7.T^ A oV 4 o ^^-^^^ -yi^ %^ 4 o \.^ o > ■' » , ^ \ '' *' ^> .^ .^••^''A^^^: .^^ v air fjweff aJjoi^e the f'aUei/ level. 'I the tuuJtof/et/ierto/i'/ul ftei>atio a/jore the S fa . l'alleL//jCL>eL <^tJOtJ/t ahoue -be // .0 v>»»- .^^SOTTTJI on '.r.jrtl <>: H- M- BY. THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC, What to see, and How to see it. BY JOHN ERASTUS LESTER, AUTHOR OF "the YQ-SEMITE : ITS HISTORYj ITS SCENERY, ITS DEVELOPMENT.' fTHiyt BOSTON: j SHEPARD AND GILL. 1873. lObiEMITE MmM. SCALE J Mcuifr s^r* r.^i. * <». . - ^^^. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, By SHEPARD & GILL, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. << Stereotyped by C. J. Peters & Son, 5 Washington Street. TO THEOPHILUS E. sickels, General Superintendent and Engineer of the Union Pacific R.R. hx ilHemorg at PLEASANT DAYS PASSED IN THE EAST, AS WELL AS IN THE WEST. PEEFAOE. Ik searcli of health, in the early spring of 1872, I turned my face from the Atlantic to the Pa- cific ; and in the following pages I propose to tell of my journey. The task which I have allotted to myself is to so inform my readers, that, should they journey to California, they would know " what to see, and how to see it." Many circumstances conspired to give me pecu- liar advantages for learning of the people who dwell there, as well as for viewing tlie country, and beholding the magnificent scenery. These advantages I trust I have turned to account in forming correct judgments. Parts of this book have appeared in The Providence Uvenin// Press^ in a series of letters under the caption of "Across the Continent:" 6 PBEFACB. but they have been thoroughly revised ; and de- scriptions of Colorado, and of gold and silver min- ing, forming several chapters, have been added. A full Appendix, containing much useful informa- tion, has also found a place in the volume. There are very many Americans familiar with Europe, who know of our Great West only by hearsa}^ ; and there are many people, who, if they could only be informed upon the way to make the trip, would gladly set out for the Pacific ; and there are others who can find only time and means to read of the journey. To these several classes I have tried to address myself. A book has been described as " a letter to one's unknown friends ; " and it is with that spirit that this little volume is sent forth on its mission. J. E. L. Providexce, April, 1873. "Westward ! CHAPTER I. General Plan of the Letters. — The Several Routes from the East to Chicago. — The Erie Road. I PROPOSE^ in a series of letters, to describe not only the points of interest in a journey to California, but to speak of the way to see them. The Eastern man, riding npon an express-train, with head full of plans for money- making, sees little of the country. A Western man travels upon slower trains ; and his object is to observe the advantages and peculiarities of the country, both with an eye to investment, and to give information to others. To accomplish any result in gaining facts by railroad travel, one should study well the history and geography of the States through which the road passes ; then the location of towns, of rivers, and hills, as well as the general characteristics of the country, will be ob- 7 8 THE ATLANTIC served and remembered. A little time thus employed before beginning a journey often saves mucli disappoint- ment, and really changes what otherwise would have been a very disagreeable ride to a pleasant journey. In starting for California, one must study well his journey, and decide his route to Omaha; for to this point the various lines all compete for favor. There are three lines to Chicago, — the Erie, New- York Central, and the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the connecting lines of each. From Boston or Providence one can reach Albany over the old route, and there connect with the train from New York. The morning trains out of New York all carry draw- ing-room and sleeping cars, which make the journey much more pleasant. The Erie Road offers man}^ attractions. Its coaches are very wide, elegant, and, for easy riding, unsurpassed. These, added to the beauty of the scenery, make it a desirable route. The road passes along the Delaware River, often far above its waters, with mountains towering upon either side ; their faces now cleft from solid rocks, now covered with fine forests. Then, again, the road runs along its bank, the rich bottom-lands stretching far away. From Port Jervis to Susquehanna, we run along this river, TO THE PACIFIC. 9 then we enter the valley of the Susquehanna River; and a richer country than from here to Hornellsville you cannot find. Broad fields, rolling uplands, neat farm- houses, meet the view on every side. The road, just before it reaches Binghampton, passes over the Starucca Valley, one of the most picturesque places I have ever visited. This valley reminds one of Lyndwyllyn in Wales. From Hornellsville, by an uninteresting ride, Buffalo is reached, where the Lake-shore Eoad starts for Cleveland, from whence lines diverge west and south-west. Niagara Falls and Suspension Bridge are reached from Buffalo. We reach Chicago, and find ourselves in the busy, hurrying, noisy marts of trade. Although her business- houses were nearly all destroyed by the great fire, tem- porary structures were erected, to which merchandise t>f every kind poured in from the East ; our faith being un- shaken that Chicago must be a great city, the key to the great Korth-west. Now many permanent buildings are already erected, and nearly ready for occupancy. Some are architecturally fine ; but it seems that the peo- ple are determined to build more substantially than before, expending less in mere ornamentation. Wan- dering around through streets once familiar to us, we often lost our way ; and, had the walls of the court- house not remained, there would not have been any 10 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. thing to tell us of this once famed section of the city. Trade will undoubtedly be somewhat changed ; two of the largest dry-goods firms having moved west nearly a mile from^the once centre of this interest. Wabash Avenue will undoubtedly be the Broadway of the city ; State will have the banks ; and the streets run- ning west between Lake and Van Buren, as far as the river, will all be built up with business-houses, thus spreading trade over a much larger space, and equalizing values of real estate. Such pluck and energy were never before shown by the business-men of a city seem- ingly so utterly destroyed as was Chicago by the fire. Most of the merchants to whom credit was given have kept their promises ; and business is seemingly in a healthy condition. To connect with the lines west from Chicago, leave ISTew York by the night-trains over either road, reaching that city the second morning after, in time for the early trains, which are the regular Pacific expresses. Leaving by the morning expresses out of New York, it will be better to stay over in Chicago, where a day or two can be very pleasantly passed in looking over the track of the fire. But we must push on westward towards Omaha, that wonder in citf/-hm\dmg. CHAPTER 11. The Three Routes from Chicago to Omaha. — A Ride through Northern Iowa. From Chicago yon start upon the jonrney west, and have the choice of three routes, all reaching Council Bluffs about the same time. The North-western, the Rock Island, and the Burlington and Quincy Roads offer about equal advantages ; and, as these companies share equally the profits of the through business, competition, which so well serves the public, is lacking. The first road crosses the Mississippi at Clinton, the second at Rock Island, and the last at Burlington. As I desired to see the rich corn-lands of Iowa, I chose the first, and took the 9.45, p.m., train, and, having given the porter directions to call me at the river, retired to a cleanly- looking bed, and was soon a^sleep. The light was just bret^king in the east when we looked out of the car-window. We soon reached Fulton, and crossed the river to Clinton. The bridge is in two sections ; an island about the centre of the river dividing 11 12 THE ATLANTIC it. The first section is of iron, the last of wood, both together more than a mile in length. This point is about two tliousancl miles from the mouth of the river, which is navigable for more than four hundred miles farther north, — noble river, bearing upon its bosom the products of the rich valley in its march to old ocean ! From Clinton to Mt. Vernon we pass through the " garden of Iowa." The comfortable brick and frame houses, the well-built barns, the fences, the sleek cattle, all smack of thrift and wealth. Here the land is roll- ing, well watered, and as productive as on the prairies of Illinois. They say out here, that when a farmer gets his lands paid for, and a little ahead, he builds a hrlck house. This section is by far the fairest I have seen West, and reminds one of the country seen in passing from Liverpool to London. After we reach Cedar Eiver, the characteristics of the country change. Cedar Rapids is a busy place, where the river offers good facilities for water-power. Leaving this place, we reach again j)i'airie-lands. For the last two hundred miles, the wheat looks well ; and the farm- ers are hurrying in their corn. Through Indiana and Illinois the wheat was badly winter-killed 5 and the j)oor prospects for a crop have sent up the price. The low price of corn has forced the farmers into raising swine. The corn now in store is placed in tern- TO THE PACIFIC. 13 porary cribs erected along the line of the raih'oad. At one pLace there were more than a hundred thousand bushels thus piled to be shipped East. Marshall, a town of some importance, two hun- dred and eighty-nine miles west of Chicago, suffered from a terrible fire on Saturday last, when the ele- vator, depot, hotels, and several stores, were de- stroyed. This was the terminus of the road until the Union Pacific was begun ; and from here to " The Bluffs" we are in a new country, passing through prairies where plough has never been, and with only here and there a dwelling. Along the old stage-road you see the " schooners," as they call the emigrant wagons, wending their way west. Along with them are sturdy men and women who are to develop the country. One must bear in mind that we are passing along a section which was, but a few years ago, an unknown land, whose hidden wealth is now to be brought forth to add to the unprecedented prosperity of the Great West. Passing along by Colo, one is in the section of the great tornado of last year ; and a gentleman familiar with the country told me that the ^^ wind blew so hard here, that it would open a jack-knife in one's pocket." I cannot say that he gave me a very good idea by his description. 