
fields. These natural features almost equal in beauty the vine-
yards, gardens, and cultivated fields of Lauterbrunnen.
THE TO-SEMITE VALLEY. 161
" But look now at the waterfalls : only one of them in the Swiss
valley has a European celebrity — the Staubbach, or 'Dust-
Brook' — known as the highest cascade in Europe. It falls at one
leap, nine hundred and twenty-five feet. Long before it reaches
the ground it becomes a veil of vapor, beclouding acres of fertile
soil at its foot. It is worthy of all the admiration and enthusiasm
it excites in the beholder. But the ' Bridal Veil' (Pohono) Fall
in Yo-Semite Yalley is higher, being nine hundred and forty feet
in altitude; leaps out of a smoother channel, in a clear, symmetri-
cal arch of indescribable beauty ; has a larger body of water, and
is surrounded by far loftier and grander precipices.
"When we come to the 'Yo-Semite Falls' proper, we behold
an object which has no parallel anywhere in the Alps. The upper
part is the highest waterfall in the world, as yet discovered, being
fifteen hundred feet in height. It reminds me of nothing in the
Alps but the avalanches seen falling at intervals down the preci-
pices of the Jungfrau. It is, indeed, a perpetual avalanche of
water comminuted as finely as snow, and spreading, as it descends,
into a transparent veil, like the train of the great comet of 1858.
As you look at it from the valley beneath, a thousand feet below,
it is not unlike a snowy comet, perpetually climbing, not the
heavens, but the glorious cliffs which tower up three thousand
feet into the zenith above, not unlike a firmament of rock.
" The lower section of the Yo-Semite Falls has its parallel in
Switzerland, the Handeck, but is much higher. The scenery
around the ' Vernal' (Pi-wy-ack) Falls — which resemble a section
of the American Falls at Niagara — is like that of the Devil's
Bridge, in the great St. Gothard road, which is, perhaps, the
wildest and most savage spot in Switzerland, unless we except
that wonderful gorge of the Ehine — the Videllala. But when you
clir^ib through blinding spray, and up 'The Ladders,' to the top
of the Vernal Falls, and follow the foaming river to the foot of
the ' Nevada' (Yo-wi-ye) Falls, all comparison fails to convey an
idea of the wildness and sublimity of the scene. The Swiss
traveller must climb the rugged sides of Mont Blanc, cross the
Mer de Glace, and, stationing himself on the broken rocks of the
11
162 SCENES IN CALIFOKNIA.
Gardin, imagine a river falling in a snowy avalanche over the
shoulder of one of the sharp aiguilles, or needle-shaped peaks
around him. There are no glaciers at the foot of the Kevada
Falls, but every other feature of the scene has an unearthly wild-
ness, to be equalled only near Alpine summits.
" To return again to the comparison of the sister valleys — the
Yo-Semite and the Lauterbrunnen. The third peculiar feature of
the Swiss valley is the parallel precipices on each side, rising per-
pendicularly from one thousand to fifteen hundred feet. They are,
indeed, sublime, and where the cliff projects, in a rounded form,
like the bastions of some huge castle, you might imagine that you
beheld one of the strongholds of the fabled Titans of old. But what
are they, compared with such a giant as Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah, lifting up
his square, granite forehead, three thousand and ninety feet above
the grassy plain at his feet, «, rounded, curving cliff, as smooth, as
symmetrical to the eye, and absolutely as vertical, for the upper
fifteen hundred feet, as any Corinthian pillar on earth ! What
shall we say, when, standing in the middle of a valley more than a
mile wide, you know that if these granite walls should fall toward
each other, they would smite their foreheads together hundreds
of feet above the valley ! What magnificent domes are those,
scarcely a mile apart — the one three thousand eight hundred feet,
and the other four thousand five hundred and ninety-three feet in
height ! When you stand in the valley of Lauterbrunnen, and
look at the snowy summit of Jungfrau, or c Virgin,' you behold an
object eleven thousand feet above you; but your map will tell
you that it is five miles distant, and, by a little calculation, you
will find that you raise your eyes at an angle of only twenty-three
degrees. So at Chamounix, you look up at the snowy dome of
Mont Blanc, rising twelve thousand three hundred and thirty
feet above you ; but you must remember that it is six and one-
half miles distant from you, and the angle at which you view it is
only twenty degrees, while the very sharpest angle at which you
can view it is twenty-five degrees. But at Yo-Semite you need
but climb a few rods up the rocks at the base of that granite wall,
and, leaning up against it, you may look up — if your nerves are
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY. 163
steady enough to withstand the impression that the cliffs are fall-
ing over upon you — and see the summits above you, at an angle of
nearly ninety degrees ; in other words, you will behold a mountain
top three thousand feet above you in the zenith. I have seen the
stupendous declivity of the Italian side of Monte Rosa — a steep,
continuous precipice of nine thousand feet ; but it is nothing like
Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah, being nowhere absolutely perpendicular."
ATTEMPTS TO ASCEND THE GREAT SOUTH DOME, MOUNT TIS-SA-ACK.
As no footsteps have ever trod the hazy summit of the dome-
crowned mountain of granite, named Tis-sa-ack, that stands at
the head of the Yo-Semite Valley ; and no eye has ever looked
into the purple depth and misty distance that stretches far away
across the valley of the San Joaquin, from its lofty top; and, as
we had long desired to explore all of its unknown and mysterious
surroundings, it is very natural that we should feel an earnest
yearning to gaze upon the wonders, beauty, and majesty, that may
be visible from so bold and so high a stand-point, — as there can
be but little doubt of its being at least a mile in perpendicular
height above the valley.*
u If you feel like making the attempt to climb it," said two
excellent and companionable friends, " we are ready to accompany
you, and will take you by the Indian trail up the mountain ; but it
is a very difficult and fatiguing undertaking, we assure you, ac-
companied with some danger." The chances were accepted.
On, on we march, in Indian tile, until we are nearly on the
margin of the river. When we reach it, we find that a small, yet
tall tree has fallen across to form a bridge, over which we walk,
while the thundering water splashes and surges as it sweeps
against the rocks, much to the discomposure of the nervous system
of some, knowing that we have to follow suit, or stay behind.
This accomplished, we soon begin the ascent of the mountain
over loose fragments of debris, and among huge masses of fallen
* Measurements of this mountain have differed very materially ; several engineers
having made it from 4,700 to 5,500. Prof. Brewer informed the writer in 1865, that
from observations made by him. at about the same altitude, and with the South Dome
in full sight, its summit was 10,000 feet above the sea, and 6,000 above the valley
164
SCENES IN CALIFOKNIA.
rocks, lying at the side of the mountain, and in the bed of a small
but very deep canon ; but these are soon left behind, and we have
to commence climbing around and over points of rocks, walking
on narrow edges, or feeling our way past some projecting point,
or tree, or shrub ; steadying ourselves by a twig, or crevice, or
THE "INDIAN TRAIL" UP THE MOUNTAIN.
jutting rock ; or holding on with our feet, as well as our hands,
knowing that a slip will send us down several hundred feet, into
the deep abyss that yawns beneath.
In some places, where the ledges of rock are high and smooth,
broken branches of trees have been placed, so as to enable the
Indians to climb above them ; and then, by removing the means
of their ascent, cut off the pursuit of any advancing foe. These,
although risky places to travel over, and in no way inviting to a
nervous man, are of considerable assistance in the accomplishment
of our task.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY. 165
After an exciting and fatiguing exercise, of about three hours,
we reach a large projecting rock, that forms a cave. Here we
take a rest of a few minutes, and then renew our efforts to reach
the top of the mountain. A little before noon this is accom-
plished.
To our great comfort and satisfaction, a cool and refreshing
breeze is blowing upon us as soon as we reach the summit ; and
this is especially welcome, as the heat, on the sheltered side, by
which we have ascended, has been very oppressive, pouring down
upon us from a hot sun, without the slightest breeze to fan, or
shadow to shelter us, as we climb.
The reader must not anticipate our narrative, by supposing that
the difficult task of ascending the Great Dome is now accomplished,
far from it ; for, although we have reached the top of the elevated
plateau, or mountain ridge, to the height of about three thousand
seven hundred feet above the valley, the great, bald-headed object
of our aspirations is still lifting its proud summit more than a
thousand feet above us.
While advancing toward Tis-sa-ack, looking out for some point
where the ascent can be the most successfully attempted, we
come 'upon the projecting margin of the immense granite wall of
rock seen from below ; and, as we stand upon it, looking down
into the far off and misty depths of the valley beneath, with the
river winding hither and thither, no language can describe the ap-
palling grandeur and frightful profoundness of the scene.
Steadying ourselves against a stunted pine tree, that has been
toughened and strengthened by its perpetual struggles with the
tempests and storms of many a year, and which is growing from a
narrow crevice in the granite mass on either side, we roll several
large, round rocks, that lie temptingly near the edge of the preci-
pice, into the abyss beneath ; wrhen we are surprised to find that
many seconds elapse before they are heard to strike on the bare
rock below. It is our opinion that this precipice cannot be less
than two thousand seven hundred feet in perpendicular altitude.
Here we are enabled to find some flowers of a genus but recently
known to botanists, and, consequently, new.
166 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
Without lingering too long, we again start on our enterprise,
and find that on this, the south side of the Dome, it is utterly
impossible to climb up ; so we work our way through a dense,
though comparatively dwarfish growth of manzanita bushes,
growing at the base of the Dome (which makes sad havoc in
broadcloth unmentionables), and about two o'clock p. M. reach
the foot of a low, flattish, dome-shaped point of rock, that lies at
the back or eastern side of the great Tis-sa-ack, and which is not
seen from the valley.
As we have not found a single drop of water to assuage our
thirst, since we left the river, and the day and the exercise alike
provocative of it, our gratification is strong at the sight of a snow
bank, snugly ensconced in the shade, on the north side of the
Dome. We now quicken our footsteps, and soon find ourselves
sitting comfortably beside it, taking lunch. An abundance of
good water being found issuing from a crevice in the rock, a short
distance down the mountain, we repair thither to finish our repast,
and take a good, hearty draught, before attempting the ascent.
Here we find several new varieties of flowering shrubs, in addition
to some bulbous roots, and very pretty mosses.
The inner man being satisfied, the rapidly descending sun ad-
monishes us to make the best of daylight to accomplish the task
we have set ourselves. Accordingly, we repair to the Lower
Dome, which is one immense spur of granite, belonging to the
Great Dome ; and, as its surface, by time and the elements, is
made tolerably rough, there is found comparatively but little
difficulty in climbing it, especially with a little assistance.
In some of the fissures or seams of this rock, some low, stunted
scrubs are growing. When we reach the top of the Lower Dome,
which is, perhaps, about four hundred and fifty feet above the
average level of the main ridge, to our dismay and disappoint-
ment, we find that not only is the gently rounding surface of
the Great Dome itself at an angle of about sixty-eight or seventy
degrees, but is overlaid and overlapped, so to speak, with vast
circular granite shingles — as smooth as glass — about eighteen
inches in thickness, and extending around the Dome as far as our
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
167
ASCENDING THE LOWER DOME.
eyes can reach. These put every hope to flight, of our feet, or
those of any other visitors, ever treading upon the lofty crown of
this dome, without extensive artificial adjuncts to aid in its accom-
plishment. On the top of this immense mountain of smooth rock,
one solitary pine is growing ; and although it is barely discernible
from the valley (and not at all from the Lower Dome, where we are
standing), by the aid of the telescope, it is seen to be a tree of
goodly size.
Much disappointed at the failure of the principal object of
the enterprise, we will place our national banner upon the highest
point attainable, in the hope that the day is not far distant when
the number of visitors who shall annually come to worship at this
sublime temple of nature, may create the necessity for the con-
struction of a strong iron staircase to the very summit of Mount
Tis-sa-ack ; and, that from the topmost crown of her noble head,
the stars and stripes may wave triumphantly, as from this eleva-
tion the whole surrounding country can be seen afar off, and a
thousand times fully reward the perseverance and fatigue of the
ascent.
168 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
SUMMARY.
The Yo-Semite Valley (pronounced Yo-Sem'-i-ty) is about 150
miles nearly due east from San Francisco, and by the routes
travelled it is, to Stockton, by rail 93 miles, by steamboat 120
miles ; add to those distances from Stockton, via the Calaveras
Big Tree Grove, 168 miles (157 by stage and 11 by horseback) ;
via Big Oak Flat direct, 109 miles (98 by stage and 11 by horse-
back) ; via Mariposa 152 miles (107 by stage and 45 by horseback).
The altitude of Yo-Semite above the sea, as given by the State
Geological Survey, is 4,060 feet. It is about seven miles long, by
from half a mile to one and a quarter miles in width ; surrounded
by walls (in many places nearly vertical) from three thousand to
six thousand feet in height. Its general course is northeasterly
and southwesterly. From one end to the other there is a fall of
about fifty feet, the total area within the walls of the valley, as
given by the Commissioner of the General Land Office, Washing-
ton, is 8,480 acres, 3,109 of which are meadow land, the entire
grant comprising 36,111 acres. The main Merced River about
eighty feet in width, and perfectly clear, runs through it. Trout
in reasonable abundance can be seen at almost any point of the
river.
Numerous kinds of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs
are interspersed entirely through it. Ferns, flowers, and grasses
grow in almost endless quantities and varieties. Several fine
chalybeate springs have been discovered there. The atmosphere
is very temperate, bracing, and healthy both summer and winter,
the thermometer seldom running above 80° in the summer, or
more than 16 below freezing point in the winter. A cooling
breeze from the northwest in the day-time, and from the south-
east at night, keeps the valley in summer at a very comfortable
temperature, ^gloods sweep through it in the early spring, and
in the late fall, sometimes doing considerable damage. Snow falls
in winter to the depth of from two and a half to five feet. The
sun rises on Hutchings' Hotel during the short days about half-
past one o'clock in the afternoon, and sets about half-past three.
THE YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
On this account a comfortable cabin was built on the sunny and
north side of the valley. Rain or snow generally comes from the
south. The heavy snows on the mountains cK>ssed by the trails,
shut out all personal intercourse between the inhabitants and the
great world outside for about six months out of twelve. An «
Indian mail-carrier brings us letters, papers, books, and magazines
once in three months, during winter, and if the weather is favora-
ble twice in that time.
TABLE OF ALTITUDES AT YO-SEMITE VALLEY.
WATERFALLS.
Feet above
Indian Name. Signification. American Name. Valley.
Pohono Spirit of the Evil Wind Bridal Veil Fall 940
Lung-oo-too-koo-ya . . .Long and slender Ribbon Fall 3,300
Yo-Sem-5-te Large Grizzly Bear Yo-Semite Fall 2,034
First fall, 1,600 feet; second fall (or cataract), 434 feet; third fall, COO feet.
Pi-wy-ack Cataract of Diamonds Vernal Fall 350
Yo-wi-ye Meandering Nevada Fall 700
Tu-lool-we-ack South Canon Fall (above
base) 600
Loya A Medicinal Shrub Sentinel (cataract) 3,860
To-coy-a3 Shade to Baby Cradle-Basket. Royal Arch Fall 2,000
The two latter streams, with numerous smaller ones, run only in the early spring.
MOUNTAINS.
Tis-sa-ack Goddess of the Valley South Dome 6,000
Cloud's Rest 6,450
To-coy-re Shade to Baby Cradle-Basket . North Dome 3,725
Hunto Watching Eye Washington Tower 2,200
Mah-tah Martyr, or Suicide, Mountain . Cap of Liberty (above foot
Nevada Falls) 2,000
See-wah-lam Mount Starr King 5,000
Er-na-tingLaw-oo-too.Bear Skin Glacier Point 3,705
Loya A Medicinal Shrub Sentinel. 3,270
Poo-see-nah Chuck-ka. Large Acorn Storehouse Cathedral Spires 2,400
Ko-soo-kong Three Graces 3, 7 50
'..Cathedral Rock 2,670
Inspiration Point 3,200
; Mount Beatitude 2,900
Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah. . . .Semi-Deity and Great Chief
of Valley The Captain 3,300
Pom-pom-pa-sus Mountains playing Leap-Frog. Three Brothers 4,000
Hum-moo. . . . . Lost Arrow . . Point East of Yo-Semite ... 3,100
170
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
VIEW DOWN THE VALLEY, TO "CATHEDRAL ROCKS."
DEPARTURE FROM THE VALLEY.
It is much to be regretted that the tourist should allow himself
so brief a period in this wonderful valley, — generally about four
days only, when it should have been fourteen, — for, after he has left
its sublime solitudes, its numerous waterfalls and brooklets, its
picturesque river scenes, its groups of shrubs and trees, its endless
variety of wild flowers, its bold, rugged, awe-inspiring, pine-
studded, and snow-covered mountain heights, with all their ever-
changing shadows and curious shapes, and its health-giving and
invigorating air, with its thousand of unmentioned charms, that
would have given pleasurable occupation and grateful variety to
every class and condition, both of body and mind, for months, he
contrasts that which he saw with that he might have seen, and
becomes dissatisfied with his course in spending so much time, as
THE YO-SEM1TE VALLEY. 171
well as money, in travelling there, and then riding oft' without
seeing more than a limited portion of such remarkable scenes.
Wishing all a safe and joyous return, with none but pleasant
memories forever of their Yo-Semite trip, we bid each agreeable
companion a reluctant " good-bye," in the hope of soon welcoming
them again to the beauty and majesty of the landscapes, and the
invigorating air and pure waters of our unparalleled Yo-Sem'-i-te.
172
bOJKNES IN CALIFORNIA.
'; I ! '\ i S£-
\ V \ OH
SCENE IN THE FREZNO GROVE OF MAMMOTH TREES.
CHAPTEE Y.
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF MARIPOSA AND FREZNO.
" Go abroad
Upon the paths of Nature, and, when all
Its voices whisper, and its silent things
Are breathing the deep beauty of the world,
Kneel at its simple altar, and the God
Who hath the living waters shall be there."— N. P. WILLIS.
THE DISCOVEKEKS OF THESE GEOVES.
FOE several years after the discovery of the mammoth trees of
Calaveras county had astonished the world, that group of trees
THE MAMMOTH TEEE8 OF MARIPOSA AND FKEZNO.
was supposed to be the only one of the kind in existence. But,
during the latter part of July or the beginning of August, 1855, Mr.
Hogg, a hunter, in the employ of the South Fork Merced Canal
Company, while in the pursuit of his calling, saw one or more
trees, of the same variety and genus as those of Calaveras, grow-
ing on one of the tributaries of Big Creek, and related the fact to
Mr. Galen Clark, and other acquaintances. Late in September,
or early in October. ensuing, Mr. J. E. Clayton, civil engineer, re-
siding in Mariposa, while running a line of survey for Colonel
J. C. Fremont, across some of the upper branches of the Frezno
Hiver, discovered other trees of the same class, but, like Mr. Hogg,
passed on without further examination or exploration.
About the 1st of June, Mr. Milton Mann and Mr. Clark were
conversing together on, the subject, at Clark's Ranche on the South
Fork of the Merced, when they mutually agreed to go out on a
hunting excursion in the direction indicated by Mr. Hogg and Mr.
Clayton, for the purpose of ascertaining definitely the locality, size,
and number of the trees mentioned.
Well mounted, they left Clark's Eanche, and proceeded up the
divide between the South Fork of the Merced and Big Creek, in
a south-eastern ' course, with the intention of making a circuit of
several miles, if not at first successful — this plan being the most
suggestive of their rediscovery.
"When on the summit of the mountain, about four miles from
Clark's, they saw the broad and towering tops of the mammoth
trees — since known as the " Mariposa Grove" — and shortly after-
ward were walking among their immense trunks. A partial
examination revealed the fact, that a second grove of trees had
been found, that was far more extensive than that of Calaveras,
and many of the trees fully as large as those belonging to that
world-renowned group.
Early the following spring, Mr. Clark discovered two smaller
groves of large trees, of the same class1 and variety, each not ex-
ceeding a quarter of a mile in distance from the other.
About the end of July of the same year, he discovered another
large grove upon the head waters of the Frezno ; and two days
174 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
afterward, Mr. L. A. Holmes, of the Mariposa Gazette, and J udge
Fitzlmgh, while on a hunting excursion, saw the tracks of Mr.
Clark's mule as they passed the same group ; and as both these
parties were very thirsty at the time, and near the top of the ridge
at sundown, without water for themselves and animals, they were
anxious to find this luxury and a good camping-place before dark.
Consequently, they did not deem it best then to tarry to explore
it, intending to pay this grove a visit at some early time of leisure
in the future. This interesting task, however, seemed to be re-
served for the writer and Mr. Clark, on the 2d and 3d of July, 1859.
With this short epitome of the discovery of these additional
wonders, we shall now give a brief narrative of a visit paid them.
THE MARIPOSA GROVES OF MAMMOTH TREES.
Arriving at Clark's Ranche (situated about half-way between
the Great Valley and Mariposa), Mr. Galen Clark, the proprietor
of the ranche, very kindly offered not only to guide us through the
Mariposa Grove of mammoth trees, but also to conduct us to the
Frezno Grove ; observing that, although the latter had been dis-
covered by himself the previous year, it had not yet been examined
or explored by any one. Of course, as the reader may guess, this
offer was too generous, and too much in accordance with our
wishes, to be declined. Our preparations completed, and when
about to mount into the saddle, we both stood waiting. " Are
you ready ?" asked our guide. " Quite," was the prompt re-
joinder ; " but haven't you forgotten your hat, Mr. Clark ?" " Oh,
no," he replied, " I never have been able to wear a hat since I had
the fever some years ago, and I like to go without now,better than
I did then to wear one." So much for habit.*
With our fire-arms across our shoulders, and our blankets and
a couple of days' provisions at the back of our saddles, we pro-
ceeded for a short distance through the thick, heavy grass of the
ranche, and commenced the gradual ascent of a well-timbered side-
hill, on the edge of the valley, and up and over numerous low
ridges, all of which were more or less covered with wild flowers,
* Mr. C. has since been able to abandon this habit.
THE MAMMOTH TKEES OF MAEIPOSA AND FREZNO.
175
on our way to the Mariposa Grove. Although the trail was well
worn and good, yet, on account of the long ascent to the summit
of the ridge, it was with no small pleasure that we found ourselves
in the vicinity of the grove.
THE "TWINS," IN THE MARIPOSA GROVE.
Sketched from nature, by G. Tirrel.