14 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. One meets the dwellers from the east of the Missis- sippi, going to the Far West, because Illinois and Ohio have become too thickly settled, as thej^ say. They all seemed bent upon the mission of developing the re- sources of the country, and to do this are willing to leave their homes. There was upon our train a gentle- man, some eighty years old, who emigrated to the North-west before there were any States called Ohio, Illinois, or Indiana ; and to hear the old pioneer recount his adventures was very interesting. He was now going upon a journey to the West, to visit some of his grand- children, of whom he had twenty-eight scattered through the country around. But we are nearing "The Bluffs;" the great Missouri is to be crossed ; and we must prepare to disembark from this car, for as yet no satisfactory arrangement has been made to take the cars of the Eastern roads across the bridge. The opening of the Northern Pacific will per- haps force the Union to better serve its patrons. Our train is slowing for this city of the Indian councils held in the days before railroads were known. CHAPTER III. The Cities of Council Bluffs and Omaha at First Sight. To make close connection with tlie train upon the Union-Pacific Eoad, we must leave Chicago upon the morning express. As there is some difficulty in making close connections from east of New York, it is better to stay over at Chicago, rest, and then take a fresh start. By all means avoid the night-express out of Chicago, if you consult your ease in travelling. Upon the day- trains, you will have a chance to examine one of these odd contrivances, a hotel-car. the seat of Pottawattomie County, Iowa, is situated about three miles east of the river. The Missouri here, as all along its course, is the same treacherous stream, changing its channel so often, that navigation is extremely difficult and dangerous. The city contains some ten thousand people, and is the oldest and largest in Western Iowa. Formerly, and as early as 1846, it 15 16 THE ATLANTIC was called Kauosville, and was chiefly peopled b}' Mormons. From the circumstance that here the ex- plorers Lewis and Clarke held a council with the Indians, it was named, in the charter of incorporation, Council Bluffs ; but the people round about always call the place " The Bluffs." It is the western terminus of the Eastern roads, and has made a hard fight for the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific. For the time being, this difficulty, which has made so much trouble between the two cities, is allayed by introducing a new corporation, called the "Transfer Company," whose province is to put passengers to all sorts of incon- venience and trouble in crossing over the river. More routes to California will remedy this, as well as other annoyances. The several newspapers published here, a seminary for young ladies, a high school, good district schools, and many fine churches, all contribute to the welfare of the people. Crossing the river upon a fine bridge built upon iron caissons sunken in the river-bed, and resting upon solid rock, we are set down in the wonderful city of OMAHA. It is situated about fifty feet above the river at high- TO THE PACIFIC. 17 water mark, and contains a population estimated at from ten to twelve thousand people. So changing is its popu- lation, that there can be but little dependence put in the figures stated. In its palmier days, probably there were sixteen thousand people gathered here : to-day I hardly believe there are more tlian nine thousand. It was the first capital of the State, as it was, indeed, the first settlement made in the Territory. A. D. Jones and a few other squatters were here in 1854 ; and, some time in that year, he was appointed postmaster, and immediately opened an office " in the crown of his hat." Riding over the prairies, or strolling about the infant settle- ment, he would deliver the letters which had collected in tlie "'office." The town began to gain in 1859; and the commencement of the Union Pacific gave it fresh means for increase ; and day b}^ day it grew at wonder- ful speed. Stores and houses, hotels and " saloons." were erected ; and a few months saw the straggling settlement a busy, humming citj^, over-crowded with ad- venturers. All the material for the building of the railroad was shipped from here : so that material wealth was added to the city. As the road pushed west, the villages which were established took away the popula- tion of the city ; and graduallj^ tlie place lost its over- crowded look ; demand for buildings ceased ; and to-day the city is quite a tame afiair, with more unoccupied 2* 18 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. buildings than I ever before saw in any one place. The great hotel erected by the " quixotic Train " is closed ; and it would seem that the dreams and hopes of "- this modern philosopher " were not to be realized. But, not- withstanding all this, the place is a wonderful example of what can be done in this country in the way of city building in the short space of eight years. Along the streets there are some substantial brick buildings ; but, for the most part, they are one-story framed houses. The military department of the Platte has its head- quarters here. The barracks are located about three miles north of the city, were established in 1868, and can accommodate a thousand men. This is a fine place to see the elite of the city, who drive out to witness the reviews upon pleasant days. From the descriptions which I had read, I expected to find a little more of the " substantial " in the place. Passable streets surely might have been expected ; but mud and filth quite prevent walking, and almost forbid riding. Of course, during the summer the streets be- come dry ; but some means should be devised to make them passable for persons on foot. Just at the depot upon the starting of the train west at half-past eleven, A.M., and the arrival of the train at half-past one, p.m., there is all the bustle and confusion of a great railroad junction. CHAPTEE IV. What is seen and heard in the First Day's Journey upon the Union Pacific — The Stations. — The Indians. — Our Food. — The State of Nebraska. At Omaha our journey upon the Union-Pacific Koad begins. But one train leaves daily, running through to the Pacific. Taking a section in a Pullman car, we are entitled to enjoy a drawing-room by day, and a bed by night. These cars are comfortable, cleanly, and the attaches, for the most part, polite and accommodating. A throng of strange faces are around us ; and all are busily engaged in preparations for the journey. ^' All aboard ! " is cried : a whistle from the engine is heard ; the train moves ; and we are off for the Far West. Por three or four miles we pass along the bluffs upon which Omaha is built, and then push out into the open prairie, the fertile lands of Nebraska. A vast plain, dotted here and there with trees, stretches away upon everj^ side. Upon this broad prairie, at long intervals, the cabin of the hardy frontiersman is seen, and now 19 20 THE ATLANTIC and then a sturdy yeoman^ with team of four, breaking up the rich soil for the first planting. We pass -Gilmore, and reach Papillion, where the train from the West awaits us upon the siding. Run- ning along the Elkhorn River, we soon come in view of the hills to the south-west, w]iich hound the Platte Valley; and, just before reaching Fremont, we catch our first view of the Platte River, along the banks of which, now upon the left, and then crossing to the right, we keep our way as far as North Platte. The old emigrant road followed this valley, and crossed the river at old " Shinn's Ferry," near the station of Lone Tree. Our day's journey brings us to Grand Island, named i?fter an island in the Platte. Some five hundred people are gathered here, many connected with the rail- road. This is an "eating station." So far, our ride has been pleasant ; and we have become acquainted with each other. In our car we have the genial Langford of Montana, who has so graphicall}^ described for us the Yellowstone Valley ; a corps of engineers going out upon the line of the Northern Pacific to push forward that highway througli that hitherto unexplored region ; several ladies from our own city; gentlemen from New York and Boston, Chicago, and the Western cities, — all genial, and all readj'- to contribute to the happiness of each other. TO THE PACIFIC. 21 Two other Pullmans are ahead of our car, each filled with tourists. As the evening came on. the ladies and gentlemen of the " Berger-family Troupe '' visited our car, and gave us a concert, both vocal and instrumental. Our car contains an organ, in as good order as the jarring will permit, for our entertainment. Music sounds upon the prairie, and dies away far over the plains ; merry-making and jokes, conversation and reading, pass the time pleasantly till ten. o'clock, when we retire, to awake in the morning far out on the "plains." We reach Sydney for breakfast, and push on to Bushnell, where we leave Nebraska. While in Europe, I was often asked if I had seen a "wild Indian," — one who carried a tomahawk, painted his face, and wore feathers in his cap. To the common people in the rural districts of England, their idea of the people of America is, tliat we all are " Indians," and they all evince great desire to see them ; while among the better classes you are closely questioned about the red men of the forests. Of course, we could give but a faint idea of a " wild Indian ; " and we have not been helped by the sight of the few "Pawnee" who came around us at Grand Island, saying, " Good squaw ! " "Good Injun ! " "Give five cents ! " We have passed through the length of the great State 22 THE ATLANTIC of Nebraska, over wliose broad acres tbe fleet antelope runs, and tbe little prairie-dog digs its boles, and makes its cities. The broad valleys furnish immense grazing- fields ; the river-bottoms, rich farming-lands ; and the high ground along the road, sites for towns and villages. As the road pushed out from Omaha, each place, for a time, became the terminus, and was the point where con- gregated all the roughs and desperadoes. A large town would grow up in a few weeks, and in as short a time pass away ; the deserted houses and cabins now telling of departed glory and ruined business. Through the State we follow along near the path over which the pioneers of 1848 pushed on to the gold-fields of California, and whose track is marked here and there by the solitary graves of those whose strength failed. Between the settlers over the prairies and Omaha people, there is great antipathy, caused by the unbounded growth of the city. The sturdy farmer tells you of the great sins of the " Omahogs ; " and in the city they sing their own praise, and speak of all the State outside as peopled with " Nebraskals." At Antelope, four liundred and fifty-one miles west of Omaha, we have our first view of the Rocky Mountains, whose snow-capped peaks rise high above the Black Hills, often hiding themselves in the clouds. To these mountains we look anxiously, as they seem impassable ; TO THE PACIFIC. 23 and we await with eager eye to behold the triumph of the engineer who has laid the track for the iron horse over their very summit. Many who have written of their journey have praised the " eating stations," as they are called ; but to us the food is ill cooked and poorly served. A free ticket to dinner may have found aroma in the cup of chiccory, comfort in the burned steak, and solace in the black bread. The company would favor their patrons by re- forming this part of their service. Still, do not take a lunch-basket ; for it is always in the way. A man who had such an institution, from which every now and then was taken the rich food for the repast, to the evident discomfort of the other passengers, with a devilled ham, a devilled chicken, a devilled turkey and all the fixings, tired at last with carrying about the great basket, ex- claimed, '' Wife, I wish all these devilled things were to the Devil!'' But we are already out of Nebraska ; and we must make our notes of the young Territory of Wyoming. CHAPTEE V. The Territory of Wyoming. — The Rocky Mountains. — Sherman, the Highest Raih-oad Point on the Continent. — Laramie City. — The Woman Jury. — Great and Little Laramie Plains. We now enter the young Territory of Wyoming; and in a ride of thirty-five miles we reach Cheyenne. We have passed through the Lodge Pole Creek Yalle}^, which abounds with herds of antelope, and where are found deer, bears, and wolves. Just before we reach the city, we see directly before us the Rocky Mountains, which stand, with their huge, dark sides against the sky. Fifty miles to the south of Hillsdale, on the South Platte River, is the often-described Fremont grove of cotton wood- trees. This city of Cheyenne is the terminus of the second division of the road (the first extending to North Platte), and is also the junction of the Denver Pacific Railroad. A few houses around the de236t, the company's buildings, and a few scattered over the plain, form the city, where, a few years ago, a defiant mob held sway, 24 TO THE rACIFIC. 25 and all the roughs from the States fouud a home. This station is the nearest to Fort Russell: so that we see many of Uncle Sam's boys who have come in to wel come their friends from the East. This place is five hundred and sixteen miles from Omaha, twelve hundred and sixty from Sacramento, and a hundred and ten from Denver. On the 4th of July, 1867, a single house occupied the site of the city ; whicli afterwards, at one time, had six thousand inhabit- ants. Two papers are published here; and the people tell you that this is to become a large city. But I apprehend that the removal of the military post would witness the downfall of Cheyenne as a great city, al- though it must, for a long time, remain as the dis- tributing depot for the freight destined for Colorado and New Mexico. Many of our friends leave us here ; and, amid many adieus, the signal is given for us to start for the summit of the mountains. We now begin to go up hill b}'- a steep grade ; and we pass the quarries in Granite Union Canon at seven thousand two hundred and ninety-eight feet elevation. Wild, rugged, and grand are the hills which surround us. Two engines, with difficulty, are drawing our train up the mountain-side. Away from us on every hand float great masses of vapor, out of which, now and then, 26 THE ATLANTIC come the snow-clad hill-tops. Again, all is one sea of fleecy cloucls, to which we seem so near, that we could reach the floating mass. To the south-west, above the broad, dark line, rise the sunlit sides of Long's Peak. Never, till this moment, did I realize the truthfulness of Bierstadt's scenery of these hills. The dark, deep shad- ow, the glistening sides, and the snow-capped peaks, with their granite faces, the stunted growth of pine and cedar, all render the scene such as he has painted it. Snow-banks twelve feet deep are along the road ; and in the ravines between the mountains it must be much deeper. By slow stages we reach Sherman, at an eleva- tion of eight thousand two hundred and forty- two feet above tide-water. This point is a mile and a half above the water in Narragansett Bay ; and here the rail- road reaches its highest elevation on this continent. A severe storm prevails ; and, if one should desire to paint desolation, here is the scene for him. The necessities of the road alone keep a few people about the station. In the distance are seen Long's and Pike's Peaks, with the Elk Mountains to the north. At this point the air is so rarified, that there is some difficulty in breatliing ; but still all the time while the train is here ought to be occupied in walking about the station, observing the different rock-formations and the little mountain-flowers, which, with their tiny TO THE PACIFIC. 27 blooms, greet the eye of the tourist, reminding him of their more gaudy sisters which dwell in the valleys. There have been formed and classified some three hun- dred varieties of plants upon the plateaus called Chey- enne and Laramie Plains. From Sherman to Laramie the train runs without steam, down a grade of forty-seven and a half feet per mile, controlled by the air-brake. Dale-Creek Bridge is a noble piece of trestle-work, one hundred and twenty-six feet high, spanning a picturesque valley, through which trickles the creek. Now the fantastic red sandstone rocks appear, rearing their spires, domes, and castles from fi.ve hundred to a thousand feet above us upon the hillsides. The water, having washed away the loose material, has left the hard rock, whose form has named a station, — Eed Buttes. To the south we see the mountain-range of Medicine Bow, among whose deep serrated sides are found the springs which feed the Laramie E-iver. We are now approaching Laramie City, — the end of a division, the proposed site of extensive railroad-shops, and quite a busy place, the natural outlet of the Lara- mie Plain, which is now opened up as a great grazing field, over which even now thousands of cattle are roaming. Several churches, schools, and a paper, tell of pros- 28 THE ATLANTIC perity. The people around the station are more intelli- gent-looking than at any other place since leaving Omaha. A good hotel has been erected by the com- pany ; and you have here a good meal, both well cooked and well served. This is the place where sat the first jury of women the world ever witnessed, who heard and decided a cause under the forms of law. It is said that they all invoked Heaven's aid in making up their verdict. How far the household duties were neglected during the trial is not told ; but their obedient husbands, who staid at home to mind the children, sang away the hours with, — " Nice little baby, don't get in a fury, 'Cause mamma's gone to sit on the jury." Laramie Plain is a broad expanse of country of great fertility, well watered by the river and by a fine clear lake. Flowers of before unseen shape and color cover the fields, furnishing a gay carpet for the lovely land- scape around us. At this station, and all west of here, we shall see the "John Chinamen"' as road -hands. We pass Lookout, Kock Creek, Como, from eafch of which places the broad rolling prairies stretch far away. We now strike into the coal-country 5 and at Carbon Station some three hundred men are employed, bringing to the surface the hitherto unknown coal-deposits for ship- TO THE PACIFIC. 29 meiit as far east as Omaha. During the night we pass out of this region ; and morning finds us upon the banks of Green River, where begins the Little Laramie Phun. Green-river Station is now a deserted city, once a noted station on the overland road, from which point many an exploring expedition has started forth. A poor breakfast is taken at this place ; and, after a stop of thirty minutes, we push away to the west. The sun has risen brightly upon this sabbath day, to liglit up the deep ravines through which we are to find our way down into the Salt Lake Basin. We have ar- ranged to hold a service commemorative of the day ; and, amid the grand scenery of these everlasting hills, our praises will go up to " Him who has created all things." 3* CHAPTEE VL Sabbath in the Eocky Mountains. — Services in a Car going Twenty Miles per Hour. — Evanston. — Echo and Weber Can- ons. — The Wahsatch Mountains. — The City of Ogden. The country for some miles is very uninviting, barren hills and sage-busli land meeting tlie eye on all sides. Passing Bryan station, the next, Granger, is in Utah Territory. The ride to Evanston is very interesting. The time having arrived, friends from the other cars come into ours, and with the conductor, porters, and train-men, fill every seat. SABBATH SERVICE. By request, I read the Episcopal service appropriate for the day, and, after this, the sermon delivered by Eev. Mr. Murray of Boston, on the subject, " To die is gain." The hymn, " When, Lord, to this our western land," 30 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. ^1 was then read; after which a select choir, composed of members of the troupe, sang, — " Nearer, my God, to thee," and several other familiar tunes, closing with our na- tional hymn. Our services lasted nearly two hours ; and the closest attention was given by all the passengers and officers, who deemed it a privilege to observe the holy day. Here, in the very midst of the Rocky-mountain wilder- ness, our thanksgivings were offered up ; and our music floated out upon the air, and resounded through the deep caverns, and among the towering hills. Seldom have services been held under such circumstances ; and seldom have worshippers been more profoundly im- pressed by the scenes about them. Grand and solemn stood the everlasting hills, witnesses of our devotion. EVANSTOX. We dined here from bountifully-spread tables, and pushed on for Wahsatch, just beyond, which is the en- trance to Echo Caiion. Passing through a tunnel seven luindred and seventy feet long, dug into a hill of sand- stone, we enter the North Fork. Around, the hills rise abruptly on every side ; deep dark canons dividing them. We see the towering, castle-like rocks which 32 THE ATLANTIC stand up out of the liills ; we rusli on through the ever- narrowing canon until it becomes only a mere gorge, down which Echo Creek dashes, marking out the track for the road. It seems that God himself had designed this to be the gateway through which we were to en- ter the valley. Castle Hock, Hanging Hock, Pulpit Rock, towering cliffs and receding liills, open up to view as the train speeds its way. At the narrowest part of the ravine, on the top of the towering cliffs, you can still see the fortifications erected by the Mor- mons in the year 1857 ; but happily the liuge bowlders were never used for the destruction of our troops, and now only mar the landscape, — a monument of folly. Away to the south now open in full view the snow- clad Wahsatch Mountains, among whose springs the Weber River takes its rise, and flows into Salt Lake, near Ogden. As we come to the river, it seems that there is not room enough for both railroad and river, so narrow is the j^ass ; but man has conquered, the very mountains furnishing a safe road-bed. Echo City is just beyond this narrow pass ; and as it is tlie centre of a fertile region, with the several rivers furnishing fisli in abundance, the place seems destined to gain some im- portance. Weber Canon is now entered ; and for miles the track is laid along the banks of the dashing, foaming, angry TO THE PACIFIC. 