Who can picture, in language, or on canvas, all the sublime
depths of wonder that flow to the soul in thrilling and intense
surprise, when the eye looks upon these great marvels ? Long
vistas of forest shades, formed by immense trunks of trees, extend-
ing hither and thither : now arched by the overhanging branches
of the lofty taxodiums, then by the drooping boughs of the white-
blossomed dogwood ; while the high, moaning sweep of the pines,
and the low whispering swell of the firs, sung awe-inspiring an-
thems to their great Planter.
The Indians, in years that are past, have, with Yandal hands,
set portions of this magnificent forest on fire ; so that burnt stumps
of trees and blackened underbrush frown upon you from several
points. Indeed, many of the largest and noblest looking are
badly deformed from this cause. Still, beautiful clumps of from
176
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
three to ten trees in each, and others standing alone, are numerous,
sound, and well formed.
" Passing up the ravine, or basin," says Mr. J. Lamson, who
kindly sent us the sketch from which this engraving is made,
" we came to a large stem, whose top had been stripped of its
branches, giving it somewhat the resemblance of an immense
spear, and forcibly reminding one of Milton's description of Satan's
weapon of that name :
'To equal which, the tallest pine,
Hewn on Norwegian hills to be the mast
Of some great ammiral, were but a wand.'
Believing this to be far greater than any tree Milton ever dreamed
SATAN'S SPEAR.
THE MAMMOTH TUBES OF MAKIPOSA AND FREZNO. ITT
of, and fully equal to the wants of any reasonable Prince of
Darkness, in compliment to the poet and his hero, we named it
' Satan's Spear.' Its circumference is seventy-eight feet.
" Several rods to the left of this, is another large trunk, with a
dilapidated top, presenting the appearance of a tower, and is
called i The Giant's Tower ;' seventy feet in circumference. Beyond
this, stand two double trees, which have been named ' The Twin
Sisters.' Still further on, is a tree with a straight and slender
body, and a profusion of beautiful foliage ; near which, frowned
a savage-looking monster, with a scarred and knotted trunk, and
gnarled and broken branches, bringing to one's recollection the
story of ' Beauty and the Beast.' Crossing the ravine near ' Satan's
Spear,' there are many fine trees upon the side and summit of the
ridge. One of the finest, whose circumference is sixty feet, and
whose top consists of a mass of foliage of exceeding beauty, is
called 'The Queen of the Forest.' Above these, stands 'The
Artist's Encampment,' seventy-seven feet in circumference, though
so large a portion of its trunk has decayed or been burned away
to a height of thirty feet, as materially to lessen its dimensions."
As the size of the principal trees was ascertained by Mr. Clark,
and Colonel Warren, editor of the California Farmer, in which
journal it first appeared, and as their measurements doubtless
approximated to correctness, we give them below :
" The first tree was ' The Rambler,' and measuring it three and
a half feet from the ground, we found it eighty feet in circumfer-
ence ; close at the ground, one hundred and two feet ; and, care-
fully surveyed, two hundred and fifty feet high. Tree No. 2,
nearly fifty feet in circumference. No. 3 (at the spring), ninety
feet, three and a half feet from the ground ; one hundred and two
at the ground ; and three hundred feet high. Nos. 4 and 5 (' The
Sisters') measured eighty-two and eighty -seven feet in circumfer-
ence, and two hundred and twenty-five feet high. Many of the
trees had lost portions of their tops, by the storms that had swept
over them.
"The whole number measured, was one hundred and fifty-five,
and these comprise but about half the group, which we estimate
12
ITS
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
cover about two to three hundred acres, and lie in a triangular
form. Some of the trees first meet your view in the vale of the
mountain ; thence rise southeasterly and northwesterly, till you
find yourself gazing upon the neighboring points, some ten miles
from you, whose tops are still covered with their winter snows.
The following are the numbers and measurement of the trees :*
1 tree, 40 feet in circumference.
1 tree, 35 feet do
2 trees, 36 feet each do
2 trees, 32 feet each do
1 tree, 28 feet do
2 trees, 100 feet each do
1 tree, 82 feet do
1 tree, 80 feet do
2 trees, 77 feet each do
1 tree, 76 feet do
3 trees, 75 feet each do
1 tree, 64 feet do
4 trees, 65 feet each do
2 trees, 63 feet each do
1 tree, 61 feet do
10 trees, 60 feet each do
3 trees, 59 feet each do
2 trees, 51 feet each do
6 trees, 50 feet each do
1 tree, 49 feet . do
1 tree, 47 feet do
1 tree, 46 feet do
2 trees, 45 feet each do
1 tree, 43 feet do
7 trees, 44 feet each do
4 trees, 42 feet each do
3 trees, 41 feet each do
8 trees, 40 feet each do
" Some of these were in groups of three, four, and even five,
seeming to spring from the seeds of one cone. Several of these
glorious trees we have, in association wTith our friend, named.
The one near the spring we call the Fountain Tree, as it is used as
the source of the refreshment. Two trees, measuring ninety and
ninety-seven feet in circumference, were named the Two Friends.
* Prof. Whitney gives the total number of trees here at 365, of a diameter of one
foot or over; and 125 trees, over 40 feet in circumference.
1 tree, 102 feet in circumference.
1 tree, 97 feet
do
1 tree, 92 feet
do
3 trees, 76 feet each
do
1 tree, 72 feet
do
3 trees, 70 feet each
do
1 tree, 68 feet
do
1 tree, 66 feet
do
1 tree, 63 feet
do
3 trees, 63 feet each
do
2 trees, 60 feet each
do
1 tree, 59 feet
do
1 tree, 58 feet
do
3 trees, 57 feet each
do
1 tree. 56 feet
do
3 trees, 55 feet each
do
2 trees, 54 feet each
do
1 tree, 53 feet
do
1 tree, 51 feet
do
4 trees, 50 feet each
do
6 trees, 49 feet each
do
5 trees, 48 feet each
do
2 trees, 47 feet each
do
3 trees, 46 feet each
do
2 trees, 45 feet each
do
1 tree, 44 feet
do
2 trees, 43 feet eacli
do
2 trees, 42 feet each
do
THE MAMMOTH TKEES OF MAKIPOSA AND FREZNO. 179
The groups of trees consisted of many of peculiar beauty and
interest. One of those, which measured one hundred feet in cir-
cumference, was of exceeding gigantic proportions, and towered
up three hundred feet ; yet a portion of its top, where it apparent-
ly was ten feet in diameter, had been swept off by storms. While
we were measuring this tree, a large eagle came and perched upon
it, emblematical of the grandeur of this forest as well as that of
our country.
" Near by it stood a smaller tree, that seemed a child to it, yet
it measured forty-seven feet in circumference. Not far from it
was a group of four splendid trees, two hundred and fifty feet
high, which we named the " Four Pillars," each over fifty feet in
circumference. Two gigantic trees, seventy-five and seventy-seven
feet in circumference, were named " Washington" and " Lafay-
ette ;" these were noble trees. Another group we called " The
Graces," from their peculiar beauty. One mighty tree that had
fallen by fire and burned out, into which we walked for a long
distance, we found to be the abode of the grizzly ; there he had
made his nest, and it excited the nerves to enter so dark an abode.
Yet it was a fitting place for a grizzly. Another tree, measuring
eighty feet, and standing aloof, was called the Lone Giant ; it
went heavenward some three hundred feet. One monster tree
that had fallen and been burned hollow, has been recently tried,
by a party of our friends, riding, as they fashionably do, in the
saddle, through the tunnel of the tree. These friends rode through
this tree, a distance of one hundred and fifty-three feet. The tree
had been long fallen, and measured, ere its bark was gone and its
sides charred, over one hundred feet in circumference, and prob-
ably three hundred and fifty feet in height.
"The mightiest tree that has yet been found, now lies upon the
ground, and, fallen as it lies, it is a wonder still ; it is charred, and
time has stripped it of its heavy bark, and yet across the butt
of the tree as it lay upturned, it measured thirty-three feet with-
out its bark ; there can be no question that in its vigor, with its
bark on, it was forty feet in diameter, or One hundred and twenty
feet in circumference. Only about one hundred and fifty feet of
180 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
the trunk remains, yet the cavity where it fell is still a large
hollow beyond the portion burned off; and, upon pacing it,
measuring from the root one hundred and twenty paces, and esti-
mating the branches, this tree must have been four hundred feet
high. We believe it to be the largest tree yet discovered."
This grove of mammoth trees consists of about three hundred,
more or less. It must not be supposed that these large taxodiums
monopolize the one mile by a quarter of a mile of ground over
which they are scattered ; as some of the tallest, largest, and
most grac'eful of sugar pines and Douglass firs we ever saw, add
their beauty of form and foliage to the group, and contribute much
to the imposing grandeur of the effect.
THE SOUTH GROVE.
Crossing a low ridge to the south-westward of the large grove,
is another small one, before alluded to, in which there are many
fine trees. We measured one sturdy, gnarled old fellow, which,
although badly burned, and- the bark almost gone, so that a large
portion of its original size was lost, is, nevertheless, still ninety
feet in circumference, and which wre took the liberty of naming
the " Grizzled Giant,"
An immense trunk lay stretched upon the ground, that meas-
ured two hundred and sixty-four feet in length, although a con-
siderable portion of its crown has been burned away. This was
named by Mrs. J. C. Fremont, " King Arthur, the Prostrate
Monarch."
VISIT TO THE FREZNO GROVE.
Leaving the " South Grove," we struck across Big Creek and
its branches, in a course almost due south, as near as the rugged,
rock-bound mountain spurs would permit, in the direction of the
Frezno group, some of whose majestic and feathery tops could be
seen from the ridge we had left behind.
Apparently, these trees were not more than six miles distant
from the Mariposa Grove ; but which, owing to the trailless course
we had to take, down and across the spurs of Big Creek, were not
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF MAEIPOSA AND FREZN0. 181
THE GRIZZLED GIANT.
From Nature, ly G. Tirrel.
182 * SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
less than ten miles. About six o'clock p. M., we arrived at the
foot of some of the mammoth trees, that stood on the ridge, like
sentinel guards to the grove. These were from fifty to sixty feet,
only, in circumference.
As the sun was fast sinking, we deemed it the most prudent
course to look out for a good camping-ground. Fortunately, we
discovered at first the only patch of grass to be found for several
miles ; and, as we were making our way through the forest, feel-
ing that most probably we were the first whites who had ever
broken its profound solitudes, we heard a splashing sound,proceed-
ing from the direction of the bright green we had seen. This,
with the rustling of bushes, reminded us that we were invading
the secluded home of the grizzly bear, and that good sport or danger
would soon give variety to our employments.
Hastily dismounting, and unsaddling our animals, we picketed
them in the swampy grass-plat, still wet with the recent spirtings
of several bears' feet that had hurriedly left it ; then kindling a
fire, to indicate by its smoke the direction of our camp, we started
quietly out on a bear hunt.
Cautiously peering over a low ridge but a few yards from camp,
we saw two large bears slowly moving away, when a slight sound
from us arrested their attention and progress. Mr. Clark was
about raising his rifle to fire, when we whispered — "Hold, Mr. C.,
if you please — let us have the first shot at that immense fellow
there." "With pleasure," was the prompt response, and, at a
distance of twenty-five yards, a heavy charge of pistol balls, from
an excellent shot-gun, was poured into his body just behind the
shoulder, when he made a plunge of a few feet, and, wheeling
round, stood for a few moments as though debating in his own
mind whether he should return the attack or retreat ; but a ball
from the unerring rifle of our obliging guide determined him upon
the latter bourse. The other had preceded him.
We immediately started in pursuit ; and although their course
could readily be followed by blood dropping from the wounds, a
dense mass of chaparal prevented us from getting sight of either
again, although we walked around upon the look-out until the
THE MAMMOTH TREES OF MARIPOSA AND FKEZNO. 183
darkness compelled us to return to camp, where, after supper,
we were soon soundly sleeping. Early the next morning we fol-
lowed up the divertissement for a few hours ; but meeting with
no game larger than grouse, we commenced the exploration of the
grove.
This consists of about five hundred trees of the taxodium family,
on about as many acres of dense forest land, gently undulating.
The two largest we could find measured eighty-one feet each in
circumference, well formed, and straight from the ground to the
top. The others, equally sound and straight, were from fifty-one
feet to seventy-five feet in circumference. The sugar pines (Pinus
lambertiana) were remarkably large ; one that was prostrate near
our camp measured twenty-nine feet and six inches in circumfer-
ence, and two hundred and thirty-seven feet in length.
It ought here to be remarked, that Mr. L. A. Holmes and Judge
Fitzhugh saw an extensive grove of much larger trees than these
on the head-waters of the San Joaquin River, about twelve miles
east of those on the Frezno ; but it has never been explored.
All of these trees are precisely of the same genus and variety as
those of Calaveras, and will abundantly reward visitors who spend
a day or two here, on their way to the Yo-Semite Valley.
There are no less than ten groves of these remarkable trees
(Sequoia giganted) already discovered in California. The Calave.
ras, containing about one hundred trees ; the great South Grove,
having one thousand three hundred and eighty ; the South Tuo-
lumne grove, thirty-one ; one unnamed, on the south side of
the dividing ridge between the Tuoluinne and Merced rivers
below Crane Flat, forty-two trees ; the Mariposa groves num-
bering three hundred and sixty-five ; the Frezno, about five hun-
dred ; the San Joaquin (estimated at) seven hundred ; the Kings
and Kaweah River, belt of big trees extending for some ten miles,
thought to contain thousands ; the North Tule River, and the
South Tale River, the trees of which are scattered over several
square miles. These last-named groves were discovered by Mr.
T)' Ileureuse, of the State Geological Survey, in 1867.
184
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
METAL YARD AND ENTRANCE TO THE ALMADEN MINE.
CHAPTER YI.
THE QUICKSILVER MINES OF NEW ALMADEN AND
HENRIQUITA
4
THE KOUTE TO NEW ALMADEN.
SIXTY-FIVE miles south of San Francisco, near the head of the
beautiful and fertile valley of San Jose, and in an eastern spur of
the Coast Range of mountains, is the quicksilver mine of New
Almaden.
With your permission, kind reader, we will enter the railway
QUICKSILVER MINES. 185
train waiting in San Francisco, and, as the clock strikes eight,
start at once on our journey. Lucky for us, it is a fine, bright
morning, as the fog has cleared off, and left us (on a dew-making
excursion, no doubt, up the country), and as we are to be fellow-,
travellers, at least in imagination, and wisli to enjoy ourselves; let
us say good-bye to our cares, as we did to our friends, and leave
them with the city behind us.
How refreshing to the brow is the breeze, and grateful to the
eye is the beautiful green of the gardens, as we pass them, in the
suburbs of the city, on our way. Even the hills in the distance
are dotted with the dark green of the live oaks, and are beautiful
by contrast.
On, on, we go, shooting among hills, travelling through the
valley, passing farms and wajHside houses,until we reach the flour-
ishing old Mission of Santa Clara. Here we long to linger, and
as we look upon the orchards laden with fruit, we wish to buy,
beg, or steal, those cherry-cheeked and luscious-looking pears ; or
take a walk amid the shadows of the old Mission church. But,
leaving the railway, we here take the omnibus, when the signal,
' all aboard," hurries us to our seats, and we soon enter an avenue
of old willow and poplar trees, that extends from Santa Clara to
San Jose, a distance of three miles, and which was planted by and
for the convenience of the two Missions. What good, thoughtful
souls those old padres were. We fear that due credit is not given
them for the amount of civilization they introduced. On either
side of this avenue, at intervals, there are tasteful cottages, flour-
ishing farms, nurseries, and gardens, which are well supplied with
water from artesian wells.
Arriving in San Jose we find a neat and pleasant agricultural
city, with all the temptations of fruit and flowers in great variety,
and a brisk business activity observable in each department of
business in the streets. One thing may impress us unfavorably
here, viz. : the large number of members of the legal profession
(thirty-seven, we believe) in so small a city.
This fact brought to mind —
186 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
AN OLD SAW.
" An upper mill, and lower mill,
Fell out about the water ;
To war they went, that is to law,
Resolved to give no quarter.
" A lawyer was by each engaged,
And hotly they contended ;
When fees grew scant, the war they waged, —
They judged, 'twere better ended.
"The heavy costs remaining still,
Were settled without pother —
One lawyer took the upper mill,
The lower mill the other."
— and it set us to ruminating. But let us jump into the easy
coach in waiting, and we shall forget all that, and have a very
pleasant ride of fourteen miles upon a good road, through an ever-
green grove of live oaks, and past the broad shading branches of
the sycamore trees, and in a couple of hours find ourselves drink-
ing heartily of the delicious waters of the fine cool soda spring, at
the romantic village of New Almaden. As we have passed
through enough for one day, let us wait until morning, before
climbing the hill to examine the mines.
THE DISCOVERY AND OWNERSHIP OF THE NEW ALMADEN MINE.
This mine has been known for ages by the Indians, who worked
it for the vermilion paint that it contained, with which they
ornamented their persons, and on that account had become a
valuable article of exchange with other Indians, from the Gulf of
California to the Columbia River. Its existence was also known
among the early settlers of California, although none could esti-
mate the character or value of the metal.
In 1845 a captain of cavalry in the Mexican service, named
Castillero, having met a tribe of Indians near Bodega, and seeing
their faces painted with vermilion, obtained from them, for a
reward, the necessary information of its locality, when he visited
it, and having made many very interesting experiments, and deter-
QUICKSILVER MINES.
1ST
188
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
mined the character of the metal, he registered it in accordance
with the Mexican custom, about the close of that year.
A company was immediately formed, and the mine divided into
twenty-four shares, when the company immediately commenced
working it on a small scale ; but, being unable to carry it on for
want of capital, in 1846 it was leased out to an English and Mexi-
can company for the term of sixteen years ; the original company
to receive one-quarter of the gross products for that time. In
March, 1847, the new company commenced operations on a large
scale, but finding that to pay one-fourth of the proceeds, and yet
to bear all the expenses of working the mine, would incur a con-
siderable loss, they eventually purchased out most of the original
shareholders.
In June, 1850, this company had expended three hundred and
GENERAL VIEW OF THE QUICKSILVEB "WORKS AT NEW ALMADEN.
QUICKSILVER MINES.
189
eighty-seven thousand eight hundred dollars over and above all
their receipts. During that year, a new process of smelting the
ore was introduced by a blacksmith, named Baker, which suc-
ceeded so well, that fourteen smelting furnaces have been erected
by the company upon the same principle.
PROCESS OF EXTRACTING THE QUICKSILVER FROM CINNABAR.
The process of extracting the quicksilver from the cinnabar is
very simple. The ore chamber ^B. is filled with cinna-
bar, and covered securely up ; a fire is then kindled
in the furnace at A, from which, through a perforated
wall of brick, the heat enters the ore chamber and
permeates the mass of ore, from which arises the
quicksilver, in the shape of vapor, and, passing through
the perforated wall on the opposite side, enters the
condensing chambers at C, rising to the top of one,
and falling to the bottom of the other, as indicated by
the arrows, and as it passes through the condensing
chambers (thirteen in number), it cools and becomes
quicksilver. Should any vapor escape the last con-
densing chamber, it passes over a cistern of cold water
at D, where, from an enclosed pipe, water is scattered
SECTION OF THE SMELTING FURNACE.
over a sieve, and falls upon and cools the vapor as it passes into
the chimney, or funnel chamber, at E.
The quicksilver then runs to the lower end of each condensing
chamber, thence through a small pipe into a trough that extends
from one end of the building to the other, where it enters a large
circular caldron, from which it is weighed into flasks, in quantities
190
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
MEXICANS WEIGHING QUICKSILVER.
of seventy-five pounds. To save time, one set of furnaces is gener-
ally cooling and being filled, while the other is burning.
Now, let us gradually ascend to the patio, or yard, in front of
the mine, a visit to which has been so truthfully and beautifully
described by Mrs. S. A. Downer, that we are tempted to introduce
the reader to such good company.
THE ROAD TO THE MINE.
"At the right, was a deep ravine, through which flowed a
brook, supplied by springs in the mountains, and which, in places,
was completely hid by tangled masses of wild-wood, among which
we discerned willows along its edge, with oak, sycamore, and
buckeye. Although late in the summer, roses and convolvuli,
with several varieties of floss, were in blossom ; with sweet-brier,
honeysuckle, and various plants, many of which were unknown
to us, not then in bloom, and which Nature, with prodigal hand,
has strewn in bounteous profusion over every acre of the land.
To the left of the mountain side, the wild gooseberry grows in
abundance. The fruit is large and of good flavor, though of rough
exterior. Wild oats, diversified with shrubs and live-oak, spread
QUICKSILVER MINES. 191
around us, till we reach the patio, nine hundred and forty feet
above the base of the mountain. The road is something over a
mile, although there are few persons who have travelled it on foot,
under a burning sun, but would be willing to make their affidavits
it was near five.
" Let us pause and look around us. For a distance of many
miles, nothing is seen but the tops of successive mountains ; then
appears the beautiful valley of San Juan, while the Coast Range
is lost in distance. The patio is an area of more than an acre in
extent ; and still above us, but not directly in view, is a Mexican
settlement, composed of the families and lodging-cabins of the
miners. There is a store, and provisions are carried up on pack-
mules, for retail among the miners, who may truly be said to live
from hand to mouth. This point had been the resort of the
aborigines, not only of this State, but from as far as the Columbia
River, to obtain the paint (vermilion) found in the cinnabar, and
which they used in the decoration of their persons. How long
this had been known to them, cannot be ascertained ; probably a
long time, for they had worked into the mountain some fifty or
sixty feet, with what implements can only be conjectured. [Stones
and pointed sticks. — ED.] A quantity of round stones, evidently
from the brook, were found in a passage, with a number of skele-
tons ; the destruction of life having been caused, undoubtedly, by
a sudden caving: in of the earth, burying: the unskilled savages in
t/ O O
the midst of their labors. It had been supposed for some time
that the ore possibly contained the precious metals, but no regular
assay was made till 1845 ; a gentleman now largely interested,
procured a retort, not doubting that gold, or at least silver, would
crown his efforts. Its real character was made known by its
pernicious effects upon the system of the experimenter. The
discovery was instantly communicated to a brother, a member of
a wealthy firm in Mexico, who, with others, purchased the property,
consisting of two leagues, held under a Spanish title, of the
original owner. For some years but little was done. The ore
proved both abundant and rich, but required the outlay of a vast
amount of capital to be worked to advantage ; and while Nature,
192
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
with more than her usual liberality, had furnished in the mountain
itself all the accessories for the successful prosecution of her favors,
man was too timid to avail himself of her gifts.
PROCESS OF WORKING THE MINE.