33 stream. High mountains bound this ravine on each side, and in many places the road-bed is cut out of the hillside. Every step presents new wonders. The rocks, by their volcanic action, have assumed peculiar forms ; often the strata, standing perpendicularly from the hills, having the appearance of huge walls. Tliese serrated rocks at one point are called " The Devil's Slide." A large thrifty pine, whose giant form was reared long before the hardy pioneers toiled through the pass, long before the Mormons came here, and long before a railroad was dreamed of, marks a thousand miles west from Omaha. There it stands, a solitary sentinel, tell- ing to every passing traveller the same tale of home far away. Occasionally we catch glimpses of the peculiar yellow stone which has rendered famous large sections far to the north, now made forever a public park, a national playground. Granite, slate, conglomerate, sandstone, and limestone, are all seen in a journey through these hills. Just where the river is forced between two great walls of rock into a foaming, boiling current which rushes madly on, the road crosses the stream, and we soon emerge into the fertile plain of Salt-lake Yalley. The Wahsatch Mountains are now passed, and we see on either side the well-tilled farms of the Mormon settle- 34 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. ments. A short ride takes us to Ogden, the junction of the two Pacific roads. OGDEN. This is a city of four thousand souls, mostly Mor- mons, and seems, from its situation, to be destined for a large town. But our train has now stopped, and the conductor announces that passengers going west must change cars. Having decided to go to Salt Lake City, we leave the car, which for nearly three days has been our home, where ties of friendship have been formed which will last through life, and take our place in the cars of the Utah Central Railroad. " Good-by ! '' is said ; a ^^ God bless you ! " breathed ; and we part with many of our friends, whose duties call another way. Some propose going to the city of the " Saints : " so we are not quite alone. At the signal, we start off along the banks of the lake, nearly south ; and, having passed the pretty settlement of Farmington, a ride of two hours, and thirty-six miles, brings us to this city of a peculiar growth and development. Here let us rest for a day. CHAPTER VII. Salt Lake City, its Situation, its People, the Buildings. — The Mormons, their Houses of Worship, and Schools. — Brigham Young. — The Future of Utah. My former letters have been penned upon the cars, riding at the rate of twenty miles per liour, this in the city of the '' Saints/' known as SALT LAKE CITY. Approaching the town, the first object which meets our view is the huge roof, oval in form, of the tabernacle ; then the groves of trees, blooming in almost tropical luxuriance; and then, as we draw nearer, the adobe houses of the farmers ; and, when within the city limits, the cottages of the people, nestled among their apple and peach orchards. In the mellow twilight of the sabbath day, the great snow-clad mountains, whose weird forms rise on every side of the valley ; the houses of the rich Mormon trader; 35 36 THE ATLANTIC the cottages suiTounded by luxuriant gardens ; broad streets, along either side of which rippled a little brook- let ; long blocks of stores ; the walls of the Mormon houses of worship, with the people who abide here going and coming, — are the sights we see in riding from the depot to our hotel. In journeying across the continent, it is better for one to stop over for a few days in this city, as well for rest, as to see this interesting place, and also to make preparation for the balance of the trip ; for, if not al- ready provided therewith, a little gold will be required to pa}^ for meals and other unavoidable expenses. The house to live at is the Townsend, where guests will find a genial landlord and a gentlemanly clerk. The table is well supplied with the best of the market; the rooms are cleanly, and the attention good. Befreshed by rest and sleep, we start out to •' do " this city, to which of late so much attention has been given. The town is located upon a spur of the Wah- satch mountains, the northern part of the city being well upon the '^ bench," from which a glorious view is had of the rest of the town and adjoining country. The city was settled July 24, 1847, by Brigham Young and his followers, who, driven from Nauvoo, had j)ushed westward through the wilds of what is now Iowa, and '♦^ss the plains, through the mountain-defiles, into this TO THE PACinC. 37 valley. This band of religious zealots soon organized a government, calling their State " Deseret " * electing Mr. Young president, — a title and office which he holds to this day. As is well known, he was governor of Utah for many years, until 1857, during which time he did much towards developing the Territory, whose sixty- five thousands of square miles include farm-lands, great inland seas, wild mountain-ranges, and rich mines of gold, silver, lead, and iron. The valley in which this city is situated is bounded on the east by the Wahsatch, and on the \Yest by the Oquirrh mountains, through which deep caiions extend, the only doors of ingress and egress. To the east are Emigrant and Parley Passes, through the former of which the Mormons came into the valley. As we came out of Echo Canon, the old stage-road left the railroad, and turned off to the south, following the Weber Kiver, and entering the Salt Lake Valley by the first-mentioned canon. Standing in the main street, and looking south-east, we see Little Cottonwood Canon, wdiere is located the Emma Mine, which is now considered the richest argentiferous galena deposit in the world. To the west we see Brigham Pass, where mines exist rich in golden treasure. Kuss Valley mines are well known ; * This name signfies the land of the honey-bee. 4 38 THE ATLANTIC and, indeed, every canon and every mountain-side pre- sent great inducements to the hardy miner. From all the streets, the mountains are seen, some snow-capped all the year ; and from some points the lake and River Jordan are in view. The hills are well wooded; maple, pine, and oak abounding, and good building material, — sandstone and a hornblende gran- ite, of which they are erecting the " temple." The streets are all at right angles, broad, well-shaded, and to some extent graded. Many good and substan- tial structures have been erected; and .the dwellings which contain the twenty-two thousand people are com- fortable and neat, some of them being elegant mansions. Outwardly, comfort and prosperity are seen. Tlie stores are well stocked with merchandise ; and not only can you find the needful, but Luxury has gathered many of her votaries around her here, to the peril of the young Mormon girls and boys. The church people try to prevent their Gentile brothers from opening shops within the town, which they trusted Nature had so de- fended that they would alone occupy it, undisturbed by those not of their faith. That the Mormons may know their friends, by an edict of the church a sign is placed over the stores, upon which is painted a larcje eye, with the words, "Holiness to the Lord. Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution." Here the followers are ex- TO THE PACIFIC. 39 pected to trade: but competition will soon break down the barrier ; and each will go where he can buy cheap- est and of the best. Fortunately, next morning after our arrival was to be May-day for the children : so a good Mormon said to us, "I wish you would go down and see if poly-ga-mous children are not as good as mono-ga-mous children" (as he spoke it). Of course we w^ere on hand to see the six thousand school-children with their parents start upon their excursion. No better chance could be offered to see these people in their holiday garb ; and we must ad- mit they seemed happy : certainly they looked well ; and nothing occurred to remind us of their peculiar customs. Said a good bishop of the church, ''This happy sight is the result of our religious faith." In vain did we look for those woe-stricken faces. which had been de- scribed to us, and for the signs of degeneracy in the chil- dren. THE TABERNACLE is a huge building, two hundred and fifty feet long by a hundred and fifty feet wide, with forty-six stone columns, from which springs the roof, probably the largest self-sustaining ceiling in the country. Entering the building, the organ, second to but one, rivets our attention; and the plain pine seats on floor and in 40 THE ATLANTIC galleries seem incapable of being numbered. There is said to be sitting-room for fourteen thousand ; probably ten thousand can be comfortably seated. Immediately in front of the organ is a desk or pulpit, raised very high, where Brigham sits, and from which he preaches ; next below, one for the counsellors, then one for the bishops, then the deacons; and on either side of the plat- form are the seats of the "seventies." There is little paint, as yet, inside the building : so that all looks cold and uninviting. The doors are so arranged, that the people can depart in a few minutes from all sides of the structure. In the ceiling we noticed numerous little holes, and. asking our Mormon friend their use, was told that through them chains could be let down, to which scaf- folding was attached when they wished to make re- pairs : thus much expense is saved in the operation, as the ceiling is sixty-five feet from the floor. At this time but little has been done upon their much-talked of temple. If the plans are carried out, it will be worthy the best age of architecture. Until the opening of the railroad, all the stone was hauled by ox-teams, some twenty miles, over a mountain-road, so that the work was necessarily slow. It is to be a hun- dred feet high, and, upon the ground, ninety-nine by a hundred and eighty-six feet and a half, with towers and spires at eacli corner. TO THE PACIFIC. 41 As you would expect, Brigliam lias a large and valu- able plat of ground enclosed with walls, within which are his various houses, called " The Bee," " The Lion," &c., his school-house, and other buildings. His farm is not so well cultivated as we expected to find it ; and some of his followers, if not as good at " scheming," are fur better at " farming." The theatre, the council-house, the city hall, and uni- versity are all stone buildings, of some architectural finish. There are several newspapers published here, of none of which can we say much good as to their ability or their mechanical execution. MISSIONS. Several denominations have established missions here, all of which, we were told, were flourishing. The Protes- tant-Episcopal Church have founded St. Mark's, and have just completed a fine stone chapel, where services are held regularly. THE SCHOOLS. For religious purposes the city is divided into twenty wards, in each of which meetings are held, presided over by a bishop ; and for political purposes these di- visions are preserved. The people of each ward, both 42 THE ATLANTIC Mormon and Gentile, govern the schools, -uhich in theory are independent of the church; but, as the Mormons are so largely in the majority, they exercise, in fact, the control. The schools are free to all upon the payment of a small tuition-fee for their support. The Sunday schools are held in the same buildings. GENERAL VIEWS. We took pains to call upon Mormon gentlemen, hear their views, and observe their customs. All of them attributed their recent troubles to the rumsellers, who attempted to break down their license system estab- lished by the city government. The sum fixed upon was three hundred dollars per month, to be paid at least three months in advance, — terms to which the dealers were not inclined to accede, hence their troubles. They do not attempt to conceal their satisfaction at the recent decision of the Supreme Court: still none of the leaders spoke in any defiant tone ; but all attrib- uted their deliverance to divhie interposition. We heard their arguments in favor of polygamy in ex- tenso ; and, when we asked them plainly, they had to admit that their wives were often unhappy when a new one came into their husband's house. All their arguments are answered by the fact that the woman of TO THE PACIFIC. 43 Salt Lake is not ennobled, and made the equal of man, but is his slave, — a condition unworthy of our age and country. Their religious tenets may be pleaded ; their Bible quotations may be numerous ; and the men of the city may show their material gains, their lands and build- ings, their stores and their merchandise : still for woman we plead, and say, that, under their social organization, she cannot reach a true and noble womanhood. A mother she may be ; but a matron she can never be. SUBURBS OF THE CITY. A ride about the city is inspiring ; the views are grand, the scenery delightful, and the roads in fair con- dition. As the houses of the Mormons are passed, one can know the number of his wives by the number of front-doors, although the wealthier have houses in dif- ferent parts of the town, and farms in the country, each presided over by a favorite wife. The water, which is conducted from City Creek through the streets of the city, furnishes a good supply for use and irrigation, and gliding along on either side, enclosed by grassy banks, gives to the streets an air of coolness even under a summer's sun. 44 THE ATLANTIC BKIGHAM YOUNG is, of course, the " lion " to be seen. By politeness of his secretary we were introduced to him. He is a well- preserved, good-looking man of seventy-two, with frank, open face, the air of a gentleman, above the ordinary stature, in short, a man you would select from the many as one of talent. His address is good, easy in speech, and with that suavity which wins friends. Thus he seemed to me as we conversed together for a few minutes. He has taken a prominent part in the public improve- ments in the Territory ; organizing lines of stages, ex- presses, a telegraph ; building railroads ; and opening avenues of communication between the various settle- ments. He is beloved by his followers ; and over the people he has great influence. Thus much must be said : still we do know that life was for a long time unsafe in the Territory ; that Gen- tiles were forbidden to open mines or carry on trade ; that even the Mormons themselves were forbidden to prospect for gold and silver; that ^-councils " were held, and that men were missed from their homes ; that peo-, pie were warned out of the Territory; and that the " Danite pill " was too often administered. Had Brig- ham taken the course to invite immigration, to-day TO THE PACIFIC. 45 Utah would have been a bright star m our constellation of States, her lands ablaze with the fires of smelting furnaces ; and the hills would have echoed with the noise of the mills, crushing out the wealth of her mountains. Her resources would have made her, probably, the first in mineral richness in the Union. The railroad is certainly working some changes : new people are coming in ; new impulses to trade and de- velopment are given ; and a new party is being formed. A gentleman who has lived in the Territory four years told me that a great change had taken place among the Mormons themselves, respecting the belief and practice of polygamy, within that time. There are probably, at this time, a hundred and thirty thousand people in the Territory, two-thirds of whom are Mormons, of whom, again, one-third do not believe in or practise polygamy ; and their number is increasing. May we not hope that the railroad, the telegraph, and the missions will soon carry to this land a new civilization in accord with our national instincts? The wealth of her mines, the fertility of her soil, and the salubriousness of her climate, are calling thousands into her borders ; the church and the school must follow ; new ideas will be given to the rising generation ; and the occasion will be furnished our statesmen in Congress to act wisely and justly in deal- ing with this problem, which now so vexes all who attempt to solve it. Let us pray for light and peace ! CHAPTER VIII. The Central Pacific. — The Town of Corinne. — The Great Salt Lake. — The Humboldt River. — The Palisades. —Battle Moun- tain. — Reno. At Ogden we take the cars of the Central Pacific, which company own both the day and sleeping coaches. Having engaged our quarters several days before, we found good accommodations awaiting us. By a singu- lar coincidence, a friend whom we left in Europe in October last came in upon the Eastern train, on his way home to San Erancisco, thus adding much to the pleas- ure of our journey. At Ogden we also found Mr. K. D. Browne, formerly of Providence, who, as agent for the Pullman Car Company, gives entire satisfaction to the travelling public. As the train started off from the depot at twenty minutes past five, p.m. (Sacramento time), we looked about us, and beheld many new faces, with whom we were to become familiar in a ride of two days and nights. 46 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. 47 We have the Great Salt Lake to our left, and on our riglit the great mountains, from whose sides the road- bed has been hewn, and far up whose faces can be seen the marks which fix the height of the once even larger inland sea than that we now look upon. Hot springs abound, from which rise clouds of sulphurous vapor. Bonneville is the first station upon the road ; and passing through fine farming lands, now rich in promising crops of wheat, barley, and corn, we reach Willard City, near which are many evidences of volcanic eruptions in extinct craters ; and, passing the thriving Mormon town of Bingham City, we are at Corinne, on the west bank of the Bear River. This place has already grown into some importance as the distributing depot for Montana ; and, as it is situated in the midst of a fine farming coun- try, there is here the foundations of a healthy growth. Stages start from here to Virginia City (three hundred and fifty-eiglit miles) and Helena (four hundred and eighty-two miles) daily. We push on our journey by Blue-creek Station, and are now at Promontorj^, which was the point where the two roads met ; but, by an order of Congress, the Union Pacific gave up the track, from this point east to Ogden, to the Central, and made the latter place the union. Interest will always attach to this place as being the scene of the ceremonies, grand yet happy, solemn yet full of gayety, which took place at 48 THE ATLANTIC the driving of the last spike. The lightning sounded the stroke which welded the iron bands uniting the oceans. From the hills here the best view is to be had of the GREAT SALT LAKE, which stretches away to the south, a vast sea. This lake is a hundred and fifty miles long, and forty-five w^ide ; contains several mountain-like islands, as Church, Antelope, Fremont, Stansburry, and others of less size. Of these islands, one is stocked with horses, one with cattle, and another with sheep. The waters of this lake are so impregnated with salt, that a person easily floats upon the surface. There flow into this sea the waters of Weber, Jordan, Bear, and other rivers ; and yet this lake has no visible outlet. Its waters are reduced by evaporation; and in, the summer the salt that is left along the margin is carried away by wagon-loads. Some scientists assert that there is some hidden stream, which continually flows from the lake ; but one fact re- mains to be explained, — how the waters are now some twelve feet higher than when the Territory was settled ; fields where the early pioneers planted their grains being now under the waters. The darkness is now upon us, and we must retire for TO THE PACIFIC. 49 our first night upon the Central Pacific. Our train runs very slowly ; and the luxurious coach furnishes us with a good and clean bed. During the night we pass many unimportant stations in Utah, and run through the Great American Desert, — a vast waste of about sixty miles square, without doubt, at some remote day, the bed of a vast saline lake. As we begin to rise the long rougli ridge of the Goose-creek Kange, some signs of vegetation are to be seen ; so that as we look out of our window, with the morning sun just rising behind us, we begin to see a few cattle grazing among the sage-brush. A few miles on, and we find ourselves at Toano, where the second division (the Humboldt) begins. The first (Salt Lake) division extends from Ogden to Loray. The station is so located, that in time it must become a distributing point for several mining-districts. This is the first of importance in Nevada. Leaving this place, the road begins to climb Cedar Pass, towards which the emigrants of former daj's looked with longing eyes, and through which they toiled after enduring the hardships and exposures of their march across the desert. Through the pass we enter the Humboldt Valley. The country around looks very uninviting ; the stream is a mere muddy brook ; there is some snow still upon the ground ; the air is cold, the sky cloudy : so we resign ourselves to a day of very uninter- 50 THE ATLANTIC esting travelling, only brightened by. the hope of soon reaching the Sierras. We stop now and then at stations the location of which seems to us so strange, but which we suppose to be demanded by the railroads, perhaps as the nearest point for some interior town. As we are in the Vallejr of Humboldt, — a fertile section, but sparely settled, — let us describe the river which determined the line of the road. HUMBOLDT RIVER is a stream of little real importance. Rising in the mountains of the same name, it takes a westerly course of some two hundred and fifty miles ; sometimes a muddy, sluggish stream, but at some points a running, rapid river. The road passes part of the way upon tlie north ; but, when near Garlin, it crosses to the south side. Near the station called Brown's, we see the lake into which the river flows : it is some thirty-five miles long and ten Avide ; and to this must be added Carson Lake, — for in the rainy season they seem to be almost one, — a vast lake with two rivers flowing into it, but with no visible outlet : hence the name^" Sinks of the Humboldt." Our view of this lake was had just after sunset, with the pale moon just rising, and shedding her beams upon the waters. All day long wo have run through a very unpromis- TO THE PACIFIC. 