"In 1850, a tunnel was commenced in the side of the moun-
tain, in a line with the patio, and which has already been carried'
to the distance of one thousand one hundred feet by ten -feet wide,
and ten feet high to the crown of the arch, which is strongly
roofed with heavy timber throughout its whole length. Through
this the rail-track passes ; the car receiving the ore as it is brought
on the backs of the carriers (tenateros) from the depths below, or
from the heights above. The track being free, we will now take
a seat on the car and enter the dark space. Not an object is
visible save the faint torch-light at the extreme end ; and a chill-
ing dampness seizes on the frame, so suddenly bereft of warmth
and sunshine. This sensation does not continue as we descend
into the subterranean caverns
below ; and now commence the
wonders as well as the dangers
of the undertaking. By the light
of a torch we pass through a damp
passage of some length, a sud-
den turn bringing us into a sort of
vestibule, where, in a niche at
one side, is placed a rude shrine
of the tutelary saint, or protectress
of the mine — Nuestra Senora de
Guadalupe, before which lighted
candles are kept constantly burn-
ing, and before entering upon the
labors of the day or night, each
man visits this shrine in devotion.
You descend a perpendicular lad-
der, formed by notches cut into
a solid log, perhaps twelve feet ;
SHRINE OF SENORA DE GTTADALUPK
QUICKSILVER MINES. 193
then turn and pass a narrow corner, where a frightful gulf seems
yawning to receive you. Carefully threading your way over the
very narrowest of footholds, you turn into another passage black
as night, to descend into a flight of steps formed in the side of the
cave, tread over some loose stones, turn around, step over arches,
down into another passage that leads into many dark and intricate
windings and descendings, or chambers supported by but a column
of earth ; now stepping this way, then that, twisting and turning,
all tending down, dowrn to where, through the darkness of mid-
night, one can discern the faint glimmer, which shines like Shak-
speare's ' good deed in a naughty world,' and which it seems
impossible one can ever reach. We were shown a map giving
the subterranean topography of this mine ; and truly, the crossings
and recrossings, the windings and intricacies of the labyrinthine
passages, could only be compared to the streets of a dense city,
while nothing short of the clue furnished Theseus by Ariadne,
would insure the safe return, into day, of the unfortunate pilgrim
who should enter without a guide.
" The miners have named the different passages after their saints,
and run them off as readily as we do the streets of a city ; and
after exhausting the names of all the saints in the calendar, have
commenced on different animals, one of which is not inaptly called
El Elefante. Some idea of the extent and number of these pass-
ages may be formed, when we state, that sixty pounds of candles
are used by the workmen in the twenty-four hours. Another turn
brings us upon some men at work. One stands upon a single
plank placed high above us in an arch, and he is drilling into the
rock above him for the purpose of placing a charge of powder. It
appears very dangerous, yet we are told that no lives have ever
been lost, and no more serious accidents have occurred than the
bruising of a hand or limb, from carelessness in blasting. How
he can maintain his equilibrium is a mystery to us, while with
every thrust of the drill his strong chest heaves, and he gives
utterance to a sound something between a grunt and a groan,
which is supposed by them to facilitate their labor. Some six or
eight men working in one spot, each keeping up his agonizing
13
194
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
sound, awaken a keen sympathy. Were it only a cheerful sing-
song, one could stand it ; but in that dismal place, their wizard-
like forms and appearance, relieved but by the light of a single
tallow candle stuck in the side of the rock, just sufficient to make
' darkness visible,' is like opening to us the shades of Tartarus ;
and the throes elicited from over-wrought human bone and muscle,
sound like the anguish wrung from infernal spirits, who hope for
no escape.
MIXEROS AT WORK IN THE MINE.
"These men work in companies, one set by night, another by
day, alternating week about. We inquired the average duration
of life of the men who work under ground, and found that it did
not exceed that of forty-five years, and the diseases to which they
are mostly subject are those of the chest ; showing conclusively
how essential light and air are to animal, as w^ell as vegetable life.
With a sigh and a shudder we step aside to allow another set of
laborers to pass. There they come ; up and up, from almost in-
terminable depths, each one as he passes panting, puffing, and
wheezing, like a high pressure steamboat, as with straining nerve
QUICKSILVER MINES.
195
TENATEKOS CARRYING THE ORE FROM THE MINE.
and quivering muscle he staggers under the load, which nearly
bends him double. These are the tenateros, carrying the ore from
the mine to deposit it in the cars ; and, like the miners, they are bur-
dened with no superfluous clothing. A shirt and trowsers, or the
trowsers without a shirt, a pair of leathern sandals fastened at the
ankle, with a felt cap, or the crown of an old hat, completes their
costume.
" The ore is placed in a flat leather bag (talego] with a band two
inches wide that passes around the forehead, the weight resting
along the shoulders and spine. Two hundred pounds of rough
ore are thus borne up, flight after flight, of perpendicular steps ;
196 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
now winding through deep caverns, or threading the most tortu-
ous passages ; again ascending over earth and loose stones, and
up places that have not even an apology for steps, all the while
lost in Cimmerian darkness, but for a torch borne aloft, which
flings its sickly rays over the dismal abysm, showing that one un-
wary step would plunge him beyond any possibility of human aid
or succor. Not always, however, do they ascend; they some-
times come from above ; yet we should judge the toil and danger
to be nearly as great in one case as in the other. Thirty trips will
these men make in one day, from the lowest depths.
" For once we were disposed to quarrel with the long, loose skirts,
that not only impeded our progress, but prevented our attempt to
ascend to the summit, and enjoy from thence a prospect of great
beauty and extent. But one woman, we believe, has ever accom-
plished this feat, which, severely tasks the strength of manhood.
"We will now follow ihetenateros, as they load the car with the
contents of their sacks, and run after it into the open air. There
they go, with shouts of laughter ; and really, as one emerges into
the warm sunshine, the change is most inspiriting. They have
reached the end of the track, and throw off the great lumps of ore
without an effort, as if they were mere cabbages. What capacious
chests, and how gaily they work ! Such gleeful activity we never
before beheld. The large lumps deposited, they now seize shovels,
and jumping on the cars, the small lumps mixed with earth are
cleared off with the most astonishing celerity. Do but behold
that fellow of Doric build, with brawny muscles, and who is a
perfect fac simile of Hercules, as he stood engraved with his club,
as we remember him in Bell or Tooke's Pantheon !
"The ore deposited on the patio, another set of laborers engage
in separating the large lumps and reducing them to the size of
common paving stones, which are placed by themselves. The
smaller pieces are put in a separate pile, while the earth (tierra) is
sifted through coarse sieves for the purpose of being made into
adobes. There is also a blacksmith's shop for making and repair-
ing implements. The miner is not paid by the day, but receives
pay for the ore he extracts. They usually work in parties of from
QUICKSILVER MINES. 197
two to ten ; half the number work during the day, the other half
by night, and in this manner serve as checks upon each other.
Should a drone get into the number, complaint is made to the
engineer, who has to settle such matters, which he generally does
by placing him with a set nearer his capacity, or sometimes by a
discharge. The price of the ore is settled by agreement for each
week. Should the passage be more than commonly laborious,
they do not earn much ; or if, on the contrary, it proves to be easy
and of great richness, the gain is theirs ; it being not infrequent
for them to make from thirty to forty dollars a week a-piece, and
seldom less than fifteen. In those parts of the mine where the
ore is worthless, but still has to be extracted in order to reach
that which will pay, or to promote ventilation, they are paid by
the square vara,* at a stipulated price. They do nothing with
getting the ore to the patio ; this is done by the tenateros at the
company's expense, as is also the separating, sifting, and weighing.
Each party have their ore kept separate ; it is weighed twice a
week and an account taken. They select one of their party who
receives the pay and divides it among his fellows.
" The tenateros receive three dollars per diem ; the sifters and
weighers, two dollars and a half; blacksmiths and bricklayers,
five and six ; while carpenters are paid the city price of eight
dollars a day. These wages seem to be very just and liberal, yet,
such is their improvidence, that no matter how much they earn,
the miners are not one peso better off at the end of the month
than they were at its beginning. No provision being made for
sickness or age, when that time comes, as come it will, there is
nothing for them to do but, like some worn-out old charger, lie
down and die. This has reference exclusively to the Mexicans ;
and it is a pity that a Savings Bank could not be established, and
made popular among them. They number between two and
three hundred in all ; but they are, perhaps, the most impractic-
able people in the world, going on as their fathers did before them,
firmly believing in the axiom, that ' sufficient unto the day is the
evil thereof.' "
* A vara is thirty-three and one-third inches.
198 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
For some time this mine was closed by an injunction from the
United States Court, but the difficulties being adjusted, it is now
being worked with great success.
THE HENRIQTJITA QUICKSILVER MINE,
Is the name of a newly opened quicksilver mine, situated in a
beautiful and romantic valley on Guadalupe Creek, at the ex-
treme western point of the same range of hills as that of New
Almaden, and about four and a half miles from it. This mine
was discovered in 1847, but was not attempted to be worked
till 1850, when a company was formed and operations com-
menced ; but, owing to the high price of labor and supplies, and
the company running short of funds, after a few months, were
suspended. In 1855, a new company was formed and incorporated
by charter, from the legislature of Maryland, under the title of
the " Santa Clara Mining Association, of Baltimore," with a suffi-
cient working capital to open the mine, erect the necessary
smelting works, and carry them on.
" Yeins of quicksilver," writes a friend, " were long since known
to exist in these hills, but, owing to the difficulty of finding
sufficient quantities of ore to render mining remunerative, nothing
of importance was attempted. In November, 1858, Mr. Laurencel
employed a party of Irish and Mexican miners to prospect it
more thoroughly, and several places were found to be of good
promise, and opened. One was called the Providentia Mine,
another was placed under the protection of Saint Patrick, and at
length, in January, 1859, the present Henriquita mine was found
and immediately opened. During the winter and spring quite
a limited number of men carried on the work, but the labors of
these few were sufficient to prove that there existed a large de-
posit. In the beginning of June the work was advanced upon
a larger scale, and preparations were made to put up the proper
machinery for reducing the ore. Every thing was done with dis-
patch, and on the spot where stood a forest in June, we saw now
an establishment so far advanced as to promise to go into opera-
QUICKSILVER MINES. 199
tion, producing quicksilver, early in September ; good proof of
the energy and activity of our California miners.
"The system adopted for the reduction of ores is, I under-
stand, the same that was employed by Dr. Ure, many years
since, at the mines of Obermoschel, in the Bavarian Rhein
Kreis, and which has proved to be much superior to the systems
in practice at the Almaden mine in Spain, and the Idria mine of
Austria.
"What the production of this mine will be, is impossible to
foresee ; but quite a little mountain of ore, already taken out,
and what we saw in our descent into the mine, looks well for the
future prospect. A large number of Mexican miners were at
work, and as we passed their different parties, I broke from the
rocky walls a number of pieces, which, on coming to the light of
day, proved to be rich ore.
" The location of the Henriquita mine is one of considerable
beauty. A picturesque valley below, with the winding stream
of the Capitancillos, and pleasant groves of oaks and sycamores,
looks up on one hand to the hill where the mine is perched,
some three hundred and forty or fifty feet above, and on the other
to the rugged mountain, rising to the height of between three and
four thousand feet. The mine employs about one hundred
laborers of all classes ; the families added would make a total
population already of about four hundred persons. A little
village has sprung up near the works, containing many neat
cottages, a hotel, and several stores. Two lines of stages run
daily between the mine and the city of San Jose.
" While here I visited also another spot of considerable interest
— a gigantic oak, standing upon a prominent spur of the moun-
tains on the south. It measures some thirty-six feet in circum-
ference, and is, I doubt not, the largest of its family in California.
From its commanding position and size, it is visible at a great
distance, still towering high, when all the trees around it are
dwarfed into the appearance of mere underbrush.
" In leaving the Henriquita mine, I was more than ever reminded
of the immense mineral resources of our State, and of the industry
200 SCENES. IN CALIFORNIA.
of our people. Tlie works of years in older countries, were here
the labor of a few short months only.
' " The county of Santa Clara will find in this mine a new source
of wealth, and must rejoice at the diligent prosecution of an enter-
prise so important. As an old miner, I was gratified at what I
saw. What the California miner needs is cheap quicksilver ; but,
as long as its supply is limited, it is kept up at exorbitant prices.
With an increased production and a healthy competition, we may
expect 'soon to see it at such a price as will render it hereafter a
small item only in the working of the quartz mines, so important
a source of wealth and prosperity to California.
DEDICATORY CEREMONY OF BLESSING THE MINE.
"The interesting dedicatory ceremonial of Blessing the Mine is a
custom of long standing in many Catholic countries, where mining
is carried on, especially among those people who speak the Spanish
language. Without it, workmen would feel a religious dread, and
consequently a timid reluctance to enter upon their daily labors,
lest some accidental mishap should overtake them from such an
omission. After this has been duly performed, great care is taken
to erect a shrine, be it ever so rude, at some convenient point
within the mine, to some favorite tutelary saint or protectress,
whose benediction they evoke. Before this shrine, each workman
devoutly kneels, crosses himself, and repeats his Ave Maria, or
Paternoster, prior to entering upon the duties and engagements
of the day. At this spot, candles are kept burning, both by day
and night, and the place is one of sacred awe to all good Catholics.
The blessing and dedication of a mine is, consequently, an era of
importance, and one not to be lightly passed over, or indifferently
celebrated.
" On the morning of the day set apart for this ceremony, at the
Henriquita or San Antonio quicksilver mine, the Mexican and
Chilian senors and senoras began to flock into the little village at
the foot of the canon, from all the surrounding country, in antici-
pation of a general holiday, at an early hour.
" Of course, at such a time, the proprietor sends out invitations
QUICKSILVER JVIINES.
201
to those guests he is particularly desirous should be present to do
honor to the event ; but no such form is needed among the
workmen and their friends or acquaintances, as they understand
that the ceremony itself is a general invitation to 'all, and they
avail themselves of it accordingly.
" Arriving in procession at the entrance to the mine, Father
Goetz, the Catholic curate*. of San Jose, performed mass, and
THE HENRIQU1TA QUICKSILVER MINE, ON THE MORNING OF DEDICATION.
formally blessed the mine, and all persons present, and all those
who might work in it ; during which service a band of musicians
was playing a number of airs. At the close, fire-crackers and the
boom of a gun cut in the ground, announced the conclusion of the
ceremony on the outside ; when they all repaired to the inside,
where the Father proceeded to sprinkle holy water, and to bless it.
" These duly performed, they repaired to the village, near which
is the beautiful residence of Mr. Laurencel, its proprietor, where,
in a lovely grove of sycamores, several tables were erected and
bounteously covered with good things for the inner man. Here
were feasted nearly two hundred guests, of both sexes, with choice
202 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
viands, in magnificent profusion, while native wines, and other
light potables, flowed in abundance. A large number of specially
invited guests were at the same time hospitably and courteously
entertained within the house by Mr. Laurencel, his lady, and her
household. After dinner, there was music and dancing upon the
green, exhibitions of skilful horsemanship, and a variety of amuse-
ments, which were participated in by the assembled company
with the utmost zest, and were kept up, we understand, until a
late hour. The day chosen for this festival was the day of San
Antonio, the patron saint of the mine, and the birthday of the
little Henriquita, Mr. Laurencel's daughter, the more immediate
patroness of the same."
VIEW OF MOUNT SHASTA, THIRTY MILES DISTANT.
CHAPTER VII.
MOUNT SHASTA.
THIS isolated and lofty volcanic mountain is located in latitude
41° 30', and is the head and main source of the Sacramento,
Shasta, and other streams. For many years it was considered the
highest in California, and was estimated at 18,000 feet ; more re-
cent measurements, however, make it only about 13,000 feet.
Being alone, and unconnected with any great mountain chains of
the State, it seems to be the culminating crest or starting point of
an independent range.
Covered with snow at all seasons ot the year — the only one in
the State that can be so considered — it is one of those glorious and
204 SCENES IN CALIFOKNIA.
awe-inspiring scenes which greet the traveller's eye, and fill his
mind with wondering admiration, as he journejs among the bold
and beautiful mountains of our own California. One almost
washes to kneel in worship as he gazes at the magnificent, snow-
covered head and pine-girded base of this " monarch of moun-
tains ;" and even as you ascend the valley of the Sacramento,
Mount Shasta appears to you like a huge mountain of snow just
beyond the purple hills of the horizon ; and is a constant land:
mark upon which to look, and which one unconsciously feels him-
self constrained to notice, as something even more remarkable
and inviting than the green and flower-covered valley beside him.
ASCENT OF MOUNT SHASTA ALONE.
As we are favored with the following graphic sketch of an ascent
— alone — by Israel S. Diehl, we shall allow him, without comment,
to relate his interesting narrative :
" The morning of the ninth of October, 1855, opened beautiful
and bright ; the earth had been cooled by refreshing showers
which had copiously fallen during the night, as I took up my line
of march from Yreka to Mount Shasta, to make its ascent, if pos-
sible. Notwithstanding the extensive arrangements by way of
talk &nd promises, that were made by the company contemplating
the same visit (alas! for California pleasure parties), when the
eventful day came, I was reluctantly compelled to start on my
journey alone, dependent upon circumstances for the social pleas-
ures that add so much to such a romantic trip. No equipped
and noted travellers, officers, literati, or blooming lively belles,
whose merry, joyful laugh and bright countenances could add so
much of interest, were my attendants ; and thus ' solitary and
alone,' and somewhat fearful because of the stupendous and un-
known undertaking, by any single traveller, I slowly, yet deter-
minedly, set out upon my journey.
" From the western side of Shasta Valley, Mount Shasta was in
full view before me, in all its beauty and glory, as it reared its
majestic head some seventeen thousand feet into the heavens,
while its sides were covered with the deep-driven snow of ages,
MOUNT SHASTA. 205
adding so much antiquity to the inspiring awe, as if to say, ' I am
the mighty monarch and sentinel of this western coast,' and
almost steadily did my unweary, wondering eyes gaze admiringly
upon the scene before me — hundreds of peaked little hillocks
dotted the Shasta Valley for twenty-five miles around, like so
many attendants (evidently all lesser volcanic formations), while
the Shasta Eiver, and other smaller streams, clear as crystal, and
icy cold, sprang from its side.
" For a day and a half did I ride steadily on and around it, to
make its ascent ; all the time with the mountain in full view, and
apparently but a little way off, deceiving even the best eye on cal-
culation.
" For two nights, ere my ascent, did I watch the setting sun,
with its purple rays lingering and playing for twenty or thirty
minutes around its brow, when, to all other mountains, the sun
had set. That scene was beautiful beyond description.
" By the noon of the second day, I had rounded the Mount to
its south side, and fed my weary horse arid self at the beautiful
Strawberry Valley Ranche, or Gordon's, after which, with indefinite
and unsatisfactory directions, I bade adieu to every hope of seeing
another person ere my fate became decided. Fearful accounts
and warnings were given of grizzlies, California lions, avalanches,
falling rocks and stones, with deep canon crevices, by and in
which I might perish, and have no burial or resurrection until the
' Resurrection Morn ;' but, unwilling to give up, and trusting in
God, with a good horse, and a bag of provisions, I commenced
the ascent.
u For twelve or fifteen miles, I followed a blind snow trail through
bushes of manzanita, and other obstacles, which almost threw me
from my horse ; and would surely have torn my garments had I
not been equipped with a good new suit of buckskin. After an
arduous journey, I reached the upper edge of the belt of trees, and
of the horse trail, but not until the sun had set. Night came on,
rendering it too dark to find water for myself and animal until ten
o'clock at night.
" After much difficulty, a fire was kindled, (as the last matches
206 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
were being used) to keep off the grizzlies and lions, but, unfor-
tunately, from the scarcity of trees and the amount of dead wood
lying around, I set fire to all about me. This drove me out, and
excluded me altogether : so, making a shelter of my saddle and
mochila, and wrapping myself in my saddle-blanket, I crept un-
derneath them, covering my head and feet, saying, " Mr. Grizzly,
you must take saddle and all, or none." Between shivering
with cold, dozing, fearing, and dreaming, I awoke, and awaited
the dawn of day. At last it came — gladly to me — when, after
feeding my horse and bidding him adieu, I commenced the as-
cent.
" On the east side of the west spur, and the south side of the
mountain, there were vast quantities of clink and volcanic stones,
and for four weary hours I never set my foot off broken stone,
but up, up, up, over rocks and stones, till I reached the base of an
almost perpendicular ledge of rocks, the so-called Red Bluffs,
which I found to be indurated clay, colored by the peroxyd of
iron. Through a little ravine I struggled on, on, climbing for one
more painful hour, while large masses of rock, becoming loosened,
went bounding to the awful abyss below.
" After reaching what I thought the desired summit, imagine
my surprise to look over fields of lava, scoria, snow, and fearful
glaciers. I now had to cross ravines or fissures, from fifty to
one hundred feet deep, and from one hundred to three hundred
feet wide, and worn through a solid mass of conglomerates, and
sometimes half filled with snow and ice, the ice lying in perfect
ridges, resembling the waves on the ocean, and were both sharp and
dangerous to cross. I slipped and fell several times, once coming
near being dashed thousands of feet below. After ascending for
another hour, among this strangely mingled mass, hoping again
to have reached the long desired summit, I was both disappointed
and pleased to see the table-land of snow from one-fourth to one-
half mile in diameter, where it lay from one hundred to probably
one thousand and more feet deep, as I could look down into fis-
sures where it had sagged apart, for a fearful depth, and from this
field, a few hundred feet from the summit, the Sacramento River
MOUNT SHASTA. 207
takes its rise ; running through the deep gorges, sometimes on top,
then hidden, then appearing at the summit of hills, then concealed
for miles, it breaks forth in magnificent springs and miniature
rivers, with sulphur and soda springs intermixed.
" After crossing the field of ice with great difficulty, on account
of the sun melting the snow from the east and south, while the
wind and cold froze it from the west and north, thus rendering it
dangerous, I reached another perfect mountain of loose and coarse
lava, ashes, and other volcanic matter, through which I waded,
although a foot in depth, for some distance ; and as I ascended, I
caught a full and first view of the actual summit, which I imagine
is not seen from below, as it is a perfectly bare crag or comb of
rocks, while the sides and top around are so covered as to hide the
real summit. Across another field of snow, and I was evidently
upon the original and main crater, a concavity covering several
acres, almost hemmed in by a considerable rim of rocks, and here I
came upon the long sought hot and sulphur springs ; and here,
free from wind and snow, finding it warm and comfortable after
being nearly benumbed with cold, I warmed, and took a hasty
meal ; and in my haste to warm my fingers, nearly lost them by
awfully scalding them.
" I spent nearly an hour here, contemplating and watching this
wonderful view. A hundred little boiling springs were gurgling
and bubbling up through a bed of sulphur, and emitting steam
enough to drive a small factory (if well applied), while all around
lay the everlasting snow.
" After resting, I made the final summit, a few hundred feet
above, composed of a perfect edge or comb of rocks, running
nearly north and south, and from this summit, perhaps the
highest, variously estimated at from sixteen thousand five hun-
dred, to seventeen thousand five hundred feet, and decidedly the
most magnificent of our Union, if not of the continent, I could
look around and see ' all the kingdoms of this lower world,' [Did
you tempt any one, Mr. Diehl ?]
" Looking to the westward, far beyond the Scott, Trinity, Siski-
you, and Coast Range of mountains, I imagined I saw the proud
208 SCENES IN CALIFOKNIA.
Pacific. Northward, looking far over into Oregon, one could see
her peaks, her vallies, and lakes, to the Dalles, and what I took to
be Mount Hood. East, far over the Sierras into Utah, and the
deserts, while beautiful lakes lay like bright meadows, far in the
distance. South, I could trace the Sacramento and Pitt Rivers,
far below Shasta, where they were lost in the smoke and haze, but
on the south-west I could clearly see Mount Linn, Mount St. John,
and Ripley, and above the haze, could distinctly see the Marys-
ville Buttes, if not the top of Mount Diablo (as I have clearly seen
Mount Shasta from the summit of Mount Diablo). South-east, I
could trail the Sierras by the Lassen, Spanish, Pilot, Seventy-six,
Downieville, and other peaks, to the range below Lake Bigler, or
to Carson Yalley.
" I contemplated the unsurpassed scenery presented to my eye,
for hours. The day was clear and beautiful, after our first October
rains, while the scenery was delightful beyond description. And
upon that peak I planted the temperance banner, side by side
with the American flag (placed there in 1852, by Captain Prince),
deposited some California papers and documents in the rocks, for
safe keeping, as the papers carried up in 1852 were unharmed,
and fresh as ever. Then, with a great reluctance, notwithstanding
the wind, cold, loneliness, and coming night, I was compelled to
beat a descent.
" The sun was fast declining. My watch told three p. M., when
I collected my minerals, sulphurs, and all objects of interest, for a
future and fuller description, and bidding adieu to the magnificent
sights, with a promise of a return some day, I commenced the
descent, and in three hours' running, jumping, tumbling, sliding
on the snow, from one-fourth to one-half a mile at a time, in a few
moments — having a glorious time, easier by far, and fuller of enjoy-
ment than the ascent — I found my horse, mounted, and hastened
away ; and after a concatenation of circumstances, lost and bewil-
dered, at twelve at night, dismounted, unsaddled and loosed my
horse ; weary and exhausted, nature gave way, sleep conquered,
and until dawn of day, I knew no trouble save the piercing cold,
and woke to find my trusty horse missing, giving me a half day's
MOUNT SHASTA. 209
hunt to recapture him, when, by perils by river, land, and Indians,
I followed the Sacramento down one hundred miles to1 Shasta, to
spend the Sabbath, after six days' labor — much better and hap-
pier for my ascent of Mount Shasta."
14
210
SCENES IN CALIFOKNIA.
THE SOUTH FARALLONE ISLAND, FROM THE BIG ROOKERY, LOOKING EAST.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE FARALLONE ISLANDS.
THIS is the name of a small group of rocky islands, lying in the
Pacific Ocean, about twenty-seven miles west of the Golden Gate,
and thirty-five miles from San Francisco. These islands have
become of some importance, and of considerable interest, on
account of the vast quantity of eggs that are there annually
gathered, for the California market ; these eggs having become
THE FARALLONE ISLANDS.
an almost indispensable article of spring and summer consumption,
to many persons.
By the courtesy of the Farallone Egg Company, through their
President, Captain Richardson, the schooner Louise, Captain
Harlow, was placed at our service, for the purpose of visiting
them ; and, in company with a small party of friends, we were
soon upon the deep green brine, ploughing our way to the " Isles
of the Ocean."
Bright and beautiful slept the morning, as a light breeze,
blowing gently from the mountains, filled our sails, and sped us on
our way through
THE GOLDEN GATE.
There are probably but few persons, comparatively, who have
ever passed through this entrance to the fine Bay of San Francisco,
that are familiar with the origin and meaning of the name, the
popular idea being that its name was suggested by the staple
mineral of the country — gold. This is incorrect, as it was called
"The Golden Gate" before the precious metal wTas discovered;
and the first time that it was used, most probably, was in a work
entitled " A Geographical Eeview of California," with a relative
map, published in New York, in the month of February, 1848, by
Colonel J. C. Fremont ; and as gold was discovered on the 19th
of January preceding, in those days it would have been next to
impossible for the news to have reached the office of publication
of that work, in time for the name to be given, from such a cause.
The real origin of the name was from the excessively fertile
lands of the interior — especially of those adjacent to the Bay of
San Francisco. There may have been some " Spiritual Telegrams"
sent from California (!) to the parent of the name, telling him of
the glorious dawn of a Golden Day that had broke upon the world
at Slitter's Mill, Coloma, and that such a name would be the
magic charm to millions of men and women in every quarter of
the world, in the Golden Age about to be inaugurated. We do
not say that it was so. We do not wish the reader to beliere it,
as our opinion, that it was thus originated ; but in this age of
212
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
spiritual darkness — we allude to the limited knowledge of mental
phenomena — we start the supposition, in hope that it may stir up
the spirit of inquiry. This one thing is certain, that from
whatever source the name "Golden Gate" may have originated,
it was most happily suggestive in its character. Having dwelt at
some length upon the name, we will now more briefly describe
the spot.
That it is the gateway or entrance to the magnificent harbor of
San Francisco, every one is well aware. The centre of this
entrance is in longitude 122° 30' "W. from Greenwich. On the
south of the entrance, is Point Lobos (Wolves' Point), on the top
of which is a telegraph station, from whence the tidings of the
arrival of steamers and sailing vessels are sent to the city. On
the north side, is Point Bonita (Beautiful Point), readily recognized
by a strip of land running out toward the bar, on the top of
which is a light-house, tlrat is seen far out to sea, on a clear day,
CLIPPER SHIP CROSSING Tim BAR OUTSIDE THE ENTRANCE OF TII5 BAY OF SAN FRANCISCO.
THE FAKALLONE ISLANDS. 213
but seldom before that on the Farallone Islands, some twenty-seven
miles west of Point Bonita.
In front of the entrance is a low, circular sand-bar, almost seven
miles in length, but on which is sufficient water, even at low tide,
to admit of the largest class of ships crossing it in safety — except,
possibly, when the wind is blowing from the north-west, west, or
south-east ; at such a time, it is scarcely safe for a very large
vessel to cross it at low tide.
From Point Bonita to Point Lobos, the distance is about three
and a half miles ; and between Fort Point and Lime Point (just
opposite each other), the narrowest part of the channel, and " The
Golden Gate" proper, it is one thousand .seven hundred, and
seventy-seven yards. Here the tide ebbs and flows at the rate1 of
about six knots an hour.
CROSSING THE BAR.
To the dwellers of. a seaport city, there is music in the ever
restless waves, as they murmur and break upon the shore ; but to
sail upon the broad, heaving bosom of the ocean, gives an impres-
sion of profoundness and majesty, that, by contrast, becomes a
source of peaceful pleasure ; as change becomes rest to the weary.
There is a vastness. around, above, beneath you, as wrave after
wave, and swell after swell, lifts your tiny vessel upon its seething
surface, as though it were a feather — a floating atom upon the
broad expanse of waters. Then, to look into its shadowy depth,
and feel the sublime language of the Psalmist : " O Lord, how
manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all : the
earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein
are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
These wait all upon Thee : that Thou mayest give them their meat
in due season. Thou openest thy hand, they are filled with good.
Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled." " They that go down
to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters : these see the
works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. He commandeth,
and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still."
214
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
" Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, for his
wonderful works to the children of men ! "
Object after object became distant and less, as we left them far,
far behind us.
" Yonder blows a whale ! " cries one.
"Where?"
"Just off our larboard bow."
"Oh! I see it— but"—
" But ! what's the matter ? "
" Oh ! I feel so sea-sick."
"Well, never mind that; look up, and don't think about it."
" Oh— I can't— I must"—
Header, were you ever sea-sick ? If your experience enables
you to answer in the affirmative, you will sympathize somewhat
with the poor subject of it. Yonder may be this beauty, and that
/ / / ; : i i
ENCHANTED WITH THE DELIGHTFUL PROSPECT OFF THE BAR,
wonder, but a " dorSt-c&YQishness " comes over you, and if all the
remarkable scenes in creation were just before you, "I don't care"
THE FAKALLONE ISLANDS.
215
is written upon the face, as you beseechingly seem to say: "Pray
don't trouble me — my hands are full" Whales, sea-gulls, por-
poises, and even the white, foamy sprayj that is curling over
Duxbury Reef, are alike unheeded.
" How are you now ?" kindly asks our good-natured captain,
of the one and the other.
" Ah ! thank you ; I am better."
" Here, take a cup of nice hot coffee."
"No; I thank you."
The mere mention of any thing to eat or drink is only the signal
for a renewal of the sickness.
" Thank goodness ! I feel better," says one, after a long spell
of sickness and quiet.
" So do I," says another ; and, just as the " Farallones" are in
sight, fortunately, all are better.
SOUTH-EAST VIEW OF THE FARALLONE ISLANDS.
Now the air is literally filled with birds — birds floating above us,
and birds all around us, like bees that are swarming, we thought
216 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
the whole group of islands must have been deserted, and that
they had poured down in myriads, on purpose to intercept our
landing, or "bluff us off;" but, as the dark, weather-beaten fur-
rows, and the wave-washed chasms, and the wind-swept masses
of rock, rose more defined and distinct before us as we approached,
we concluded that they must have abandoned the undertaking —
for upon every peak sat a bird, and in every hollow a thousand ;
but, looking around us again, the number, apparently, had in-
creased rather than diminished, and the more there seemed to be
upon the islands the greater the increase round about us — so that
we concluded our fears to be entirely unfounded.
The anchor is dropped in a mass of floating foam, 011 the south-
east and sheltered side of the islands, and in a small boat we reach
the shore, thankful, after this short voyage, to feel our feet stand-
ing firmly on terra firma.
ARRIVAL AT THE FARALLONE ISLANDS.
Looking at the wonders on every side, we were astonished that
we had heard so little about them, and that a group of islands
like these should lie within a few hours' sail of San Francisco, yet
not be the resort of nearly every seeker of pleasure, and every
lover of the wonderful.
It is like one vast menagerie. Upon the rocks adjacent to the
sea repose in easy indifference, thousands — yes, thousands — of sea
lions (one species of the seal), that weigh from two to five thousand
pounds each. As these made the loudest noise, and to us were
the most curious, we paid them the first visit. When we were
within a few yards of them the majority took to the water, while
two or three of the oldest and largest remained upon the rock,
" standing guard" over the young calves, that were either at play
with each other, or asleep at their side. As we advanced, these
masses of "blubber" moved slowly and clumsily toward us, with
their mouths open, and showing two large tusks that were stand-
ing out from their lower jaw, by which they gave us to under-
stand that we had better not disturb the repose of the juvenile
" lions," nor approach too near, or we might receive more harm
THE FAKALLONE ISLANDS.
217
than we expected or wished. But the moment we threw at them
a stone, they would scamper off, and leave the young lions to the
mercy of their enemies. We advanced and took hold of one, to
try if the sight of their young being taken away would tempt them
to come to the rescue ; but, although they roared and kept swim-
ming close to the rock, they evidently thought their own safety of
the most importance. One old warrior, whose head and front
bore scars of many a hard-fought battle — for they fight fearfully
among themselves — could not be driven from the field, and neither
rocks nor shouting moved him in the least, except to meet the
enemy, as he doubtless considered us.
All of these animals are very jealous of their particular rock,
where, in the sun, they take their siesta, and although we remained
upon some of these spots for a considerable length of time, while
their usual tenants were swimming in. the sea, and perhaps had
218
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
become somewhat uneasy, they were not allowed to land on the
.territory of another.
SEA LIONS AND THEIR YOUXG.
They keep Tip an incessant short, moaning cry, that sounds like
yoi hoey, yoi hoey, in about the same key as the bray of a mule.
Most of these young seals are of a dark mouse color, but the old
ones are of a light and brightish brown about the head, and grad-
ually become darker toward the extremities, which are about the
same color as the young calves. Most of the male and young fe-
male seals leave these islands during the months of October or
THE FAKALLONE ISLANDS. 219
November — and generally all go at once — returning in April or
May the following spring, while the older females remain here
nearly alone throughout the winter — a rather ungallant proceed-
ing on the part of the males.
THE HAIR SEAL.
There are several different kinds of seal that pay a short visit
here at different seasons of the year, one of the most beautiful of
which is the hair seal of the Pacific (Phoco jitbata).
THE HAIR SEAL OF THE PACIFIC. "
This seal, with which the coast of California abounds, is by no
means rare, as almost all the coasts in high southern and northern
latitudes abound with it. uTo the Laplander, it is meat, drink,
clothing, etc. To the Indians of Behring's Straits and Kamschatka
it is most valuable ; in fact, they could hardly exist without it.
Far away in those inhospitable regions, where winter reigns three-
fourths of the year, no timber can be obtained sufficiently large
to build a canoe ; but with a few seal-skins and a little whale-
bone, the Indian will construct one of the most perfect life-boats
in the world. In this he will fearlessly venture miles from land
to catch fish and seals, aye, and even the whale. These canoes
are difficult to manage to those who are unacquainted with them.
It requires no small degree of practice, even to the Kamschatkan,
in a rough sea, to keep such a boat alive. He is not allowed to
marry unless he have the ability of so making and guiding
them. Indeed, his canoe is all to him — his house, his clothes, his
220 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
furniture, his food — -for without it,his shores, prolific in fish, would
be useless.
"Its countenance bears the impress of great sagacity; its full,
round, beautiful eye indicates even an intelligence rarely to be
found in any other inhabitant of the waters. This was remarked
by the ancient historian, Pliny. He gives an amusing account of
one that was easily taught to perform certain tricks. It would
sjalute visitors freely, and would answer to its name when called.
F. Cuvier narrates of one that he saw that was made to stand
erect on its tail, and hold a staff between its flippers' like a senti-
nel on duty. It would tumble heels over head when desired, give
a flipper to be shaken, and present its lips for its keeper's kiss.
"Captain Russell, the assiduous traveller and explorer of the sea-
board resources of California, informed us that it is most amusing
sometimes to see their contests with the Coast Indians. These
fellows skulk behind .the rocks adjacent to some gently-sloping
sand-banks, and when the shoal has become dry by the receding
tide, they front the body and interpose their return to the water,
each selecting as his prey the biggest and most powerful. Catch-
ing hold of the tail-flipper, the animal scuffles along the sand,
dragging along after him the Indian, who, with a tight grip, fol-
lows, until, by ploughing a deep furrow with his feet, leaning
back, and with all his strength resisting the powerful progress of
the animal, until both come to a dead stand ; the animal's side-
flippers are then tied by another party, and the poor beast thus
easily becomes his prey. He often, he says, remonstrated in vain
against their barbarous cruelty of preparing them for food, or for
blubber. A huge fire is made in a large flat hole in the ground,
and the poor beasts are hurled in and roasted alive. " We have
no other way," said they, "of singeing or scorching off the hair.
If they were put in dead, we should have to get in the fire ourselves
to turn them, but being alive, they spare us the trouble, and turn
themselves, when one side is singed sufficiently."
" The whole tribe possesses remarkable peculiarities of respiration
and circulation of blood. The interval between their respirations
is very long. A full-grown animal can remain under water, with-
THE FARALLONE ISLANDS. 221
out requiring a fresh inspiration, for upwards of half an hour. The y
can open and close at pleasure, for these purposes, their valvular nos-
trils in a surprising degree, eating their food all the time underwater
with perfect enjoyment. Their breathing is remarkably slow, and
very irregular. After opening the nostrils and making a long ex-
piration, the creature inhales air by a long inspiration, and just
before diving, closes its nostrils as tight as any mechanical valve.
In confinement, they have been observed to remain asleep, with
the head under water, for an hour at each time, without any fresh
inhalation of air. Naturalists account for this power by the ani-
mal's possessing a great venous canal in its liver, which assists it
in diving, so that their respiration is somewhat independent of the
circulation of the blood.
"One of these animals was exhibited in Adams' Museum, San
Francisco, and was in excellent condition, exceedingly tame, and
very submissive to its "keeper. It seemed to enjoy the music,
appearing to listen to it with some pleasure. ' This is not to be
wondered at, as the hearing of this class of animals is very acute ;
and well attested instances are by no means rare, of many, even
in a wild state, being attracted by the sound of a flute, or a horn;
rising up to the surface to enjoy it the more, and sinking imme-
diately the sounds are discontinued. The brain in the seal is very
large, and its whiskers are connected with nerves of immense
size, serving almost every purpose of sensation."
The Russians formerly visited these islands, for the purpose of
obtaining oil and skins, and several places can be yet seen where
the skins were stretched and dried.
BIRDS ON THE FARALLONES.
The birds which are by far the most numerous, and, on. account
of their eggs, the most important, are the Murre, or Foolish Guil-
lemot^ which are found here in myriads, surmounting every rocky
peak, and occupying every small and partially level spot upon the
islands. Here it lays its egg, upon the bare rock, and never leaves
it, unless driven off, until it is hatched ; the male taking its turn,
at incubation, with the female — although the latter is most assid-
222
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
THE MURRE, OR FOOLISH GUILLEMOT.
uous. One reason why this may be the case, perhaps, is from the
fact that the gull is watching every opportunity to steal its egg
and eat it. The " eggers" say that when they are on their way to
any part of the island, the gulls call to each other, and hover
around until the murre is disturbed by them, and before they can
pick up the egg, the gull sweeps down upon it, and carries it off.
When the young are old enough to emigrate, the murres take
them away in the night, lest the gulls should eat them ; and as
soon as the young reach the water, they swim at once. Some
idea may be formed of the number of these birds, by the Faral-
lone Egg Company having, since 1850, brought to the San Fran-
cisco market between three and four millions of eggs.
On this coast these birds are numerous, in certain localities, from
Panama to the Russian possessions. On the Atlantic, they are
found from Boston to the coast of Labrador ; differing but very
little in color, shape, or size.
THE FAKALLONE ISLANDS.
223
THE MUERE'S EGG — FULL SIZE.
It is a clumsy bird, almost helpless on land, but is at home on
the sea, and is an excellent swimmer and diver, and is very strong
in the wings. Their eggs are unaccountably large, for the size of
the bird, and " afford excellent food, being highly nutritive and
palatable — whether boiled, roasted, poached, or in omelets." "No
two eggs are in color alike.
THE TUFTED PUFFIN.
224 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
The bird of most varied and beautiful plumage, on the islands,
is the Mormon Cirrhatus, or Tufted Puffin • and, although they
are rather numerous on this coast, they are very scarce elsewhere.
In addition to the murre, puffin, and gull, already mentioned,
there are pigeons, hawks, shag, coots, etc., which visit here
during the summer, but, with the exception of the gull and
shag, do not remain through the winter.
The horned-billed guillemot has been seen and caught here,
but it is exceedingly rare.
Now, with the reader's permission, we will leave the birds and
animals — at least if we can — and take a walk up to the lighthouse,
at the top of the island, three hundred and fifty-seven feet above
the sea. A good pathway has been made, so that we can ascend
with ease. If you find that we have not left the birds, nor the
birds left us, but that, at every step we take, we disturb some, and
pass others, and that thousands are flying all around us, never
mind — when we reach the top we shall forget them, at least for a
few moments, to strain our eyes in looking toward the horizon,
and seeking to catch a glimpse of some distant object. Yonder,
some eight miles distant, are the " North Earallones," a very
small group of rocks, and not exceeding three acres in extent —
but, like this, they are covered with birds.
Now let us enter the lighthouse, and, under the guidance of
Mr. Wines, the superintendent, we shall find our time well spent
in looking at the best lighthouse on the Pacific coast. Every thing
is bright and clean, its machinery in beautiful order, and working
as regular in its movements as a chronometer.
The wind blows fresh outside, and secretly you hope the light-
house will not blow over before you get out. Here, too, you can
see the shape of the island upon which you stand, mapped out
upon the sea below.
Let us descend, wend our way to the " West End," and pass
through the living masses of birds, that stand, like regiments of
white-breasted miniature soldiers, on every hand — and it might
be well to take the precautionary measure of closing our ears to
the perpetual roaring, and loud moaning of the sea lions, for their
THE FARALLONE ISLANDS.
225
noise is almost deafening. A caravan of wild beasts is nothing,
in noise, to these.
Let us be careful, too, in every step that we take, or we shall
place our foot upon a nest of young gulls, or break eggs by. the
dozen, for they are everywhere around us. "We scon reach the
side of the " Jordan," as a small inlet is called, and across which
we can step at low tide, but which is thirty feet wide at high
water. To cross it, however, a rope and pulley is your mode of
conveyance ; so hold tight by your hands, and you'll soon get
across. Safely over, let us make our way for a glimpse of the
West End View, looking East.
VIEW FROM WEST END, LOOKING EAST.
This is a wild and beautiful scene. The sharp-pointed rocks
are standing boldly out against the sky, and covered with birds
and sea lions. A heavy surf is rolling in, with thundering
hoarseness, and as the wild waters break upon the shore, they
resemble the lowr, booming sound of distant thunder ; while the
white spray curls over, and falls with a hissing splash upon the
rocks, and then returns a^ain to its native brine ; while, swimming
15
226 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
in the boiling sea, amid the foam and rocks, just peering above
the water, are the heads of scores of sea lions. Let iis watch them
for a moment. Here comes one noble looking old fellow, who
rises from the water, and works his way, slowly and clumsily,
toward the young which lie high and dry, sleeping in the sun, or
are engaged lazily scratching themselves with their hind claws ;
and, although we are very near them, they lie quite unconcerned,
and innocent of danger. !Nbt so the old gentleman, who has just
taken his position before us, as sentry. Experience has doubtless
taught him that such looking animals as we are behave no better
than we should do, and he knows it !
There are water-washed caves, and deep fissures between the
rocks, just at our right ; and in the distance is a large arch, not
less than sixty feet in height, its top and sides completely covered
with birds. Through the arch, you can see a ship, which is just
passing.