51 ing country, unpeopled and unknown. Sucli stations as are required for the service of the road must be erected at the proper intervals along the line. Winnemucca is such, for here a division begins ; and the employes of the company make the cit}^, and their shops and houses make by far the most of the buildings. Night again finds us out in those vast wastes. As to-morrow is to be one of grand sight-seeing, we must console ourselves that the tameness of this part of our journey is to prepare us for the grand passage of the Sierras. A good night's rest has refreshed us; and an early hour sees us up, and looking around to find out our posi- tion, as the mariner out upon the ocean daily takes his " observations " to determine his place in the great sea. THE PALISADES. Humboldt Canon does not possess the interest that is found in either Weber or Echo Canon ; but still, at some points, there is a grandeur which strikes us as we look up its bleak, brown, yet bare walls. These rock-faces rise so high, and press the forming river so close, that we seem to be rushing into a deep gorge, out of which there will be no escape ; but the skill of the engineer has gained another victory, and built a road- 52 THE ATLANTIC bed over wliicli we pass in safety. We observe here and there seams of iron ore and copper, which tell of the riches which are held in store by these brown old hills. Red Cliff is the highest point, rising some thou- sand feet above the water. This narrow gorge, about twelve miles in length, seems to have been opened in the old hills for us to pass; and, jealous of their towering grandeur, they raise their craggy, frowning sides, leav- ing a meagre space for river and road-bed. BATTLE-MO UXTAIN STATION, the freighting-point for a large mining-district, is lo- cated in a barren, clay country, with little to see save dark hills far away, and the bunch-grass scattered over the plain. The station-house is a creditable frame building; and by cultivation and irrigation a good gar- den has been made to the west of the hotel, and a foun- tain throws up its sparkling waters, — a refreshing sight to the weary traveller over the barren wastes. During the past night, we entered the valley of Truckee. The river of that name has its rise in Lakes Tahoe and Donner, and flows by two branches, until, near the city (named from the river), they unite, and empty into Pyramid Lake. I refer to this little valley, only ten miles long and about two wide, because here TO THE PACIFIC. 53 it was that the early pioneers, both themselves and teams exhausted and nearly dead from their toils in the desert, found a resting-place, whose green fields furnished food for their horses and cattle, and whose cooling waters and shady trees gave them strength and hope. KENO. Of this place every one has heard. It is situated sixteen hundred and twenty miles west of Omaha, and a hundred and fifty-four east of Sacramento. This lively town is said to contain two thousand inhabitants, has a little paper called " The Crescent," and boasts itself a great city. What in reality gives to Eeno any importance is, that it is the nearest point to Virginia City, — some twenty- one miles due north. The country all around here is full of interest ; and we purpose to stop over on our return, visit Virginia City, the famous Comstock Lead, and the mines and mining-camps in the section. We are just leaving the little station of VERDI, and are now fairly within the canon, toiling up the eastern side of the Sierras. The river rushes angrily 5* 54 THE ' ATLANTIC by us, confined within its walls of rock, their sides thickly covered with timber; and, toiling on, we now cross the dividing-line, and are in the " Golden State,'' — the land for which we have toiled, but whose borders now greet us with hills covered with grand old trees, with little patches of meadow-land upon the banks of the stream, with the pleasing song of birds, a cooling breeze, and a clear sun. The whistle sounds, and we soon draw up to the depot in Truckee. In the midst of a heavily-timbered country, its wealth is in its saw-mills, turned by the waters of the river; and huge piles of boards and timber now encumber the ground, and block up the streets. There is said to be a good hotel at this place, from which many fine excursions into the country around can be made. The town is elevated five thou- sand eight hundred and forty-five feet above tide-water, contains between two thousand five hundred and three thousand peo]3le, has a paper ('' The Tribune"), schools, and churches. The houses are all built with regard to the snows of winter, traces of which are even now seen in great drifts upon the northern sides of the buildings and lumber-piles. Here we enter upon the Sacramento and Oregon division of the road; and, having improved the thirty- minutes' stop here in looking about the place, the bell TO THE PACIFIC. 55 summons us to our seats in tlie train, wliicli from here is to be drawn by two powerful engines up the steep sides of the hills to the summit of the Sierras, thence to be hurled down by the mere grade, into the Sacramento Valley. A whistle ! We are off ! CHAPTER IX. The Truckee Region. —The Snow-Sheds, — The Summit of the Sierras. — Tlie llun down the Mountains. — American Cafion. — Placer and Hydraulki Mining. From Truckee to Summit, in a distance of fifteen miles, the road rises nearly twelve hundred feet, or about eighty feet to the mile, — a grade sufficient to re- quire the most powerful engines to draw the cars. Our pace is slow indeed ; hut we must bear in mind we are now doing what, a few years ago, the engineers them- selves despaired of accomplishing, — crossing the Sier- ras in a railroad-car. The morning sun is casting his early beams upon the landscape, lighting up the great pines and firs, causing the snow-clad mountains to glisten, the tumbling waters of the river to sparkle, and the surface of Donner Lake, seen now and then between the hills, to shine like a mirror. Eleven miles beyond Truckee, we enter a canon called Strong's, and climb its tortuous course, rising higher and higher, until we see far below us the lake, 56 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. 57 tlie line of the road, and lulls which, a little while since, seemed themselves impassable barriers. We now enter the line of those well-built snow-sheds, framed, boarded, and braced against the fierce snows. From the open- ings in the sides, we catch glimpses of the landscape, so lovely, that we all regret that necessity compels these ugly sheds, so dark and gloomy, for most of the way, that we cannot tell shed from tunnel, of which there are many in this section. Some Yankee will find a way to open this beautiful landscape to view during the summer; while in the winter the road shall be pro- tected from those great, drifting snows for which the Sierras are so noted. Even to-day (May 16), the snow still remains in huge piles against the sides of the sheds, while all along inside it lies in a drift from two to four feet deep. After snorting and puffing, whistling and screaming, for an hour and a quarter, our pair of iron horses stop in the snow-sheds at the station called "Summit." Here we have a good breakfast, well cooked and fairly served ; although we could not expect waiters enough to attend in a rush such as they have when the passengers, with appetites sharpened by mountain- air and a long ride, seat themselves at table, and all with one voice cry, " Steak ! coffee ! bread ! trout ! wai- ter ! a napkin ! " Even a company of regulars would be somewhat disconcerted at such a confusion of com- mands. 58 THE ATLANTIC Looking around our station, a single building perched here upon the mountain, we perceive that near by are many higher hills, peaks of the Sierras, whose bare and craggy sides lift themselves one upon another until their tops, snow-clad, are lost in the clouds. Here these great granite hills form the divide, which determines the course of many mountain-streams, all of which, to the west by many windings, find their way to the Sacramento. " Ding ! " goes the bell. " All aboard ! " is cried ; and we start upon a run down hill. We are now seven thou- sand and forty-two feet above the sea; the valley of the Sacramento is two hundred and sixty-nine feet, and is distant a hundred and five miles. No steam is now re- quired, the grade being so great, that the train is pro- pelled under full breaks at a great speed, held by those little chains, by the breaking of one of which, or of a wheel or an axle, we would be hurled down into the chasm below. We are still gliding along steadily under the control of the brakemen. No train should be, and I am told seldom is, sent from Truckee without having the air-brakes attached, and every other precaution against accidents. With all the care, and all the devices for controlling the train, great risk is run upon such a fearful grade. In running from Summit to Dutch Flat (thirty-eight TO THE PACIFIC. 59 miles), we fall three thousand six hundred and thirty- nine feet, and to Colfax (fifty-one miles), four thousand six hundred and twenty-one feet, — grades which, only a few 3^ears ago, were considered insurmountable. As we glide along, we catch occasional glimpses of the Yuba E-iver dashing between the hills, and, farther on, the Bear River, winding its way towards the Pacific. Los- ing sight of tliese views, we soon reach the head waters of the American, and, passing several unimportant sta- tions, we reach Emigrant Gap, where the old road, so long and weary to the pioneer, crossed the mountains. By a tunnel we pass under the old trail, and rush on down towards the valley ; and, after a ride of about a dozen miles, we enter the GREAT AMERICAN CANON. Here, between almost perpendicular walls two thou- sand feet high, the river, hard pressed by the hills, roars and tumbles, impatient of restraint. So smooth and sharp-cut are the sides, that we can stand upon the brink, and look down into the waters. Erom the cars, occa- sional views, grand and imposing beyond description, rivet our attention. We stop a few minutes at Dutch Flat or German Level, — a pretty town of miners, whose cabins are adorned with tidy gardens and little orchards. 