!N"ow let us go to the " Big Rookery," lying 011 the north- west
side of the island.
This locality derives its name from the island here forming a
hollow, well protected from the winds ; and being less abrupt than
other places, is on that account a favorite resort of myriads of sea
fowl, who make this their place of abode, and where vast numbers
of young are raised. If -you walk among them, thousands im-
mediately rise, and for a few moments darken the air, as though
a heavy cloud had just crossed • and obscured the sunlight upon
your path. But few persons who have not seen them can realize
the vast numbers that make this their home, and which are here,
there, and everywhere, flying, sitting, and even swimming, upon
the boiling and white-topped surge among the seals.
Here, as elsewhere, there are thousands of seals, some are suck-
ling their calves, some are lazily sleeping in the sun, others are
fishing, some are quarrelling, others are disputing possession, and
yonder, just before tis, two large and fierce old fellows are engaged
in direful combat with each other — now the long tusks of the one
are moving upward to try to make an entrance beneath the jaw
of the other — now they are below — now there is a scattering
THE FARALLONE ISLANDS.
227
among the swimming group that have merely been looking on to
see the sport, for the largest has just come up among them, and
they are afraid of him. Now appears his antagonist, his eyes
rolling with maddened frenzy, they again meet — now under, now
over — fierce wages the war, hard goes the battle, but at last the
owner of the head, already covered with scales, has conquered,
and his discomfitted enemy makes his way to the nearest rock, and
there lies panting and bleeding ; but he may not rest here, for the
owner of that claim is at home and has possession, and without
any sympathy for his suffering and unfortunate brother, he orders
him off, although "only a squatter," and he again takes to the sea
in search of other quarters.
From this point we get an excellent view of the lighthouse, and
the residence of the keepers. Everywhere there is beauty, wild-
ness, sublimity. Let us not linger too long here, although weeks
could be profitably spent in looking at the wonders around us, but
let us take a hasty glance at the View from the North Landing.
VIEW FROM THE NORTH LANDING, LOOKING NORTH.
228 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
Here there is a fine estuary, where, with a little improvement,
small schooners can enter at any season of the year, and where
the oil and other supplies are landed for the lighthouse. Like the
other views, it is singular and wild — each eminence covered with
birds, each sea-washed rock occupied by seals, and the air almost
darkened by the sea gulls skimming backward and forward, like
swallows, and by the rapid and apparently difficult flight of the
murres.
From this point we can get an excellent view of the North
FaralloneS) that, in the dim and shadowy distance, are looming
up their dull peaks just above the restless and swelling waves.
From the sugar-loaf shaped peak, and the singularly high arch,
and bold, rugged outlines of the other rocks, this view has become
a favorite one with the " eggers."
Upon these islands, of three hundred and fifty acres, there is not
a single tree or shrub to relieve the eye by contrast, or give
change to the barrenness of the landscape. A few weeds and
sprigs of wild mustard are the only signs of vegetable life to be
seen upon them. To those who reside here it must be monotonous
and dull ; but to those who visit it, there is a variety of wild won-
ders that amply repays them for their trouble.
Some Italian fishermen having supplied our cook with excellent
fish, let us hasten aboard and make sail for home.
Before saying " good-bye" to our kind entertainers, and again
leaving them to the solitary loneliness of a " life near the sea," we
will congratulate them upon their useful employment, and ask
them to remember the comforting joy they must give to the tem-
pest-tossed mariner, who sees, in the " light afar," the welcome
sentinel, ever standing near the gate of entrance to the long
wished and hoped-for port, w^here, for a time, in enjoyment and
rest, he can recover from the hardships and forget the perils of
the sea.
On our left, and but a few yards from shore, is an isle called
Seal Rock, where the sea lions have possession, and are
waving their lubberly bodies to and fro upon its very summit, and
from whence the echoes of their low howling moans are heard
THE FAKALLONE ISLANDS. 229
across the sea, long after distance lias hidden them from our
sight.
After a pleasant run of five hours, without any sea-sickness, we
are again walking the streets of San Francisco, abundantly satis-
fied that our trip was exceedingly pleasant and instructive.
SOUTH VIEW OF FORT POINT AND THE GOLDEN GATE.
From a Photograph by Hamilton & Co.
CHAPTEE IX.
IN AND AROUND SAN FRANCISCO.
SAN FRANCISCO,* approached from the sea or from the northern
portion of the bay, does not present an attractive appearance to
the stranger. At night, to be sure, when the broken heights are
dotted with sparkling lights, and the mysterious and vague en-
chantment of mingled darkness and light is cast over the picture,
* For most of this chapter we are indebted to the kindness of Noah Brooks, Esq.,
of San Francisco.
IN AND AROUND SAN FRANCISCO. 231
there is something to charm the eager tourist in the vagueness
and indistinctness of the glimpse, which lie has of the far-famed
city. But hy day, when the pitiless sun pours its broad rays upon
the rough, sandy promontory on which San Francisco lies rudely
scattered, the picture is unpleasing and almost invariably disap-
pointing. The hills are sandy and dry, and are dotted or covered
with houses, not always neat, and seldom elegant. That part of
the city which is first seen as one approaches it from the Golden
Gate, or from the north, is ragged with straggling wooden struc-
tures, destitute of foliage and forbidding in the extreme. It is
not until one reaches the city front and gains some near views of
the more tasteful architecture of the business part of the city,
that the impression of newness and ragnedness is removed. Dur-
ing the dry season the hills which surround the bay are brown
and tawny, the sky is staring in its utter blue cloudlessness, and
the general aspect of the scene is uninviting.
Closer acquaintance with the city, with its pleasant homes, its
lovely gardens, and its really elegant private residences removes
much of this unfavorable first impression, but the main facts of
its roughly repelling appearance remain. As above intimated,
there are many attractive homes in San Francisco, and the mild-
ness of the climate is attested by the perennial flowering of many
delicate shrubs and plants, almost unknown in the eastern States.
Geraniums, fuschias, heliotropes, verbenas, passion-flowers, jessa-
mines, roses, and a wealth of flowers which bloom only with re-
luctance and during a short interval in most of the older States,
are here found in constant perfection, and the city conceals
among the sandy hills, which the traveller by sea views disgust-
fully from the sea, many gardens which are emphatically " gar-
dens of delight," — these make San Francisco attractive.
THE CLIFF HOUSE AND SEAL ROCKS.
On the seaward side of the promontory of San Francisco, at the
base of a bold cliff, are the famous Seal Rocks; as this locality is
one of the very first to which the favored stranger is taken by
his hospitable friends, one may be pardoned for placing it at
232 SCENES IX CALIFOEXIA.
the head of the brief list of sights to be seen in and around San
Francisco. There are several roads leading to the sea beach, and
the Rocks, but the most frequented is the turnpike which forms
an extension of Geary Street, passing out between Lone Mountain,
and Laurel Hill Cemetery. On the right is the cemetery where
rest the ashes of most of the dead of San Francisco, their monu-
ments gleaming white in the sun. Conspicuous among these is
the tall obelisk which marks the grave of Broderick ; of Thomas
Starr King; the monumental work erected at the burial-place of
Baker — General, Senator, and Orator — is near this point : besides
those of many others whose life and labors were a blessing to the
State. On the left of the road rises the conical peak of Lone
Mountain, surmounted by a cross, which is seen far out at sea ;
and scattered near the base are several cemeteries in charge of
benevolent associations, and Calvary Cemetery, the largest of all,
stretches well up its slope. The road is firm, hard, and smooth as
a floor, with gen le undulations whose successive rises enable the
tourist and pleasure-seeker to catch occasional glimpses of the
bay and of the Golden Gate. Half-way out from Lone Moun-
tain is a fine view of this opening toward the sea, with the bold
precipitous cliffs which line the northward side of the Gate, just
veiled enough by the dimness of the distance to cover the bare-
ness of their seamed faces ; and beyond these rise the rounded
outlines of the hills which lead to Tamal Pais, whose sharp peak,
bristling with pines is sharply projected against the sky beyond.
The road is filled with vehicles of every description, on every
pleasant day, especially on Saturdays, when the half-holiday
which most business men take is well improved. The invigora-
ting air, the excitement of the drive, and the mere absence from
the dusty city, all serve to make this brisk trot along the well-
kept road, a pleasure worth enjoying and remembering. Here
are conveyances of every description, from the showy equipage
of some prosperous citizen, to the humble light-wagon of less pre-
tentious people, who, with children and family, are out for a sniff
of pure air, a look at the sea-lions and a sight at the stream of
people who come and go ; for a drive to " the cliff" is one of the
IX AND AKOUND SAN FRANCISCO. 233
institutions of San Francisco, which all must see, whether he go
in carriage, hack, omnibus, wagon, or afoot.
On rising the last of the slight hills over which the turnpike
is laid, one has a fine view of the broad Pacific, stretching in an un-
broken line along the horizon, and washing the beach which skirts
this side of the promontory. At the right is the outer side of the
Golden Gate, its broad waves ever open to the ingress or egress
of the snowy sails which dot the shining blue expanse, while be-
yond and stretching northward into the dim vagueness of cloud-
land are the dim outlines of the Bolinas Mesa at the base of Dux-
bury Reef and Point Reyes. To the left and southward lies the
long sandy beach on which the surf ever breaks mournfully or
thunders threateningly ; and beyond this the bold rocky shore is
pushed far seaward in blue and purple peaks which melt in the
distance; the vast ocean, sparkling like sapphires in the sun, or
gray under passing clouds, lies all along the horizon, and at one
point iu its wavy line we mark the dot-like peaks of the Faral-
lone Islands.
The road descends to the brink of an abrupt cliff overhanging
the sea, and commanding a view of three or four groups of rocky
islets, which rise sharply from the turbulent waves. These are
the famous " seal rocks," and their sole tenants are the seals or
sea-lions, which bask in the sunshine on their ledges, and the sea-
birds which light in flocks upon the peaks. The seals are per-
petually climbing up the rocks, their sleek coats streaming with
water, or plunging into the wave again, sporting in the liquid tide
as if keenly enjoying their mere existence. Here and there on
the higher pinnacles of the rocks are a few solitary ambitious ani-
mals, who, having climbed far above their companions, are soundly
sleeping in the sun, enjoying a long and profound nap. But for
the most part, seals tumble in and out of water, over and over
each other, or crawl awkwardly on the lower rocks, continually
keeping up their peculiar grunt or bark, the noise of which is
occasionally drowned by the thunder of the waves as they break
against the cliff. With a good field-glass, one can watch every
motion of the uncouth and ungainly beasts, and it is a source of
234
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
endless am-usement for thosq who are curious in the study of their
habits to note their peculiar motions and changes from place to
place. By a State law they are protected from slaughter, and so
they increase, multiply, and possess their place of abode with as
much freedom from fear of man as though they were leagues away
from any inhabited country.
On the summit of the cliff is the Cliff House, kept by Captain
Foster, who provides ample shelter and entertainment for pleasure-"
seekers and their horses and carriages! From the rear of the hotel
on a broad veranda, overhanging the sea, one obtains a grand view
of the panorama and of the rocks which form the principal attrac-
tion of the locality. Here are seats for the weary, protection from
sun and rain, and cozy little rooms for the repasts which may be
needed by those who come to " make a day of it."
THE DRIVE ALONG THE BEACH.
From the hotel a winding carriage-way, blasted out of solid
rock, and guarded by a stone parapet, leads to the beach below.
THE DRIVE ALONG THE BEACa
IN" AND AROUND SAN FEANCISCO.
235
And along this level "beach, for six or seven miles, one has a glo-
rious drive when the tide is at its ebb. The firm, elastic sand
makes an easy road, and the combing waves, the wide expanse of
sea, the distant or nearer sails gliding across the watery floor, the
hazy landscape in the distance, all combine to form the most
agreeable surroundings imaginable.
There is a never-ceasing pleasure to a refined mind in looking
upon, or listening to, the hoarse, murmuring roar of the sea ; an
unexplainable charm in the music of its waves, as, with a seething
sound, they curl and gently break upon a sandy shore, during a
calm, or dash in all their majesty and fury, with thundering
voices, upon the unheeding rocks in a storm. This is sublimity.
Besides, every shell, and pebble, and marine plant, from the
smallest fragment of sea-moss to the largest weed that germinates
within the caverns of the deep, has an architectural perfection and
beauty that ever attracts the wondering admiration of the
thoughtful.
THE OCEAN HOUSE.
This beach extends continuously from Seal Rock to Muscle
Kock, about seven miles. Near the last-named place is a soda
spring, and several veins of bituminous coal, to obtain which,
shafts have been sunk to the depth of one hundred and twenty-
four feet, in which the coal was found to grow better as they de-
scended ; but, like many similar enterprises, when means to work
it failed, it was abandoned. Other minerals are also found in this
chain of hills.
236
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
At the lower end of the beach the road turns into the hills
again, and passing up among the sand dunes, the Ocean House is
reached, another hotel having been passed just before leaving the
sea-side. From this point the road, a well-kept macadamized
turnpike winds over the hills and reaches the city by the way of
the old Mission Dolores.
THE MISSION DOLORES.
This part of San Francisco, still called u The Mission," is newly
built, for the most part, and the few ancient relics of the early
Spanish occupation of the country, look strangely amidst the
garish display and rude vigor of the new suburb of the city.
Here, sheltered from ocean winds by the hills, which also detain
the cold sea-fogs, was the religious settlement of the Spanish
Fathers.
THE OLD MISSIOM CHURCH AND OUT-BUILDINGS.
From a Photograph by Hamilton & Co.
The old-fashioned, tile-covered adobe church and buildings
attached, part of which are still in use by the Mission, and a part
is converted into saloons and a store. This edifice was erected in
1775-6, and was completed and dedicated August 1, 1776, and
was formerly called San Francisco, in honor of the patron saint.
Saint Francis, the name given to the bay by its discoverer, Juni-
pero Serra, in October, 1769.
The visitor will notice a number of old adobe buildings scattered
O
here and there, in different directions; these were erected for the use
IN AND AROUND SAN FRANCISCO. 237
of the Indians, one part being used for boys, and the other for girls,
and in which they resided until they were about seventeen years
of age, when they were allowed to marry, after which other apart-
ments were assigned them, more in accordance with their condition.
As late as 1849 there were two large boilers in the buildings
back of the church ; and as meat was almost the only article of
food, an ox was killed and boiled, wholesale, at which time the
Indians would gather around and eat until they were satisfied.
Of course, most of our readers are aware that Catholics are not
allowed to eat meat on Friday, but, owing to this being the only
article of diet to the Indians and native Californians around the
Mission, they were not required to abstain from it, even on that day.
According to Mr. Forbes, a very careful and accurate writer,
who published a work in 1835, entitled the " History of Lower
and Upper California," the number of black cattle belonging to
this Mission in 1831, was five thousand six hundred and ten;
horses, four hundred and seventy ; mules, forty ; while only two
hundred and thirty-three fanegas (a fanega is about two and a half
bushels) of wheat, seventy of Indian corn, and forty of small
beans, were raised altogether. At that time, however, the Mis-
sions had lost much of their former glory ; for, in 1825, only six
years before, that of Dolores, alone, is said to have had seventy-
six thousand head of cattle, nine hundred and fifty tame horses,
two thousand breeding mares, eighty-four stud of choice breed,
eight hundred and twenty mules, seventy-nine thousand • sheep,
two thousand hogs, and four hundred and fifty-six yoke of work-
ing oxen ; and raised eighteen thousand bushels of wheat and
barley. Besides, in 1802, according to Baron Humboldt, there
were of males, in this Mission, four hundred and thirty-three ; of
females, three hundred and eighty-one ; total, eight hundred and
fourteen. And yet, according to Mr. Forbes, in 1831, there were
but one hundred and twenty-four males, and eighty-five females ;
and now, there are — none. Truly, " the glory has departed."
At that time, the Indians and native Californians, for many
miles around, would congregate *at the Mission Dolores, about
three times a year, bringing with them cattle enough to kill while
238
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
they remained, which was generally about a week, and have a
good holiday time with each other.
Before the discovery of gold, it was the custom here to keep a
tabular record of all the men, women, and children ; members of
the church ; marriages, births, and deaths ; the number of live
stock; and amounts of produce, in all their business details ; but,
since then, every thing has changed for the worse. Even the lands
devoted to, and set apart for, the use of the Mission, have, nearly
all, been squatted upon, so that now but a few hundred varas
remain intact ; and, as to where the stock of all kinds have gone,
" deponent saith not."
GENERAL VIEW OF THE MISSION DOLORES, FROM THE POTRERO.
One feels quite a pleasurable curiosity in examining the old
Spanish manuscript books still extant at this Mission, and looking
upon their sheepskin covered lids and buckskin clasps. Besides
these, there are about six hundred printed volumes, in Spanish,
on religious subjects ; but, being in a foreign language, they are
seldom or never read.
IN AND AROUND SAN FKANCISCO. 239
The priests who taught, supported, and educated these simple-
minded people are all gone, and a feeling of sadness must prevail
in one's mind as lie contemplates the scene, so changed, so utterly
denuded of almost every thing that would serve as a remembrance
of the peaceful and devoted lives of the early missionaries of the
cross.
The great point of attraction here to. visitors from the city, is
its quiet green graveyard, which, but for its being so negligently
tended, and slovenly kept, would be one of the prettiest places
near the city of San Francisco.
It seems as though we could never weary in looking upon these
interesting scenes ; but as we have further to go, and, we trust,
many more to look upon, let us again set out on our jaunt and
visit this spot at our leisure.
From the Mission into the city there lead several routes, but by
taking that by Howard Street, one is brought nearest to one of
the few suburban resorts of San Francisco, —
These may be justly called suburban. Once a dwelling-house,
surrounded by ample pleasure-grounds, this place is now a small
museum in the midst of a beautiful park. In the museum is a
good collection of curiosities; and, scattered throughout the
grounds, are many curious birds and animals. Aviaries, picture-
galleries, conservatories, and zoological inclosures give variety to
the scene, and, in pleasant weather, a most enjoyable day can
be spent here among the trees, or inspecting the curiosities of
the place. San Francisco has no public park as yet, and this
result of the enterprise of a private citizen is the only substitute
for what the city should have.
THE CITY OF SAN FEANCISCO.
Not much can be offered the stranger in the way of objects of
architectural taste and skill in San Francisco. The city is now
(1870) gradually improving, and, although its general appearance
is not noble, there are a few public buildings which exhibit con-
240 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
siderable artistic merit, and are costly enough to present a better
appearance than they do. Art is vet young in San Francisco,
and the only boast of its citizens is that they have done so much
in so short a time. It is a perpetually recurring theme of grat-
ulation that the city has so much to be proud of, and that its
triumphs are so great — for San Francisco.
Among the most prominent public buildings may be mentioned
the following, which are costly and attractive in appearance :
the Grand Hotel, corner of Market and New Montgomery streets ;
the Mercantile Library Building, an elegant structure, opposite
the Cosmopolitan Hotel, on Bush Street ; the California Theatre,
SAN FRANCISCO INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.
with an unpretending exterior, but with an admirably arranged
and handsome interior and stage ; the Bank of California, with
probably the most artistically designed exterior of any building
in the State, on the corner of California and Sansome streets ; the
building of the Young Men's Christian Association, on Sutter
Street, above Kearney; this structure, like the bank building, is of
an easily- worked and agreeably-tinted stone which is quarried
from Angel Island, in the bay of San Francisco. To these might
be added one or two handsome private residences, most of which,
with the best churches, however, are more noticeable for elegantly-
finished and furnished interiors than for any architectural beauty
which would command the eye of the passer-by. There are
IN AND AROUND SAN FRANCISCO. 241
several public institutions to which, a visit would be profitable ;
and though they do not differ much from similar institutions
elsewhere, the Protestant Orphan Asylum, the Industrial School,
and several other such places are evidences of liberality, benefi-
cence, and care for the needy and unfortunate.
VIEWS FROM THE BAY OF SAN FRANCISCO.
An excursion on the bay is one of the pleasures which a tourist
ought to secure by all means, if possible. If no other way presents
itself, a trip can be made on the government steamers which ply
among the fortifications of the harbor. Of these public works,
Fort Point is the first which attracts the notice of the voyager
who enters the Golden Gate. The fort is of brick and commands
the narrow entrance to the bay and harbor; its battery is formid-
able, but the changes which have been made in modern enginery
render its brick walls any thing but impregnable. This point was
first occupied by the Americans in March, 1847, when it was
taken possession of by Major Hardie, of Colonel Stevenson's
regiment. Here was a small battery which had been left by the
Mexicans, and here was begun in 1854, the present structure, the
frowning walls of which are faced by the rocky galleries of Lime
Point, just across the Gate, where formidable cannon virtually
sweep the entire entrance of the Golden Gate.
The light-house, adjoining the fort, can be seen for from ten to
twelve miles, and is an important addition to the mercantile inter-
ests of California, although we regret to say the lantern, known as
the "Fresnel Light," is only of the fifth order, and is the smallest
on the coast ; it is fifty-two feet above sea level. Two men are
employed to attend it. Connected with this is a fog bell, weighing
one thousand one hundred pounds, and worked by machinery, that
strikes every ten seconds for five taps — then has an intermission of
thirty-four seconds, and. recommences the ten-second strike. This
is kept constantly running during foggy weather.
On the same side of the harbor (the southern) as Fort Point, is
the Presidio, once the place of official residence of the Spanish
and Mexican commandante, and the rendezvous of the small
1G
242
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
military force which was kept here. The old adobe buildings
have long since disappeared, and in their place is quite a compact
village of soldiers' barracks, officers' houses, mess-rooms, store-
houses, etc., the whole being situated on a military reservation
which stretches down to and incloses Fort Point. The number
»'IEW OF THE PRESIDIO.
of troops kept here varies constantly, but the majority of those
stationed in the harbor are at Camp "Reynolds and the other posts
on Angel Island, one of the fortified islands in the northwestern
part of the bay, near Eaccoon Straits ; and south of this is Yerba
Buena, or Goat Island, ako a government reservation and military
post. In the centre of that part of the bay nearest San Francisco
is the island of Alcatraz (known in the government documents as
Alcatraces), on which is an immense fortification, a miniature
Gibraltar. The island is well nigh inaccessible, save at a single
point, and the defensive and offensive works on the island, which
is a mass of precipitous rock, are very complete in their design
and finish.
VIEWS FROM TELEGRAPH HILL.
From Telegraph Hill, one of the most northerly of the many
eminences on which San Francisco is built, one can secure the best
IN AND AROUND SAN FRANCISCO. 243
view of the city and bay anywhere to be found. There is actually
no single point from which a full general view of San Francisco can
be obtained, situated as it is among the hills and straggling off
into the more level spaces which form the southern base of the
promontory. But the most correct idea of the shape of the mag-
nificent bay, its extent, and the position of the city is had after a
view of the wonderful panorama which is seen from the top of
Telegraph Hill.
Seaward, one looks through the Gate upon the sky line of the
ocean ; turning northward, is the range of hills which culminates
in Mount Tarnal Pais ; nearer, in the same direction, is Fort Al-
catraz, and, still turning northward, one sees the approaches to
Carquinez Straits, the gateway of the Sacramento and San Joaquin
rivers ; eastward, as the observer turns, are the Contra Costa hills,
brown and purple in the dry months, or gold and green in the
early spring ; due eastward is Oakland, dotting the plain and
creeping up the slopes beyond, above which rises the rounded
peak of Mount Diablo; and southward, where the blue waters of
the land-locked bay seem to stretch interminably, are the hills
which encircle the ancient mission of San Jose, and still beyond
are the snowy peaks of the Coast Range. It is a noble view, and
well worth the climb it costs.
EXCURSION TO TAMAL PAIS.
A pleasant excursion may be made to the summit of Tamal Pais,
a peak of the broken Coast Range, in Marin county, on the blunt
peninsula which is washed by the Pacdfic on the outer side and
the waters of the bay within. Mount Tamal Pais is 2,597 feet high,
and from its summit a very extensive panorama of ocean, bay,
forest, and hill is seen. Good trails lead up to the top of the
mountain from San Rafael, which town is reached by steamer
from San Francisco, though a longer but more picturesque route
from. Saucelito, also reached by steamboat, is often used by tourists.
On a clear day, the view from the peak of Tamal Pais is extensive
and striking ; and even when the fogs are rolling in, the observer
will obtain some most singular and remarkable effects of light and
244 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
shade, the rolling wreaths of cloud, the broken sunlight, and the
fleecy curtain of fog which shuts down over sea and mountain
range, forming a moving panorama, constantly changing and most
fascinating. A trip to Tamal Pais, though somewhat fatiguing,
certainly includes some of the most novel sights around San
Francisco.
THE CALIFORNIA GEYSERS.
245
CHAPTEE X.
THE CALIFORNIA GEYSERS.
SAILING- FKOM THE WHARF.
S the fine little steamer
" Rambler " was sounding
her last whistle, we received
a parting injunction — writes
an esteemed acquaintance*-
from friends on the Broad-
way street wharf, San Fran-
cisco, "to keep well aft,"
and stepped on board.
It was one of the chilliest,
dreariest, most disagreeable
of San Francisco's summer
A dense fog,
fresh from the great factory
out on the Pacific, was roll-
THE WITCHES' CAULDRON.
Sketched from nature by George Tirrell.
* Mr. George Tin-oil, designer and painter of the Panorama of California.
246 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
ing in over the hills at the back of the city, and hurrying across
the bay before a stiff north-west wind. The waves, as they rolled
along the sides of the shipping, or splashed among the piles,
seemed to be playing a most melancholy march, to which the
great army of fog-clouds moved across the cheerless water, and
their commanding officer — the wind — seemed to be continually
saying " forward," as it whistled through the rigging of the
ships.
The individual who is always just too late, made his appear-
ance, as usual, as the steamer's fasts were cast off, and her wheels
commenced their lively though monotonous ditty in the water.
Two or three Whitehall boatmen, who were lying off the wharf,
evidently expecting such a " fare," gave their lazily playing skulls
a vigorous pull, which sent their beautiful little craft darting into
the wharf. The boy with, the basket of oranges hastened to offer
the would-be-traveller " three for two bits," by way of consolation,
and as he slowly proceeded up the dock again, the other boy with
the papers and magazines called his attention to the last " Har-
per's," or " Overland Monthly."
The ten thousand voices of the city became blended into a con-
tinuous roar, as we glided out into the stream ; the long drawn
"go-o-o ahead," or "hi-i-gh," of the stevedores at their work, dis-
charging the stately clippers, being about the only intelligible
sounds to be distinguished above the mass.
CROSSING THE BAY.
Soon the outermost ship, on board of which a disconsolate
looking "jolly tar" was riding down one of the head stays, giving
it a "lick" of tar as he went, was passed, and we struck the strong
current of wind which was blowing in at the Golden Gate (care-
lessly left open, as usual). The young giant of a city had become
swallowed up in the gloom of the fog, and its thousands of busy
people ceased to exist, except in our imaginations. After passing
Angel Island, the fog began to lift ; we were approaching the
edge of the bank ; and soon the sun appeared, hard at work at
his apparently hopeless task of devouring the intruding fog, which
THE CALIFORNIA GEYSEKS. 247
had dared to interpose its cold billows between liim and the bay,
upon which he loves to shine.
The course of the boat was along the western side of Pablo Bay,
close enough to the shore to give the passengers a fine view of it,
as w^ell as of the inland country, and the more distant mountains
of the coast range. Large masses of misty clouds, wThich had
become detached from the main fog bank, still partially obscured
the sunlight, casting enormous shadows along the hill sides and
across the plains, heightening, by contrast, the golden tinge of the
wild oats, and giving additional beauty to the varied tints of the
cultivated fields. Beyond, Tamal Pais, and other and lesser
peaks of the Coast Range, piled their wealth of purple light and
misty shadows, against the brightness of the western sky.
I wonder that our artists, in their search for the picturesque,
have overlooked the splendid scene which Tamal Pais and the
adjacent mountains present from the vicinity of -Red Rock, or
from the eastern shore of the straits. It is certainly one of the
most picturesque scenes anywhere in the vicinity of San Francisco,
especially toward sunset, when the long streaks of sunlight come
streaming down the ravines, piercing with their golden light the
hazy mystery which envelops the mountains, and brilliantly illum-
inating the intervening plains and hill-sides. From the familiarity
of the view, a good picture would, without doubt, be much sought
after.
NAVIGATION OF PETALUMA CREEK.
The seamanship of the pilot was much exercised while navi-
gating the "Rambler" up Petaluma Creek. The creek is merely a
long, narrow, ditch-like indentation, which makes up into the flat
tule plains at the northern side of Pablo Bay, and into which the
tide ebbs and flows. Its course very much resembles the track of
a man who has spent half an hour hunting for a lost pocket-book
in a field. If, after gazing awhile at the creek, the eye should be
suddenly turned to a ram's horn or a manzanita stick, the latter
would appear perfectly straight, by comparison. First we go
toward the north star awhile, then we come to a short bend
where an immense amount of backing, and stopping, and going
248
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
ahead occurs, which all results in running the boat hard and fast
ashore. Then the pilot, perspiring freely from his violent exer-
tions at the wheel, thrusts his head out of the window, and, after
taking a survey of the state of aifairs, sets himself to ringing the
signal bells again. Then the crew get out a long pole, and plant-
ing one end in the bank, apply their united "strength to the other.
No movement ! Then the captain heroically rushes ashore in the
mud and tules, and calls for volunteers to help him push. Human
strength and steam triumph in the end, and the " Rambler," with
one side all besmeared with mud, goes paddling off toward Cape
Horn. After progressing a short distance in this direction, another
bend is reached, when more superhuman exertion on the part of
the pilot ensues, and plump we go ashore again. Then the captain
gives utterance to a vigorous exclamation (but as the expletive
does no good, it is hardly necessary to repeat it here), and then
he jumps into the mud again. Half the passengers follow suit,
the crew go through with their pole exercise, pilot plays another
THE CALIFORNIA GEYSERS. 249
tune on the bells,, engineer gets bothered, and finally off we start
in the direction of Japan, leaving the captain and his shore party
standing in the mud. Upon backing up for them to get on board,
the boat becomes fast again. This is a fair specimen of the navi-
gation of Petaluma Creek above the city (of one house), called
the "Haystack."
Before reaching Petaluma, we met a little steamer coming down
with a load of wood. She resembled an immense pile of wood
with a smoke-stack in the centre, floating down the stream, and
appeared to take up the whole width of the creek, when our pas-
sengers began to wonder how we were to get by. It was a tight
fit. There was not room enough left between the two boats to
insert this sheet of paper. The " Rambler" puffed, and from the
depths of the wood pile was heard a sort of wheezing, as if half a
dozen people with bad colds were down there somewhere, all try-
ing to cough at once, and couldn't. The captain gave utterance
to a few more expletives, as the rough ends of the wood defaced
the new paint on our boat ; but the skipper of the wood-pile only
laughed ; yet, as the " Rambler," in passing, scraped off two or
three cords of his cargo, it then became our turn to laugh.
PETALUMA, AND THE RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY.
Petaluma was reached at last, and the passengers for Healds-
burg found a stage in waiting. Jumping in, we were soon whiz-
zing across the plains behind a couple of fine colts. The road lay
directly up the Petaluma and Russian River Yalleys. Past the
ranches — along the sides of interminable fields of corn and
grain — through the splendid park-like groves — sometimes across
the open plain, at others winding around the base of the hills,
which make up from the eastern side of the valley.
Santa Rosa was reached by sunset. Our arrival was hailed by
the ringing of a great number and variety of bells. How sing-
ular it is that the arrival of a stage-coach in a country town
always sets the dinner-bells to ringing, especially if the occurrence
happens about meal time.
By the time supper was despatched, and a pair of sober old
250 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
stagers put to in the place of our frisky young colts, the moon had
risen over the mountains, and was flooding the v.alley with her
glorious sheen, tipping the fine old oaks with a silvery fringe of
light, and laying their solemn shadows along the grass and across
the road. A pleasant ride of two hours carried us to the end of
our first day's journey, Healdsburg.
On the following morning, we were recommended to apply at
the stable opposite the hotel for horses. Having selected one
warranted not to kick up nor stand on his hind legs, nor jump
stiff-legged, nor play any other pranks, he was saddled and
bridled at once. Our portfolio (which, for want of a better cover-
ing, was carried in an old barley sack) was slung on one side, and
our wardrobe depended at the other. A whip was added to com-
plete the outfit, accompanied by the observation that as " Old
Pete" was apt to " soger," " we might find it useful."
Then the stable man attempted to describe the road to Ray's
Ranche. First, we should come to a bridge ; a mile beyond that,
see a house, to which we were to pay no attention, but look out
for a haystack. Having found the haystack, we were to turn to
the left, and would soon come to a long lane, that would lead us
to another house, where we were either to turn to the right, or
keep straight ahead, he had forgotten which. At this point of the
description, a bystander interposed, saying that we must turn to
the left; upon this, an argument sprung up between the two,
which nearly led to a fight.
Finding that there was not much information to be elicited
from those witnesses, " Old Pete" received a touch and started,
with our head buzzing with right and left hand roads, while a
regiment of ranches, lanes, and haystacks, seemed to be a " bob-
bing round" just ahead of the horse's nose. We found the bridge,
and saw the house, to which we were to pay no attention ; there
was no need of looking out for a haystack, for a dozen were in
sight ; so, selecting the biggest one, we turned to the left, accord-
ing to the chart.
"We rode along about a mile, and came to a fence which barred
any further progress in that direction ; then kept along the fence
THE CALIFORNIA GEYSEKS.
251
until we came to a lane which took us to a pair of bars. Let
down the obstruction, traversed another lane, and at the end of
it found ourselves in somebody's dooryard. It was evident that
we had taken the wrong road.
We now obtained fresh directions at the farm-house, but as
three or four attempted at the same time to tell us the way — all
talking at once, and each insisting upon his favorite route so that
we speedily became mixed up again with another labyrinth of
fences, lanes, and haystacks — we began to doubt the existence of
such a place as " Ray's Ranche." It seemed forever retreating as
we advanced, like the mythical crock of gold, buried at the foot
of a rainbow, which we remembered starting in search of once,
when a youngster.
But the ranche was found at last, and a very fine one it is, too.
The house is situated a little way up in the foot-hills, and com-
mands a splendid view of Russian River Valley, the Coast Range,
Mount St. Helens, etc. The ranche itself, garden, orchards, and
fields of wheat and corn, is situated in a valley, just below the
house, which makes up between the steep mountain sides. A
RAY'S RANCHE AND RUSSIAN KIVER VALLEY.
brook winds through the whole length of the little valley, afford-
ing capital facilities for irrigation.
We had the good luck here to fall in with Mr. G , one of
252 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
the proprietors of the Geysers, who was also on the way up. From
the accounts which have been published, we expected to find the
road from here a rough one. But it is nothing of the sort. It is
a very good mountain trail, wide enough for a wagon to pass
along its whole length. Buggies have been clear through, and
could go again, were a few days' work to be expended upon the
trail. It is quite steep, in many places, as a matter of course ;
but from the fact that Mr. G— - (who was mounted upon a
young colt, that had never before been ridden, and had simply a
piece of rope by way of bridle) trotted down most of the declivi-
ties, it may be inferred that the grade is not so very steep.
The first three or four miles beyond Ray's, to the summit of the
first ridge, is all up hill ; nearly 1,700 feet in altitude being gained
in that distance, or 2,317 feet above the level of the sea, Ray's
being 617.
There are few places in all California where a more magnificent
view can be obtained, than the one seen from this ridge. The
whole valley of Russian River lies like a map at your feet, extend-
ing from the south-east and south, where it joins Petaluma Yalley,
clear round to the north-west. The course of the river can be traced
for miles, far away, alternately sweeping its great curves of rippling
silver out into the opening plain, or disappearing behind the dark
masses of timber. From one end of the valley to the other, the
golden yellow of the plain is diversified by the darker tints of the
noble oaks. In some places they stand in great crowds ; then an
open space will occur, with perhaps a few scattered trees, which
serve to conduct the eye to where a long line of them appears?
like an army drawn up for review, with a few single trees in front
by way of officers ; and in the rear a confused crowd of stragglers
to represent the baggage train and camp followers. Here and
there, among the oaks, the vivid green foliage and bright red
stems of the graceful madrone, and on the banks of the river can
be seen the silvery willows and the dusky sycamores.
The beauty of the plain is still more enhanced by the numerous
THE CALIFORNIA GEYSERS. 253
ranches, with their widely extending fields of ripe grain and ver-
dant corn.
Beyond the valley is the long extending line of the Coast Moun-
tains. The slanting rays of the declining sun were overspreading
the mysterious blue and purple of their shadowy sides with a
glorious golden haze, through whose gauzy splendor could be
traced the summits only of the different ranges — towering one
above the other, each succeeding fainter than the last, until the
indescribably fine outline of the highest peaks, but one remove, in
color, from the sky itself, bounded the prospect.
Toward the south-east, we could see Mount St. Helen's, and the
upper part of JSTapa Yalley. St. Helen's is certainly the most
beautiful mountain in California. It is far from being as lofty
as its more pretentious brethren of the Sierra Nevada, and by
the side of the great Shasta Butte it would be dwarfed to a mole-
hill ; but its chaste and graceful outline is the very ideal of
mountain form. There is said to be a copper plate, bearing an
inscription, on the summit of this mountain, placed there by the
Russians many years ago.
Away off, toward the south, we could discern that same old fog,
still resting, like a huge incubus, upon San Francisco bay. Its
fleecy billows were constantly in motion — now obscuring, now
revealing the summits of different peaks, which rose like islands
out of the sea of clouds. Above, and far beyond the fog, the
view terminated with the long, level line of the blue Pacific, sixty
or seventy miles distant.
From the point where we have stopped to take this extended
view (too much extended, on paper, perhaps the reader will think),
the horses climbed slowly up the steep ascent, leading to a
plateau, on the northern side of a mountain, which has received
no less than three different names. As it is a difficult matter,
among so many titles, to fix upon the proper one, we will enumer-
ate them all, and the reader can take his choice. The mountain
was first called " Godwin's Peak," in honor of — there, G , the
cat's out of the bag ! your name has got into print, in spite of
our endeavors to keep it out. With characteristic modesty, Mr.
254: SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
G declined the honor which the name conferred upon him,
and it was changed by somebody or other to " Geyser Peak ;"
but, for some unknown reason, this name also failed to stick, and
somebody else came along and called it " Sulphur Peak." Both
the latter names are inappropriate, for there are no Geysers nor
no sulphur within five miles of the mountain. G., we are afraid
you will have to endure your honors, and stand godfather to it.
The " Peak" rises to the height of three thousand four hundred
and seventy-one feet above the level of the sea, and its sides are
covered, clear to the summit, with a thick growth of tangled
chaparal. From here, the trail runs along the narrow ridge of
the mountains, forming the divide between " Sulphur Creek" (an
odious name for a beautiful trout stream) and Pluton River.
The ridge is called the " Hog's Back" — still another name, as
inappropriate as it is homely. The ridge much more resembles
the back of a horse which has just crossed the plains, or has
dieted for some time on shavings, than that of a plump porker.
From the end of this ridge the trail is quite level, as far as the
top of the hill, which pitches sharply down to the river, and at
the foot of which the Geysers are situated.
ARRIVAL AT THE GEYSERS.
When about two-thirds of the way down the hill, the rushing
noise of the escaping steam of the Great Geyser can be heard ;
but, unless the stranger's attention was called to it, he would mis-
take the sound for the roaring of the river. About this time,
too, is recognized the sulphurous smell with which the air is
impregnated.
Just as the traveller begins seriously to think that the hill has
no bottom, the white gable end of the hotel, looking strangely out
of place among its wild surroundings, comes unexpectedly into
sight.
Upon awakening, on the following morning, it was a difficult
matter to convince ourselves that we had not been transported,
while asleep, to the close vicinity of some of the wrharves in San
Francisco, there was such & powerful smell of what seemed to be
THE CALIFORNIA GEYSEKS.
255
GEYSER SPRINGS HOTEL.
ancient dock mud. It was the sulphur. The smell is a trifle un-
pleasant at first, but one soon becomes accustomed to it, and rather
likes it than otherwise.
The view of the Geysers, from the hotel, is a very striking one,
more especially in the morning, when the steam can be plainly
seen, issuing from the earth in a hundred different places ; the
numerous columns uniting at some distance above the earth, and
forming an immense cloud, which overhangs the whole canon.
As the sun advances above the hills, this cloud is speedily
" eaten up," and the different columns of steam, with the excep-
tion of those from the Steamboat Geyser, the Witches' Cauldron,
and a few others, become invisible, being evaporated as fast as
they issue from the ground.
Breakfast disposed of, Mr. G. kindly offered to conduct us to
256
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
the different springs. The trail descends abruptly from the house,
among the tangled undergrowth of the steep mountain side, to the
river, some ninety feet below. We passed on the way the long
row of bathing-houses, the water for which is conveyed across the
river in a lead pipe, from a hot sulphur spring on the opposite
side.
The unearthly-looking canon, in which most of the springs are
situated, makes up into the mountains directly from the river. A
small stream of water, which rises at the head of the caiion, flows
through its whole length. The stream is pure and cold at its
source, but gradually becomes heated, and its purity sadly sullied,
as it receives the waters of the numerous springs along its banks.
GEYSER CANON.
Hot springs and cold springs ; white, red, and black sulphur
springs ; iron, soda, and boiling alum springs ; and the deuce only
knows what other kind of springs, all pour their medicated waters
into the little stream, until its once pure and limpid water — like a
human patient made sick by over-doctoring — becomes pale, and
THE CALIFORNIA GEYSERS.
257
has(a wheyish, sickly, unnatural look, as it feverishly tosses and
tumbles over its rocky bed.
A short distance up the canon there is a deep, shady pool, which
receives the united waters of all the springs above it. By the
time the stream reaches here, its medicated waters become cooled
to the temperature of a warm summer day, and the basin forms,
perhaps, the most luxurious bath to be found in the world.
A few feet from this, there is a warm alum and iron spring,
whose water is more thoroughly impregnated than any of the
others. .
PKOSEEPINE'S GROTTO.
A little way further up is " Proserpine's Grotto," an enchanting
retreat among the wild rocks, completely surrounded and enclosed
by the fantastic roots and twisted branches of the bay trees, and
17
258 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
roofed over by tlieir wide-spreading foliage. Glimpses of the nar-
row gorge above, with its numerous cascades, can be obtained
through the openings of the trees ; the whole forming one of the
finest " little bits," as an artist would call it, to be found in the
country.
As we proceeded up the canon the springs became more numer-
ous. They were bubbling and boiling in every direction. We
hardly dared to move for fear of putting our feet into a spring of
boiling alum, or red' sulphur, or some other infernal concoction.
The water of the stream, too, was now scalding hot, and the rocks,
and the crumbling, porous earth, were nearly as hot as the water.
We took good care to literally " follow in the footsteps of our
illustrious predecessor," as he hopped about from boulder to boul-
der, or rambled along in (as we thought) dangerous proximity to
the boiling waters. Every moment he would pick up a handful
of magnesia, or alum, or sulphur, or tartaric acid, or Epsom salts,
or some other nasty stuff, plenty of which encrusted all the rocks
and earth in the vicinity, and invite us to taste, them. From fre-
quent nibblings at the different deposits, our mouths became so
puckered up, that all taste was lost for any thing else.
In addition to these strange and unnatural sights, the ear was
saluted by a great variety of startling sounds. Every spring had
a voice. Some hissed and sputtered like water poured upon red
hot iron ; others reminded one of the singing of a tea-kettle, or the
purring of a cat ; and others seethed and bubbled like so many
cauldrons of boiling oil. One sounded precisely like the ma-
chinery of a grist mill in motion (it is called " The Devil's Grist
Mill"), and another like the propeller of a steamer.
High above all these sounds was ttoe loud roaring of the great
"Steamboat Geyser."* The steam of this Geyser issues with
great force from a hole about two feet in diameter, and it is so
heated as to be invisible until it -has risen to some height from the
* This Geyser is shown in the f iew of " Geyser Canon." It is the upper large column
of steam on the left side of the canon ; the one below it, and nearer the spectator, is
the " Witches' Cauldron." The foreground of the view is occupied by the " Mountain
of Fire," from which the steam issues by a hundred different apertures.
THE CALIFORNIA GEYSERS. . 259
ground. It is highly dangerous to approach very close to it unless
there is sufficient wind to blow the steam aside.
But the most startling of all the various sounds was a continuous
subterranean roar, similar to that which precedes an earthquake.
We must confess, that when in the midst of all these horrible
sights and sounds, we felt very much like suggesting to G
the propriety of returning, but a fresh handful of Epsom salts
and alum, mixed, stopped our mouths, and by the time we had
ceased sputtering over the puckerish compound, the "Witches'
Cauldron" was reached. (See vignette.) This is a horrible place.