60 THE ATLANTIC How differently are we crossing these mountains from the emigrants of even a few years ago ! Then, inch by inch, the teams toiled to gain a higher foothold, or toiled equally hard to keep a foothold, as, inch by inch, they clhnhed down the rugged passes; now in luxurious coaches, with horses of iron, with a skilled engineer for a driver, we are carried along in comfort. Then and now ! Who of us on this train can know of those toils and hardships ? and who of those pioneers could have dreamed that this day the steam-engine would be cross- ing the Sierra Nevadas ? THE TUNNELS AND SNOW-SHEDS continue for nigh fifty miles ; the longest tunnel being sixteen hundred and fifty-nine feet, and many ranging from a hundred to eight hundred and seventy feet in length. The snow-sheds upon this road are entirely different in their construction from those on the Union : here they are framed and erected as permanent structures, at a cost of about ten thousand dollars per mile. Knowing that the snow falls here from sixteen to twenty feet deep, and that great avalanches of snow and ice rush down from the mountains into the valley, we can understand the necessity for these structures. They are so con- TO THE PACIFIC. 61 structed^ either with sharp, sloping roofs, or against the side of the mountain, that the snow passes over them, while the trains, as through a long tunnel, pass in safety. Precautions are taken to prevent fires and accidents, in employing watchmen at frequent intervals, and having water and an engine always in readiness. HYDBAULIC MINING. All along the road now, for miles, we see the little ditches filled with running water. These narrow ditches are dug around the sides of the hills, tapping the river near its source, where perpetual snows furnish a con- stant supply, and are carried on and on to the various "claims" below in the valleys. These claims are lo- cated upon what is known as the Blue Lead, which extends from Gold Kun, a few miles beyond, through Nevada, into and through a part of Sierra County, and constitute the best large "placer-mining" district in the State. The whole tract was, without doubt, the bed of a once large mountain-stream, which has piled up these great beds, within which are the fine particles of gold, worn away from the great quartz mountains by the action of the water upon them. Petrified trees are now found like those growing upon the hills around, — pines and oaks, the manzanita, the mahogany, and others, ir 62 THE ATLANTIC this peculiar formation, which is from one to five or six miles in width. From these ditches the water is taken in a " telegraph/' which is a long, narrow flume of wood, extending out over the claim; to this telegraph, hose with nozzle is attached, from which the water flows in a constant stream, and is by the miners directed -against the hillside. By this action the soft dirt is washed away from the gravel, and, forming one liquid mass, is carried through a '^ tail-race " into long flumes, often miles in length. Within these flumes are placed " rif- fles," — little slats attached to the bottom of the flume, for "arresting" the gold, which by its own gravity seeks the bottom, and is caught by these riffles. Along the flumes, at intervals, are stationed men, who throw out the large stones and pieces of rock from which the dirt has been washed. When the riffles are supposed to be full, the water is turned ofi", and the dirt is taken out. The next process is the use of the " long tom," which is a sheet-iron box with a duplicate bottom extending diagonally over a little more than half the box. This secondary iron plate is perforated with holes ; and under it, in pockets made by two cross-slats upon the bottom, is placed the quicksilver. This "long torn" is now at- tached to a sluice-way, and the water turned through it. The dirt which has been taken from the rifdes is now TO THE PACIFIC. 63 shovelled upon this perforated plate ; the particles of gold fall through, and unite their atoms with the quicksilver. This process of throwing the dirt upon the plate, wash- ing away the sand and rock by the flowing water, and the taking-up of the gold by the quicksilver, is continued until the " quicksilver is full," as they term it. Then the amalgam is removed, placed in a retort, heated to some four hundred and eighty degrees Fahrenheit ; when the quicksilver is sublimed, and passes away in a vapor, leaving the gold. Of course such mining, w^hile it is very expensive (vast sums having been laid out in building the ditches and flumes), still can never be an economical mode ; for, with every precaution, much of the gold is carried away. After the last riffle is passed, the mass is car- ried into the streams which empty into the great Sacra- mento, whose waters are now muddy and dirty from the vast amount of sand, clay, and loam, washed into it, as each miner, by his ceaseless labor, wears away the hills and the mountains, and carries them by his flumes into the rivers. It is a strange sight to look around and see what this constant flow of water has done in so short a time ; and then we are enabled to understand some of those great changes which Nature hath wrought by her rivers flowing on for ages and ages. This constitutes, in general terms, what is called 64 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. " j)lacer'' or ^'hydraulic" mining, which is now carried on to a very much less extent than formerly, before quartz mining was begun. This information was obtained from observation, and conversation with one of our fellow-travellers from Bos- ton, wlio now returns to visit the land, which, in 1849, he explored in search of gold. Also from Dr. A of San Francisco we learned much of the geography, geology, climate, and flora of the section through which we have been journeying. But we are nearing that famous " tumble " down the mountain, called " Cape Horn ; " and we must stop our talk upon mining and miners, and observe the grandeur and beauties of our ride for the next few miles, that my readers may know how to " double the horn/' CHAPTER X. Cape Horn. — The Stations Colfax, Auburn, and Rocklin. — The City of Sacramento. — The Western Pacific. — What is seen in a Ride from Sacramento to Oakhand, opposite San Francisco. We closed our last as we were winding around the sides of the mountain in the vicinity of that place known as CAPE HORN. People who are naturally timid shrink from looking out of the cars down into the deep chasm on our left, or up upon the dark, bleak mountains which all around rear their craggy, snow-capped crests far into the very clouds. Even the cunning Indian failed to make a trail directly across this hill; and to the loale-face v^ii^ left the glory of building the first road, and of driving over that road his '' iron horse." As we round the hill, we see far, far below us, the river, which looks like a little brook, and there a little plank spanning it, which really is a large turnpike bridge. Now we turn sharply 6* 65 66 THE ATLANTIC to our right, and lose sight of the river; and as just across the chasm we see the road-bed, seemingly within a stone's-throw, we look anxiously for some way to reach the other side. As we run along the brink of the preci- pice, we look down a thousand feet into the valley be- low. Gliding slowly along, a turn to our left .brings us upon a trestle eight hundred and seventy-eight feet long, and a hundred and thirteen feet high, which is to take us safely over this gorge, and upon the road- bed which we saw so near us, yet so unattainable. When this section of road was built, the Chinamen were lowered down by ropes from the mountain peaks, and in this position gradually worked themselves a foot- hold; the foothold enlarged to a workiug-place ; and the working-place, after much labor, to the road-bed over which we are passing in safety. No one can view this point without being struck with the herculean labors which accomplished this result, and without re- joicing that American skill and energy directed it. "While we have been looking, admiring, and wonder- ing, we have reached the pretty town of Colfax, named in honor of the vice-j)resident. As this is the point for distributing freight for Grass Valley, Nevada, San Juan, Little York, You Bet, and other mining towns and camps, the company have erected large and sub- stantial depots for tlie merchandise, which is taken by TO THE PACIFIC. 67 "fast freight expresses" (four-horse wagons carrying a light load, and driven at a rapid rate hy relays of horses) to all the interior points. Stage-lines also are ready to convey the passengers and mails. Eighteen miles farther on, we stop at Auburn, the county seat of Placer County, containing a thousand people, and many neat and substantial buildings ; and, although the place has no air of business, still the houses, seen from the cars, indicate home-comfort in their neat and well-kept gardens and orchards. We pass along for some dozen miles the scenes of early mining-operations, where even now some of the " old settlers " may be seen at work. At Eocklin, built from a handsome granite found near by, and in a substantial manner, the company has a machine-shop and round-house. As we leave this place, the foot-hills of the great mountains, down whose sides we have been picking our way, are left behind us ; and, although still the land is rolling, we see beyond the plains of the American River Valley. We make good time over the meadows, and cross the marsh-lands of American River upon trestle-work, and over the river itself upon a bridge of wood, and now are in the suburbs of the " Queen City of the Plain." Orchards and gardens are upon either side; flowers send us choice perfumes ; the fig-tree lifts its great green leaves to the 68 THE ATLANTIC sun; the soft, balmy air fans our clieeks, — all telling us of summer. What a change ! Only a few hours ago we were up in the snows of the Sierras, so cold that we needed a fire in the cars, and our overcoats on besides ; now we are in the land of flowers, — of almost tropical luxuriance. Passing the great brick repair-shops and depots for supplies of the company, we are soon taken into the station, upon the banks of the Sacramento River. Until the year 1870 this was the western terminus ; but the completion of the Western Pacific to San Fran- cisco brought about the union of the two roads. The distance from here to Omaha is given at seventeen hundred and seventy and eighteen one hundreths miles ; and from here to San Francisco, by way of Oakland, is a hundred and thirty-eight miles. As we stepped from the cars upon the platform, what a scene presented itself! Here are gathered persons of every nation, speaking every tongue, — a jargon of language. Here were merchants and mechanics of this city and the country, meeting old miners from the " diggins" who had come to town for a while; the fash- ionable belles who were to take the cars for the city near the " Grolden Gate ; " young men " with no par- ticular occupation;" old men waiting for "a chance," — altogether the most "cosmopolitan people" I have TO THE PACIFIC. 