"Mind how you step here," said G , as we approached it;
and, with the utmost caution, we placed our tens in his tracks,
that is, as much of them as we could get in.
The cauldron is a hole, sunk like a well in the precipitous side
of the mountain, and is of unknown depth. It is filled to the
brim with something that looks very much like burnt cork and
water (we believe the principal ingredient is black sulphur). This
liquid blackness is in constant motion, bubbling and surging from
side to side, and throwing up its boiling spray to the height of
three or four feet. Its vapor deposits a black sediment on all the
rocks in its vicinity.
There are a great many other springs — some twro hundred in
number — of every gradation of temperature, from boiling hot to
icy cold, and impregnated with all sorts of mineral and chemical
compounds; frequently the two extremes of heat and cold are
found within a few inches of each other. But as all the other
springs present nearly the same characteristics as most of those
already referred to, it would be but a tedious repetition to attempt
to describe more. They are all wonderful. The ordinary observer
can only look at them, a-nd wonder that such things exist ; but to
the scientific man, one capable of divining the mysterious cause
of their action, the study of them must be an exquisite delight.
It is worth the traveller's while to climb the mountains on the
north side of the Pluton, for the fine view which their summits
afford on every hand ; toward the north, a part of Clear Lake can
be seen, some fifteen miles distant. But, perhaps, the scene which
260
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
CLEAK LAKE, FROM THE RIDGE NEAR THE GEYSERS.
would delight a lover of nature most, can be obtained by rising
early and walking back half a mile upon the trail which descends
to the hotel. It is to see the gorgeous tints of the eastern sky, as
the sun comes climbing up behind the distant mountains, and
afterward to watch his long slanting rays in the illuminated mist,
as they come streaming down the canon of the Pluton, flashing on
the water in dots and splashes of dazzling light, and tipping the
rich shadows of the closely- woven foliage with a fringe of gold.
Some people have said that California scenery is monotonous,
that her mountains are all alike, and that her skies repeat each
other from day to day. Believe them not, ye distant readers, to
whom, as yet, our glorious California is an unknown land. The
monotony is in their own narrow, unappreciative souls, not in our
grand mountains, towering, ridge upon ridge, until the long line
of the furthest peaks becomes blended with the dreamy haze that
loves to linger round their summits. And the gorgeous glow of
our sunrises, or the still more gorgeous green and orange, and
gold and crimson, of our sunsets, reflect their heavenly hues upon
dull eyes, indeed when they can see no beauty in them.
IN AND AKOUND SAN FKAN CISCO. 261
The route most generally travelled, from San Francisco to the
Geysers, is as follows : At 8 o'clock A. M., or at 3:30 p. M., take
steamer at the Vallejo Street wharf for Vallejo — distance twenty-
five miles — time about two hours — fare, $1. Thence by the
Napa Valley Railroad to Calistoga — distance forty-four miles —
time two hours — fare, $2.50. Thence by Foss's stage, via the new
road, to the Geysers — distance twenty-eight miles — time about
five and a half hours — fare, $6.
The better time to leave San Francisco would be at 3:30 p. M.,
arriving at Calistoga at about 7;30 p. M. Leave there about 7:30
A. M. the following morning, after breakfast, and arrive at the
Geysers about 1 o'clock P.M. As the sun "eats up" the steam
from the springs during the heat of the day, the best time to see
them is after a good rest, and when the shadows of evening have
filled Geyser Canon ; or, early in the morning, before sunrise.
When leaving the Geysers on the return trip, it is a good plan to
have a cup of coffee before starting, and, taking the old road, make
Foss' — and a good breakfast — at 9 A. M., Calistoga about 12 M.,
and San Francisco about 4 p. M.
The beautiful and singular scenery ; the different methods of
travel — by steamboat, by railroad, and by stage-coach ; and the
world-renowned driving of Foss'; — are all recorded in the note-
book of memory kept by every visitor to " The Geysers."
SCENES IN- CALIFORNIA.
THE RIFFLE-BOX WATERFALL, DEER CREEK.
CHAPTER XI.
THE RIFFLE-BOX WATERFALL.
" Who lives to nature rarely can be poor."
YOUNG.
THIS beautifully picturesque and romantic waterfall is situated on
Deer Creek, about nine miles below the large and populous mining
town of Nevada. To those who are unacquainted with the tech-
THE KIFFLE-BOX WATERFALL.
263
nicalities of mining, the meaning of the above name, when applied
to a waterfall, may be somewhat of a mystery. To make it plain
to every reader, perhaps it will not be uninteresting to describe
one of the implements of mining called the Long Tom. This
ancient, and now almost obsolete mining tool, if such it may be
called, consists of a long fl atish box or sluice, from ten to fifty feet
in length, and from one foot to three feet in width, and open at
the top ; into this the dirt is thrown, and through it a stream of
water is turned. The back end being elevated, gives sufficient fall
for the water to pass down with considerable force. At the lower
end there is a plate of perforated iron, called, a Tom Iron, through
which the water, dirt, and gold pass into a "riffle-box" underneath;
where the gold is saved. This box has narrow strips of wood across
the bottom ; and when one end is elevated the water makes a fall,
or riffle. Hence, from the great resemblance in -the shape of the
above falls to a riffle-box, comes the name of Riffle-Box Falls. Dur-
ing the winter season, when the water rushes over with an impetu-
ous sweep, it is remarkably wild and tumultuous.
In 1852, a company was formed to test the richness of this great
riffle-box of nature ; and to accomplish which a tunnel was cut
through a hill of solid rock, about three hundred feet in length,' at
a cost of twenty thousand dollars. Through this tunnel the waters
of the creek were turned, and by which the falls were drained.
The water had worn deep holes in the bed of the creek, and to
pump these dry, seven thousand dollars more were expended in
machinery, &c. When this was accomplished and the " box" was
made dry, the whole of the gold that was taken out was only about
two hundred dollars.
, This is one of the many enterprises into which the Californian
enters, and where his money and time — frequently all that he pos-
sesses— are embarked, in a single venture, and he thrown penni-
less upon his own energies to begin life again — as he terms it.
This will give friends in the East at least, one idea why the miner
frequently remains from dear friends and home so long, when his
hopes of returning were built upon the success of his undertaking
— and which too often proves a complete failure.
264
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
CHAPTER XII
LAKE TAHOE.
LAKE TAHOE.
Sketched from nature, by George //. Goddard.
UNTIL the discovery of the rich silver mines of Washoe, this re-
markably beautiful lake was known only to the few. It is true
that the footsteps of the old mountaineer, the early explorer, and
the pioneer emigrant, trod its silent shores at a very early day ;
and in later years the hardy prospector, in search of Gold Lake,
and other fabulous localities of supposed wealth, looked upon the
burnished waters, and cloud-draped crags that encompass this
beautiful sheet, with charmed eyes. But it remained for the liv-
LAKE TAHOE.
265
ing tide of population that poured into that region over the sier-
ras, in search of the precious ores, during the excitement of 1860,
and subsequently, to make this scene become extensively familiar ;
inasmuch as a magnificent view of Lake Tahoe can be obtained,
on reaching the summits of the surrounding mountains, from near-
ly every northern trail into Washoe, especially that from Placer-
ville, without even turning aside from the road.
It may not be generally known, that, at the heads of nearly
every stream originating among the snows of the Sierra Nevada,
there are extensive lakes, or fertile vallevs, from the Siskiyou
mountains to Fort Yuma. To these retreats the stock raisers of
the midland counties take their droves, when the feed in the Sac-
ramento and San Joaquin valleys becomes scant, or dried up dur-
ing the dry months of summer.
Since the excitement before alluded to, numerous companies
of prospectors have gone out in the hope of finding rich veins of
silver-bearing quartz ; and, in addition to discovering the valuable
mines of Mono, Esmeralda, and others equally rich, they have re-
turned with ever-to-be-remembered mind-pictures of those scenes
of beauty and of grandeur, that lie slumbering in lofty solitude
among the rocks and peaks and stunted pines of this great moun-
tain chain.
During the year 1855, Mr. George H. G-oddard, civil engineer,
in charge of the state wagon-road survey, visited this spot, and
favored us with the following sketch :
" This beautiful lake is situated in a valley of the Sierra Nevada,
at the eastern base of the central ridge, a few miles north of the
main road of travel to Carson Valley. It lies at an elevation of
some 5,800 feet above the level of the sea, and about 1,500 feet
above Carson Valley, from which it is divided by a mountain ridge
three to four miles across.
"The southern shores of this lake were explored during the state
wagon-road survey of 1855, and its extreme southern latitude de-
termined at 38° 57'. The 120th meridian of west longitude divides
the lake pretty equally, giving its western shore to California and
its eastern to Utah. Its northern 'extremity is only known by re-
266 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
port, which is still so contradictory that the length of the lake can-
iiot be set down with any thing like accuracy. It can hardly ex-
ceed, however, twenty miles in length by about six in breadth ;
notwithstanding, it has been called forty, and even sixty miles
long.
"The surrounding mountains rise from one to three, and, per-
haps, in some cases, four thousand feet above the surface of the
lake. They are principally composed of friable white granite,
so water-worn that, although they are rough, and often covered
with rocks and boulders, yet they show no cliffs or precipices.
Their bases, of granite sand, rise in majestic curves from the plain
of the valley to their steeper flanks. Many of the smaller hills
are but high heaps of boulders, the stony skeletons decaying in
situ, half buried in their granite debris. The shores of the lake,
at least of its southern coast, are entirely formed of granite sand ;
not a pebble is there to mar its perfect smoothness.
" A dense pine-forest extends from the water's edge to the sum-
mits of the surrounding mountains, except in some points where a
peak of more than ordinary elevation rears its bald head above
the waving forest. An extensive swampy flat lies on its southern
shore, through which the Upper Truckee slowly meanders, gather-
ing up, in its tortuous course, all the streams which flow from the
south or south-east. The deep blue of the waters indicates a con-
siderable depth to the lake. The water is perfectly fresh. The
lake well stocked with salmon and trout. It is resorted to at cer-
tain seasons by the neighboring Indians, for fishing.
"Although lying so near the main road of travel, little has been
known of this lake until quite a recent period. There is no doubt
this is the lake of which the Indians informed Colonel Fremont,
when encamped at Pyramid Lake, at the mouth of the Salmon-
Trout or Truckee river, and which he thus relates, under date of
January 15, 1844: 'They made on the ground a drawing of the
river, which they represented as issuing from another lake in the
mountains, three or four days distant, in a direction a little west
of south ; beyond which they drew a mountain, and farther still
two rivers, on one of which they told us that people like ourselves
LAKE TAHOE. 26 T
travelled.' How clear does this description read to us, now that
we know the localities !
a Afterward, when crossing the mountains near Carson Pass,
Colonel Fremont caught sight of this lake, but, deceived by the
great altitude of the mountains to its east, and the apparent gap
in the western ridge at Johnson Pass, he laid it down as being on
the California side of the mountains, at the head of the south fork
of the American River. In the map attached to Colonel Fremont's
report, it is there called Mountain Lake, but in the general map of
the explorations by Charles Preuss it is named Lake Bompland.
In Wilkes's map, and others published about the period of the gold
discovery, it bears the former name. "When Colonel Johnson laid
out his road across the mountains, the lake was passed unnoticed,
except under the general term of Lake Valley. General Wynn's
Indian expedition, or the emigrant relief train, first named it Lake
Bigler, after our late governor. Under this name it was first de-
picted in its transmountain position in Eddy's state map, and thus
the name has become established.*
" There is no lake in California which, for beauty and variety of
scenery, is to be compared to Tahoe Lake ; but it is not its beauty
of situation alone that will attract us there. A geological interest
is fastening upon it, for there we see what so many other of the
great valleys of the sierra once were. The little stream of the
tipper Truckee, though but of yesterday, has yet carried down its
sandy deposits through ages, sufficient to form the five miles of val-
ley flats, from the foot of the Johnson Pass to the present margin
of the lake, and still the work progresses. The shallows at the
mouth of the river are stretching across toward the first point on
the eastern slope of the lake, and at the same time the water level
of the lake is evidently subsiding."
* In 1862 the name of this lake was very properly changed to its present Indian
one, of "Lake Tah'oe" — pronounced, however, by the Indians, Tah'oo — which means,
"big water," and as such, it has since been known to every tourist.
268
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
ALABASTER GAVE, EL DORADO CO., CALIFORNIA.
THE PULPIT, IN THE ALABASTER CAVE.
ALABASTER CAVE. '269
CHAPTEK XIII.
WHENEVER nature steps out of her usual course to make any
thing very beautiful or very wonderful, it is not unreasonable to
expect that men and women, generally, will be gratefully willing
to go out of their- way to see it. It is true that many men love
money more than they love nature, others love nature more than
money, and yet often feel too poor, almost, to gratify that love ;
others have become so much habituated to the same stool in the
counting-house, the same old chair in the office, and the same fa-
miliar standing-place in the store, and the same spot in the work-
shop, mine, or field, that nothing short of an earthquake, or rev-
olution, could induce them to turn aside from the well-worn high-
ways of business habit, to see any thing beyond themselves and
their business routine. In their eyes it is the Alpha and Omega of
life, the beginning and end of all things, yea, life itself. Unfortu-
nately, habit unfits them for any thing beyond the man-machine.
The blue sky, the bright sunshine, the flower-carpeted earth, the
foliage-clothed trees, the moss-grown caverns, the mighty hills, or
the forest-formed harps, touched by the fingers of the wind, and
playing their grand old anthems of praise, have an inviting and
suggestive voice, that " man was made for enjoyment as well as duty
—for happiness as well as business;" and the probability is appar-
ent, that the godlike faculties bestowed upon him, enabling him to
hold communion with the beautiful and the ennobling, the sublime
or wonderful, would not have been, if man were not expected to
be something loftier than a mere humdrum business machine.
Nature sometimes turns over some new and wonderful pages in
her glorious old volume, and discovers to men such morsels as the
groves of mammoth trees, the Yo-Semite Yalley, the Geysers, the
270 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
natural bridges, and caves; and, more recently, the Alabaster cave,
of El Dorado county. On such occasions there are many persons
who will find time to open their sight-seeing eyes, and take a
glimpse, if only to say that they have seen them, lest they should
be deemed behind the age, or out of the fashion ; but there are
others again, and their name is legion, who adore, yea almost wor-
ship, the beautiful, the grand, the astonishing ; from the handful
of soil, that gives out so many varieties of rare and fragrant flow-
ers and lucious fruits, to the vast cathedral-formed arches and in-
tricate draperies of stone, produced by chemical agencies and mys-
tical combinations, in one or more of nature's great laboratories
beneath the surface of the earth. With the latter class it is always
a pleasure to be in company ; as a pleasure shared is always
doubled ; besides, kindred spirits have a happy faculty of repro-
duction, denied to others.
THE DISCOVERT OF THE EL DORADO COUNTY CAVE.
A ledge of limestone rock, resembling marble in appearance,
cropped out by the side of the El Dorado Valley turnpike road,
which, after testing, was found to be capable of producing excellent
lime. Early in the present year, Mr. William Gwynn employed a
number of men to quarry this rock and build a kiln. To these
works he gave the name of " Alabaster Lime Quarry and Kiln."
On the 18th of April, 1860, two workmen, George S. Halterman
and John Harris, were quarrying limestone from this ledge, when,
upon the removal of a piece of rock, a dark aperture was visible,
that was sufficiently enlarged to enable them to enter. A flood of
light pouring in through the opening made, they proceeded inward
some fifty feet. Before venturing further, they threw a stone for-
ward, which falling into water, determined them to procure lights
before advancing further.
At this juncture Mr. Gwynn, the owner, came up ; and upon
being informed of the discovery, sent for candied, to enable them
to further prosecute their explorations. The result of these, after
several hours spent, cannot be better described than in Mr.
Gwynn's own language, in a letter dated April 19th, 1860, ad-
ALABASTER CAVE. 271
dressed to Mr. Holmes, a gentleman friend of his, residing in Sac-
ramento City ; and first published in the Sacramento Bee :
" Wonders will never cease. On yesterday, we, in- quarrying
rock, made an opening to the most beautiful cave you ever beheld.
On our first entrance, we descended about fifteen feet, gradually,
to the centre of the room, which is one hundred by thirty feet.
At the north end there is a most magnificent pulpit, in the Epis-
copal church style, that man ever has seen. It seems that it is,
and should be called, the ' Holy of Holies.' It is completed with
the most beautiful drapery of alabaster sterites, of all colors, va-
rying from white to pink-red, overhanging the beholder. Imme-
diately under the pulpit there is a beautiful lake of water, extend-
ing to an unknown distance. We thought this all, but, to our
great admiration, on arriving at the centre of the first room, we
saw an entrance to an inner chamber, still more splendid, two
hundred by one hundred feet, with the most beautiful alabaster
overhanging, in every possible shape of drapery. Here stands
magnitude,. giving the instant impression of a power above man;
grandeur that denes decay ; antiquity that tells of ages unnum-
bered ; beauty that the touch of time makes more beautiful ; use
exhaustless for the service of men ; strength imperishable as the
globe, the monument of eternity — the truest earthly emblem of
that everlasting and unchangeable, irresistible Majesty, by whom,
and for whom, all things were made."
As soon as this interesting announcement was noised abroad,
hundreds of people flocked to see the newly discovered wonder,
from all the surrounding mining settlements, so that within the
first six days, it was visited by upwards of four hundred persons ;
many of whom, we regret to say, possessed a larger organ of ac-
quisitiveness than of veneration, and laid Yandal hands on some of
the most beautiful portions within reach, near the entrance. This
determined the proprietor to close it, until arrangements could be
made for its protection and systematic illumination ; the better to
see, and not to touch the specimens.
At this time, Mr. Gwynn leased the cave to Messrs. Smith &
Halterman, who immediately began to prepare it for the reception
272 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
of the public, by erecting baricades, platforms, &c. ; and placing a
large number of lamps at favorable points, for the better illumina-
tion and inspection of the different chambers.
The discovery being made in the spring, considerable water was
standing in some of the deepest of the cavities ; but signs were
already visible of its recession, at the rate of nearly six inches per
day ; and in a few weeks it entirely disappeared, leaving the cave
perfectly dry. This afforded opportunities for further explorations ;
when it was found that a more convenient entrance could be made,
with but little labor, from an unimportant room within a few feet
of the road. This was accordingly done, and this, in addition
to its convenience, allows of the free circulation of pure air. Hav-
ing thus given an historical sketch of the discovery, with other
matters connected with its preservation and management, we shall
now endeavor to take the reader with us, at least in imagination,
while describing it and
SOME SCENES BY THE WAY.
As a majority of visitors will, most probably, be from San Fran-
cisco, it may not be amiss, with the reader's permission, to present
a brief outline of some of the most interesting sights to be wit-
nessed, from the deck of the steamboat, on our way up the Sacra-
mento. A large portion of the route, from that great mercantile
metropolis of the Pacific to the mouth of the San Joaquhl, has
been already illustrated and described in the first chapter of this
work, to which we would again refer his attention.*
On page twenty-nine, we have described the course of the Stock-
ton boat as to the right; while that bound for Sacramento City
sails straight forward, toward the west end of a large, low tule
flat, lying between the San Joaquin and Sacramento, named Sher-
man's Island, and here we enter the Sacramento river. The Mon-
tezuma hills, seen on our right, and a few stunted trees on the left,
are the only objects in the landscape to relieve the eye, by contrast
with the low tule swamp, until we approach the new and flourish-
ing little settlement of Eio Yista. " This town," writes Dr. C. A.
Kirkpatrick, the obliging postmaster, " is situated about forty-five
ALABASTER CAVE.
273
SCENE AT THE LOWER JUNCTION OF THE MAIN SACRAMENTO RIVER, AND STEAMBOAT
SLOUGH.
miles below the city of Sacramento, and below the outlets of all
the large sloughs, or at least two of the largest, Steamboat and
Cache Creek sloughs — uniting with the main, or old Sacramento
river, just above this place ; making the stream here about one-
third of a mile wide. The reader will see that, being upon the
main river, so near its outlet into Suisun Bay, not over twenty
18
>r; xi-:s IN CAI.IKUKMA.
NIGHT SCENE OX THE MAIN BRANCH OF THE SACRAMENTO RIVER.
miles, and so far from the mining region, there is a clearer and
larger .body of water than can be found anywhere else on the
river. It is to this place that the salmon-fish now resort. Before
taking the final plunge, they seem here to have turned at bay,
and are eagerly caught in the following manner :
THE SALMON FISHERY ON THE SACRAMENTO.
" Nets are constructed of stout shoe-thread, first made into skeins,
then twisted into a cord about the size of common twine, after the
ALABASTER CAVE. 27^
fWiion of making ropes. It i» then, with a wooden needle, man-
ufactured into a web of open network, from 780 to 1200 feet, or
130 t< ..'_'. and 15 feet wide. On both -ide» of the
net are email ropes, to which it in fastened. On the rope deaigna-
r the upper Hide, are placed, at intervals of five or six fec^
cork or light, wood, for the purpose of buoys; while on
.ier line bit- of lead are fastened, to .rink the net in the water.
1 of the upper line a small buoy, painted any
dark color which can be efl 1, and at the other end
make fa-.t. a line fifteen or twenty feet long, for the fisherman to
. while 1. -ate, and the net. i-
PAYING OUT THE
"Whitehall }>oats are those most generally used in this branch
of state i rid 11 -try; they are from nineteen to twenty-two feet in
length of keel, and from four to five feet breadth of beam; this
nd .style being considered the best. Now, the next thing
wanted, are two fearless men ; one to manage the boat, and the other
276
SCENES IN CALIFOKNIA.
to cast the net. The net is then, stowed in the after part of the
boat, and every thing made ready for a haul.
" Being at what is called the head of the* drift, one of the men
takes his place in the stern of the boat, and, while the rower pulls
across the stream, the net is thrown over the stern. Thus is form-
ed a barrier, or network, almost the entire width of the stream,
and to the depth of fifteen or twenty feet. The drift is the distance
on the river which is passed after casting the net, which floats with
the tide until it is drawn into the boat. This passage, and the draw-
ing in of the net, completes the process of catching the salmon.
" In coming in contact with the net, the head of the fish passes
far enough through the meshes, or openings, to allow the strong
threads of the net to fall back of and under the gill, and thus
they are unable to escape, and are effectually caught in the net and
drawn into the boat.
HAULING IN THE SEINE.
"During the year 1852, there were probably as many fish found in
that part of the Sacramento river before alluded to, as at any time
ALABASTER CAVE.
277
previous, and more than at any time since — two men with one
net and boat having caught as many as three hundred fish in the
course of one night ; the night being the best time to take them,
on account of their being unable to see and avoid the net.
GROUP OP SALMON ON THE BANKS OF THE SACRAMENTO RIVER.
" The fish which are caught in the spring are much larger and
nicer than those caught during the summer months ; the former
being really a bright salmon-color, and the texture of the flesh
firm and solid ; while the latter, in appearance, might properly be
called salmon-color faded, and the flesh soft and unpalatable. This
difference is no doubt owing to the temperature and composition
of the water in which the fish maybe sojourning; the cold, salt
sea water hardening and coloring the flesh, while the* warm, fresh
river water tends to soften and bleach.
278 SCENKS IN CALIFORNIA.
"They seem to be gregarious in their nature, travelling in herds,
or, as the fishermen call it, " schools" They do not like a very
cold climate, as is indicated by their not ascending the rivers on
the northern coast, except in very limited numbers, until the month
of July. In those streams where the current is very rapid, their
rate of speed is supposed to be five or six miles an hour ; but
where the current is eddying and slow, not more than two miles
an hour. It has also been ascertained that they will stop for two
or three days in deep, still water ; no doubt to rest and feed, as
they choose places where food can be easily procured.
" There seems to be quite a difference in the size, flavor, and
habits of the salmon found in the Sacramento, Columbia and
Frazer rivers ; those of the Sacramento being larger, more juicy,
more oily, and brighter colored. They are, however, more abun-
dant in the north, and about half the average weight — that of the
the former being about fifteen pounds ; although early in the spring
some are caught in the north quite as large as any caught in the
Sacramento, and weigh from fifty to sixty pounds.
" In the Gulf of Georgia and Bellingham Bay, and on the Co-
lumbia, Frazer and Lumna rivers, the salmon are taken by thou-
sands ; while we of the Sacramento only get them by hundreds.
One boat, last season, on the Frazer river, in one month, caught
13,860. There is also one peculiarity with the fish of the north
— every second or third year there are but few salmon in those
waters, their places being taken by a fish called the hone, which
come in great numbers, equal if not greater than the salmon. The
two fish never come in any considerable numbers together.
" From facts obtained from the freight clerks of the C. S. N.
Co.'s boats, we learn, that from the principal shipping port of the
Sacramento river, Rio Vista, there is an average of 150 fish, or
2,250 pounds, sent each day to market, for five months of the year,
making a total of 22,500 fish, or 337,500 pounds ; the greater part
of these are shipped, and used fresh in San Francisco. But this
number forms but a small proportion of what are caught, the prin-
cipal part being retained and salted, or smoked, or otherwise pre-
pared for shipment to various parts of the world — many finding
ALABASTER CAVE. 279
their way to Australia, and the islands of the .Pacific, as well as
to New York, and other domestic ports on the Atlantic seaboard."
THE HOG^S BACK?
About six miles above Rio Yista is the far-famed " Hog's Back."
This is formed by the settling of the sediment which comes down
from the rivers above, and is caused by a widening of the stream
and a decrease in the fall of the river. It extends for about three
hundred yards in length ; and at the lowest stage of water is about
five feet from the surface, and at the highest point eleven feet six
inches. Being affected by the tides, and as they are exactly at
the same point every two weeks, during the fall season of the year,
for two or three days at each low tide, a detention of heavily
freighted vessels, of from one to four hours, will then take place.
Persons when descending the river, as the steamboat generally
leaves Sacramento City at two o'clock p. M., have an opportunity
of knowing when they arrive at the " Hog's Back" by seeing the
mast of a vessel with the lower cross-trees upon it, and sometimes
a portion of her bulwarks. This vessel wras named the Charleston,
and was freighted principally with quartz machinery, a portion of
which being for the Gold Hill Quartz Co., at Grass Yalley, she
had discharged, but, the owners of another and larger portion of
it not being found, she was returning with it to San Francisco in
October, 1857, but having struck upon this sand-bank, at a very
low stage of the water, careened over, and was swamped. Several
attempts have since been made to take out the machinery, but as
yet it has defied them all, and being filled with sand, it will be a
very difficult task for any one ever to set her afloat again, and the
reward be but poor, inasmuch as it cannot be in any other than
a spoiled condition, from rust and other causes.
STEAMBOAT SLOUGH.
A short distance above the Hog's Back we arrived at the junc-
tion of Sutter Slough with Steamboat Slough, and there enter the
narrowest part of the stream. As this slough is deep and naviga-
ble, and moreover is about nine miles nearer for sailing through
280
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
than by the main, or " old river," nearly all vessels upward bound
take this route ; while those on the downward trip (excepting steam-
boats) generally take the main river, inasmuch as the wind is more
favorable for their return to San Francisco.
SCENE AT THE UPPER MAIN JUNCTION OF SACRAMENTO AND STEAMBOAT SLOUGHS.
As we pass through Steamboat Slough, we are impressed with
the narrowness of the channel for such large vessels, the luxuriant
foliage of the trees that adorn its banks, and the snug little cabins,
ALABASTER CAVE. 281
nearly shut out from sight by wild vines and trees, that are seen at
intervals on its margin. Indeed the scenery, as you steam up or
down the river, is picturesque in no slight degree. Here and there,
as you turn with the sudden windings of the stream, you come
upon the little boats of fishermen, and sloops, with their sails furl-
ed like the folded wings of a sea-bird, waiting for the wind. The
improvements of the husbandman are everywhere seen along the
shore — cottages half hidden among the drooping branches of the
sycamores, outhouses, haystacks, orchards, and gardens — with their
product of squashes and cabbages piled in huge heaps ; and here
and there a school-house or church gives a cheerful domestic
character to the scene. The landscape is diversified by the gnarl-
ed oaks, with vines clinging about them for support, and their
branches covered with dark masses of mistletoe.
Sailing along, probably we may see a small stern-wheel steam-
scow, puffing away like some odd-shaped and outlandish leviathan,
named the " Gipsy." She plies between the various ranches and
gardens on the river and Sacramento City, taking vegetables, grain,
flour, &c., up to the city, and returning with groceries, dry goods,
papers, &c. By this means she has created quite a snug little
business for herself, and become an indispensable visitor to the
residents. In fact they could not conveniently get along without
her.
Far away to the eastward, the snow-capped Sierras, with a black
belt of -pines at their base, and nearer, the mist-draped and purple
Coast Range, rise on the view. Along the plains are here and
there seen clumps of trees — a sure indication of water; and occa-
sionally, the charred trunk of some burnt and blasted tree lifts its
bare branches toward heaven in solitary grandeur. During the
season when the immense tracts of tules which cover the low lands
are on fire, the conflagration lends a wild and peculiar beauty to
the view.
The levee at Sacramento City — with its scenes of bustling activ-
ity ; its numerous steamboats, dilapidated and otherwise ; its loco-
motive, puffing and snorting; and all the living tide of industry,
riding, driving and walking in all directions — is at length in view,
ALABASTER CAVE 283
but we have gossiped so much by the way, that we have not the
space left to devote to a city like this, holding the second rank on
the Pacific coast, and possessing a population of 14,000 souls, and
about as many objects of interest as does the City of the Bay ; so
that we content ourselves by making the best of our way to the
station, and prepare for
A RIDE ON THE SACRAMESTO VALLEY RAILROAD.
This great private enterprise and public convenience was com-
menced in March, 1855, and is the first passenger railroad built in
California. On the llth of August of the same year, the first car
was placed upon it ; and on the 3d of February, 1856, it was com-
pleted to Folsom, a distance of 22J- miles.
Leaving the depot, at the corner of K street and Levee, we con-
tinue along the eastern bank of the Sacramento river to E, street,
where a turning is made to the eastward ; then, passing the beauti-
ful gardens and cottages on the suburbs of the city, we emerge upon
a broad oak-studded plain, where the handiwork of the agricultu-
rist and richness of the soil are everywhere visible, in the luxuriant
crops seen on every side. Herds of cattle and bands of horses start
at our approach, as if to make us believe they are frightened at
the shape and speed of the puffing fiery monster that is advanc-
ing. Here we see a cross-road; yonder a "station ;" now we rum-
ble over a viaduct ; then, rattle through an excavation ; amid farm-
houses and mining settlements, gardens and orchards, until, after
a ride of an hour and a quarter, we arrive at
FOLSOM.
This is a perfect stage-coach Babel ; for, awaiting the train, we
find conveyances to almost every section of the central mines. As
our destination, now, is for the " Alabaster Cave," let us be upon
the look-out for a q.uiet-looking, open-faced (and hearted), middle-
aged man, who is patiently sitting on the box of his stage, his
good-natured countenance invitingly saying: "If there are any
ladies and gentlemen who wish a pleasant ride to-day, to ' Alabas-
ter Cave,' let them come this way, and then it shall not be my
284
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
fault if it is not one of the most agreeable they ever took." That
gentleman is Captain Nye. We ask, somewhat hastily, if his is the
conveyance for the Cave, when a bluff and kindly response is,
" Yes, sir ; but don't hurry yourself, I shall not start for a few
minutes, and the day is before us."
It may not be amiss here to remark, that the Alabaster Cave is
located on Kidd's ravine, about three-quarters of a mile from its
debouchment in the north fork of the American River; twelve
and a half miles from Folsom, by the " Whiskey Bar" road ; and
ten miles by the El Dorado Valley turnpike ; but, let us give a
table of distances from all the surrounding country.
Rattlesnake Bar, 1| miles.
Pilot Hill, 4
Gold Hill, Placer Co 6
Mormon Island, 6£ "
Auburn, 8 "
Negro Hill, G
Greenwood Valley, : 9 "
Lincoln, 9 "
Folsom, ' 10 and 12$ "
Uniontown and Coloma, ...... 16 "
FROM FOLSOM TO
Georgetown, 18 miles.
Diamond Sp's. & El Dorado City, 20 "
Iowa Hill, Placer Co. 20 "
Forest Hill, 20 "
Placerville, 23 "
Grass Valley, 30 "
Sacramento, 32| '•
Nevada,.. 34 '
Marysville, 36 "
" ALABASTEK CAVE."
As our coachman is ready, and has given the well-known sig-
nal " All aboard ;" moreover, as he has way-passengers on the El
Dorado turnpike route, and none on the former, we, of course,
give it the preference.
Erom Folsom, then, our course lies over gently-rolling hills,
with here and there an occasional bush or tree, to Mormon Island.
Here, peach-orchards and well cultivated gardens present a grate-
ful relief to the dry and somewhat dusty road.
Crossing the south fork of the American by a. long, high, and
well-built suspension-bridge, we ascend, on an easy grade, to a min-
ing camp, named Negro Hill. Threading our way among mining
claims, miners, and ditches, we pass through the town into the
open country ; where buckeye bushes — now perhaps scantily clad
in dry brown leaves, that bespeak the approach of autumn — the
ALABASTER CAVE. 285
nut pine, and the dark, rich foliage of white oaks, dot the land-
scape.
Presently we reach the foot of a long hill covered with a dense
growth of chapparel, composed mostly of chemisal bushes. As we
ascend, we feel the advantage of having an intelligent and agree-
able coachman, who not only knows but kindly explains the lo-
calities visible from the road.
From the summit of Chapparel Hill, we have a glorious pros-
pect of the country for many miles. There, is " Monte Diablo,"
sleeping in the purple distance ; yonder, " Butter's Buttes," which
bespeak at once their prominence and altitude; while the rich
valley, and the bright silvery sheen of the Sacramento and its
tributaries, are spread out in beauty before us. The descent to the
cave on the other side of the hill is very picturesque and beautiful,
from the shadowy grandeur of the groups of mountains seen in
the distance.
Arriving about noon, a good appetite will most likely be sug-
gestive of a substantial lunch, or dinner. This being quietly over,
let us indulge in a good rest before presuming to look upon the
marvels we have come to witness ; and not be like too many, who
do injustice to themselves and the sights to be seen, by attempt-
ing them hurriedly, or when the body is fatigued, and consequent-
ly the mind unfitted for the pleasing task.
ALABASTER LIME-KILN.
On leaving the hotel, it is but a short and pleasant walk to the
cave. At our right hand, a few steps before reaching it, there
is a lime-kiln — a perpetual lime-kiln — which, being interpreted,
means one in which the article in question can be continually
made, without the necessity of cooling off, as under the old method.
Here a large portion of the lime consumed in San Francisco, is
manufactured. It is hauled down to Folsom or Sacramento in
wagons, as return freight, and from thence transported below. To
see this kiln at night, in full blast, as we did, is a sight which alone
would almost repay the trouble of a visit. The redhot do*ors at
the base, with the light flashing on the faces of the men as they
286
SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
THE ALABASTER LIME-KILN BY MOONLIGHT.
stir the fire, or, " wood-up," with the flames escaping out from the
top ; and when to this is added the deep ravine, darkened by tall,
overhanging, and large-topped trees and shrubs ; while high aloft
sails the moon, throwing her silvery scintillations on every object
around, from the foliage-draped hill, to the bright little rivulet
that murmurs by — description is impossible.
At these works, there are forty barrels of lime manufactured
every twenty-four hours. To produce these, three and a half cords
of wood are consumed, costing, for cutting only, $1 75 per cord.
To haul this to the works, requires a man and team constantly.
ALABASTER CAVE. 287
Two men are employed to excavate the rock, and two more to at-
tend to the burning — relieving each other at the furnace every
twelve hours; from morn to midnight.
The rock, as will be seen in the engraving, is supplied from the
top, and is drawn from the bottom every six hours, both day and
night.
THE ENTRANCE.
When entering the cave from the road — as indicated in the en-
graving, by the group of figures opposite the two trees behind the
lime-kiln — we descend some three or four steps to a board floor.
Here is a door that is always carefully locked, when no visitors
are within. Passing on, wre reach a chamber about twenty-five
feet in length by seventeen feet in width, and from five feet to
twelve feet six inches in height. This is somewhat curious, al-
though very plain and uneven at both roof and sides. Here also
is a desk, on which is a book, inscribed, " Coral Cave Register."
This book was presented by some gentlemen of San Francisco who
believed that " Coral Cave" would be the most appropriate name.
The impression produced on our mind at the first wTalk through it,
was that "Alabaster Cave" would be equally as goo$ a name;
but, upon examining it more thoroughly afterward we thought
that — a greater proportion of the ornaments at the root of the
stalactites being like beautifully frozen mosses or very fine coral,
and the long icicle-looking pendants being more like alabaster—
the former name was to be preferred. But, as the name of " Ala-
baster" had been given to the works by Mr. Gwynn, on account
of the purity and whiteness of the limestone found, even before
the cave was discovered, we cheerfully acquiesce in the nomencla-
ture given. The register was opened April 24th, 1860, and on
our visit, September 30th ensuing, 2,721 names had been entered.
Some three or four hundred persons visited it before a register was
thought of, and many more declined entering their names ; so that
the number of persons who entered this cave the year of its dis-
covery, must have exceeded three thousand.
Advancing along another passage, or room, several notices at-
tract our eye, such as, " Please not touch the specimens," " ~No
288 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
smoking allowed," " Hands and feet off," (with feet scratched out)
— amputation of those members not intended ! The low shelving
roof, at the left and near the end of the passage, is covered with
coral-like excrescences, resembling bunches of coarse rock-moss.
This brings us to the entrance of
THE DUNGEON OF ENCHANTMENT.
Before us is a broad, oddly-shaped, and low-roofed chamber,
about one hundred and twenty feet in length by seventy feet in
breadth, and ranging from four to twenty feet in height.
Bright coral -like stalactites hang down in irregular rows, and
in almost every variety of shape and shade, from milk-white to
cream-color ; standing in inviting relief to the dark arches above,
and the frowning buttresses on either hand ; while low-browed
ridges, some almost black, others of a reddish-brown, stretch from
either side, between which the space is ornamented with a peculiar
coloring that resembles a grotesque kind of graining.
Descending toward the left, we approach one of the most beau-
tiful stalactitic groups in this apartment. Some of these are fine
pendants, XLO larger than pipe-stems, tubular, and from two to five
feet in length. Three or four there were, over eight feet long;
but 'the early admitted Yandals destroyed or carried them off.
Others resemble the ears of white elephants (if such an animal
could be known to natural history), while others, again, present
the appearance of long and slender cones, inverted.
By examining this and other groups more closely, we ascertain
that at their base are numerous coral-like excrescences of great
beauty ; here, like petrified moss, brilliant, and almost transpar-
ent ; there, a pretty fungus, tipped with diamonds ; yonder, like
minature pine-trees, which, to accommodate themselves to circum-
stances, have grown with their tops downward. In other places,
are apparent fleeces of the finest Merino wool, or floss silk.
Leaving these, by turning to the right we can ascend a ladder,
and see other combinations of such mysterious beauty as highly
to gratify and repay us. Here is the loftiest part of this chamber.
Leaving this, you arrive at a large stalagmite that resembles a
ALABASTER CAVE. 289
tying-post for horses, and which has been dignified, or mystified,
by such names as " Lot's wife" (if so, she was a very dwarf of a
woman, as its altitude is but four feet three inches, and its cir-
cumference, at the base, three feet one inch), " Hercules' club,"
" Brobdignag's fore-finger," &c.
Passing on, over a small rise of an apparently snow-congealed
or petrified floor, we look down into an immense cavernous depth,
whose roof is covered with icicles and coral, and whose sides are
draped with jet. In one of these awe-giving solitudes is suspend-
ed a heart, that, from its size, might be imagined to belong to one
of a race of human giants.
On one side of this, is an elevated and nearly level natural floor,
upon which a table and seats have been temporarily erected, for
the convenience of choristers, or for public worship. It would
have gratified us beyond measure to have heard these " vaulted
hills" resound the symphonies of some grand anthem from Mozart,
or Haydn, or Mendelssohn. Many of the pendant harps would
have echoed them in delicious harmonies from chamber to cham-
ber, and carried them around, from roof to wall, throughout the
whole of these rock-formed vistas.
We must not linger here too long, but enter other little cham-
bers, in whose roofs are formations that resemble streams of water
that have been arrested in their flow, and turned to ice. In anoth-
er, a perfectly formed beet, from one point of view ; and from
another, the front of a small elephant's head. A beautiful bell-
shaped hollow, near here, is called "Julia's bower!"
Advancing along a narrow, low-roofed passage, we emerge into
the most beautiful chamber of the whole suite, entitled
THE CRYSTAL CHAPEL.
It is impossible to find suitable language or comparisons with
which to describe this magnificent spot. From the beginning, we
have felt that we were almost presumptuous in attempting to por-
tray these wonderful scenes ; but, in the hope of inducing others
to see, with their natural eyes, the sights that we have seen, and
enjoy the pleasure that we have enjoyed, we entered upon the task,
19
290 SCENES IN CALIFOKNIA.
even though inadequately, of giving an outline — nothing more.
Here, however, we confess ourselves entirely at a loss. Miss
Maude Neeham, a young lady visitor from Yreka, has succeeded
in giving an admirable idea of this sublime sight, in some excel-
lent drawings, made upon the spot ; two of which we have en-
graved, and herewith present to the reader.
The sublime grandeur of this imposing sight fills the soul with
astonishment, that swells up from within as though its purpose
was to make the beholder speechless — the language of silence be-
ing the most fitting and impressive, when puny man treads the
great halls of nature, the more surely to lead him, humbly, from
these, to the untold glory of the Infinite One, who devised the
laws, and superintended the processes, that brought such wonders
into being.
After the mind seems prepared to examine this gorgeous spec-
tacle somewhat in detail, we look upon the ceiling, if we may
so speak, which is entirely covered with myriads of the most
beautiful of stone icicles, long, large, and brilliant; between these,
are squares, or panels — the mullions or bars of which seem to be
formed of diamonds ; while the panels themselves resemble the
frosting upon windows in the very depth of winter ; and even these
are of many colors — that most prevailing being of a light pinkish-
cream. Moss, coral, floss, wool, trees, and many other forms, adorn
the interstices between the larger of the stalactites. At the far-
ther end is one vast mass of rock, resembling congealed water,
apparently formed into many folds and little hillocks ; in many
instances connected by pillars with the roof above. Deep down,
and underneath this, is the entrance by which we reached this
chamber.
At our right stands a large stalagmite, dome-shaped at the top,'
and covered with beautifully undulating and wavy folds. Every
imaginary gracefulness possible to the most curiously arranged
drapery, is here visible, " carved in alabaster" by the Great Archi-
tect of the universe. This is named " The Pulpit."
In order to examine this object with more minuteness, a tempo-
rary platform has been erected, which, although detractive of the
ALABASTER CAVE.
291
THE CRYSTAL CHAPEL, IN ALABASTER CAVE.
general effect, in our opinion, affords a nearer and better view of
all these remarkable objects in detail.
This spectacle, as well as the others, being brilliantly illumina-
ted, the scene is very imposing, and reminds one of those highly-
292 SCENES IN CALIFORNIA.
wrought pictures of the imagination, painted in such charming
language, and with such good effect, in such works as the " Ara-
bian Nights."
Other apartments, known as the " Picture Gallery," &c., might
detain us longer ; but, as they bear a striking resemblance, in many
respects, to other scenes already described, we must take our leave,
in the hope that we have said enough to enlist an increased atten-
tion in favor of this new California wonder.
The ride being agreeable, the fare cheap, the coachman oblig-
ing, the guides attentive, and the spectacle one of the most sin-
gular and imposing in the state, we say to every one, " Go and
see it"
Those who prefer going by railroad from San Francisco to
Sacramento instead of by water, can make choice of two routes :
First, via the California Pacific Railroad as foltows : — Taking
steamboat at Yallejo Street wharf at 8 o'clock A. M. and at 3 : 30
p. M., arriving at Yallejo in about two hours. Thence by C. P.
R.R. to Sacramento, arriving at 12 : 15 o'clock p. M. and at 7 : 45.
p. M. Distance 85 miles, 25 by steamboat and 60 by railway.
Fare $3. Second, via the Western Pacific Railroad, through
Stockton to Sacramento, as follows : — Start from Alameda Ferry
at 8 o'clock A. M. and at 4 p. M., reach Oakland in thirty
minutes. Thence by "W. P. R.R. to Sacramento, arriving at 2
o'clock P. M. and 10 p. M. Distance 138 miles, 8 by steamboat
and 130 by railway. Fare $3. Both routes are picturesque and
full of interesting changes of scenery.
ERRATA.
On page 92, 10th line from top of page, leave out, " Here we change horses."
" 115, for " 2550," read " 2634."
" 130, 15th line from top of page, "CEnothera" should come after "primroses."
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