69 ever met. As the train waits thirty minutes, we pass around among the people, observe them and their ways, talk to some, ask the price of the nice fruits and flowers, and so await the time to continue our journey. At the stations along the Central Pacific, as persons entered the train, they would inquire of those they met, "Are you hound for Frisco?" Here every one is inquir- ing of his friend, "Are you going to the bay?" We see some substantial stores and blocks along the street fronting the river. The great State House, with its lofty dome, stands out from the other buildings ; but, save these, we see little of the city. We shall try to give a better description of this city, once destroyed by flood, after sojourning a day or two here. Here the "overland express" is made up, with sev- eral coaches added ; and we push out of the station, and run for some distance along the river. We soon begin to see what looks strange to a Yankee ; that is, the wind- mill pumping water into a large tank, built sometimes upon the house, upon the barn, and oftener upon stilts up in the air. Fine vineyards skirt the road ; and great fields of wheat stretch away from the river. We can but be amazed at the fertility of the Sacramento Valley, which we are crossing, and which extends more than a hundred miles to the north. But we are nearing Stockton, called " The Windmill 70 THE ATLANTIC City." As the station is somewhat removed from the city, we can see but little of the place, the impressions of which from the depot are in no wise pleasing. A stop of a few minutes, and we are away for " The Golden Gate." The next station of any importance is Lathrop, the junction of the Visalia Division, which traverses the San Joaquin Valley for many miles, and which is a favorite route for the Yo-semite. Crossing the great bridge over the San Joaquin River, we push on through a rather uninteresting country, by several stations of no account. Occasionally we catch a view of Mt. Diabalo far away towards the Pacific, and the snow-caps of the Sierras far behind us. Just ahead of us we see high hills, which seem to offer another barrier insurmountable; but our train winds itself along, twisting in and out between this coast-range, until it finds its way out through Liver- more Pass. Rushing through a dark tunnel, we are fairly in the canon. Although now quite dark, we can still discern the great mountains on either side, with the dashing river at our feet. Presently the station Niles is announced, which is the junction of the San Jose branch. It is now too dark to see the country ; and we can only wait to hear the glad sound — Oakland ! But, while we were wishing, the conductor cries out " Oakland ! " and many passen- TO THE PACIFIC. 71 gers prepare to leave at this ^^ Brooklyn " of the Pacific coast. We can only reach the boat which is to carry us across the hay, by running out for some two miles upon trestle-work to the deep water ; and while the train is slowly crawling over this bridge, and I am collecting my "traps" to take away from this "car-home," let me take leave of my readers, and close this chapter. CHAPTER XI. Arrival in San Francisco, and Impressions of the City gained the First Day. My last letter closed with us upon the long bridge which pushes itself out from Oakland Point towards the city of San Francisco. It was not long before we rushed from the cars and upon the boat; and, going irresistibly to the bows, we peered into the fog, trying to get a glimpse of the lights across the bay. We were told that the cold wind which blew in our faces, that the fog which hung over the bay, were quite frequent in sum- mer, usuall}^ coming up in the afternoon. Tliis seemed to us a rather cold reception : but Ave had not much time to think about it ; for the porter of the Lick House had singled us out of the great crowd, and was now welcoming us to the city, and inquiring about our baggage. But now up came our friends to whom we had written of our intended visit, and, giving us a true " California wel- come," soon dispelled all our unhappincss, and made us 72 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. 73 feel so well, that we were ready '^ to vote the fogs and the wind a luxury." A sail of twenty minutes landed us at the wharf at " City Front," where a carriage awaited us ; and we were driven to the hotel. Here rooms, all in proper order, awaited us ; for we had done what every one should do, — telegraphed the day hefore for accommo- dations. Tired and exhausted by such continuous car-riding, we were soon sleeping away our first night upon the Pacific coast, which, together with a good breakfast, prepared us for our FIRST DAY IN SAN FRANCISCO. We had expected a busy, bustling city, where every one jostled against his neighbor in his hurry to and fro upon the business streets ; but as we left our house, and went down Montgomery towards California Street, we were forcibly struck with the lack of all bustle and all confusion, although just the hour for beginning gen- eral business. The brokers and bankers were just preparing their balance-sheets, and opening their day's transactions ; but all wore a look of despair, as men began to assemble in little knots here and there upon " the Wall Street " of the Pacific. An inquiry disclosed the fact, that stocks had been tumbling for the past few days, and would 74 THE ATLANTIC probably go lower to-clay. On Friday of last week (May 10), stocks in all the mines had tumbled down at a rate unknown before, — in one case from nineteen hundred dollars to less than three hundred dollars, — a day to be remembered hereafter as the " black Friday/^ It was only too true that stocks were to go Still lower j for the first meeting of tlie Board saw another de- cline. Men who a few days ago were millionn aires were to-day made bankrupts ; and it seemed to be a time when all were losers. The clouds hung dark and heavy over financial circles ; and despondency and gloom filled the houses of bankers and brokers. A friend and my- self made an estimate of the depreciation of the stocks upon the market up to noon that day ; and our footings show it to be rising forty-seven millions of dollars. When will people learn from the experiences of others, and stop gambling in stocks ? Do not the wrecks which strew the shores of this sea of stock-bujang tell plainly enough of the dangers which beset one who em- barks in search of a fortune upon this angrj^ flood. Sure as can be, sooner or later, you are ingulfed in the maelstrom. But let us turn away from such scenes, and take a w^alk around the city ; and, of course, we soon find our- selves upon that fashionable thoroughfare, Kearney Street. TO THE PACIFIC. 75 A STRANGE SIGHT. We had not walked far before we perceived two ladies coming down the street, — the one dressed in a suit of thin lawn throughout, with hat telling of summer-time ; the other dressed in a gown of dark heavy cloth, and with a long fur cloak on, and hat and costume telling of a New-England winter. Yet this pair of ladies walked down the street side by side without attracting any notice. A little observation soon told me that the ladies dressed just as their fancy and taste dictated, making, as they promenaded the streets, or filled the spacious churches, a perfect medley of colors, styles, fashions, forms, and material, — "a bouquet of feminine charms," as one writer says ; but we hold the expression " for advisement." It does not require a very long stay here to convince one that business has been overdone, and is now toiling for a legitimate basis. The architecture is very peculiar, ornate, and often grotesque. To accommodate them to earthquakes, the " Friscans " build their blocks and houses only two, sometimes three, and often but one story high. The prevailing material used is the redwood painted ; but, when the owner can afford it, they are covered with elaborate iron and wooden ornaments, in such excess as to become ugly. 76 THE ATLANTIC In one day little of the city can be seen ; and these hasty impressions may be changed by closer observation. The people whom one meets are extremely polite and affable, ready to show you about their city, of which they are very proud. The weather is supposed to be a fair June day ; the thermometer is about 65°, and, when out of the sun, you are a little uncomfortable ; and it is so desirable to have the sun in this climate, that you see in the adver- tisements of houses to let, &c., that "the rooms are sunny." We were prepared for the wind ; for, after lunch, we took along our overcoat, which by three o'clock we found the most serviceable of garments. Looking over the hills to the west, you see huge banks of fog rolling in over the city; and the cold ocean-wind, surcharged with fog, rushes upon you like an evil spirit. We shivered a,nd hurried, walked down streets lying in opposite di- rections, still the same spirit was upon us, until we were driven into the hotel to take refuge before a glowing coal-fire in the grate. This they tell me is a fed?' sam- ple of their summer weather : one may get used to it, but the first experience is very unpleasant. It is utterly out of the question to sit out of doors during the even- ing : hardly does one want to walk or ride out, unless business or urgent social calls demand it. TO THE PACIFIC. 77 A good dinner at the hotel does much to dispel the gloom which an afternoon's fog creates ; and the confi- dent assurance with which the Friscans tell you that these are their unpleasant days, and that they are very, very sorry you cannot stay to enjoy their pleasant sea- son, compels one to be satisfied, and enjoy what there is of blessings before him. -^' Thus endeth the first les- son," as the good bishop would say ; and '' thus endeth the first day " of my visit to the Pacific coast. But as the city faces the bay, being built upon a narrow penin- sula, with old ocean at her back, reached only through the ^' Golden Gate," we have not yet seen the " other ocean," as the early navigators of the Atlantic used to speak of this ; but it is proposed that to-morrow we shall drive to the Cliff House, view old ocean, and enjoy the pranks of the seals. 7* CHAPTEE XII. The Cliff House and the Road. — Seal Rock and the Lions. —The View from the Piazza of the Cliff House. — Sunday in San Francisco, and how it is observed. — Dedication of Dr. Stone's New Church. No one lias seen this city, at least in tlie estimation of Friscans, until he has been to the Cliff House. No matter how cold are the blasts which blow in from the Pacific, no matter how fearful are the showers of sand, or even how angry look the skies, the Cliff must be seen ; and a drive over the Cliff-house Koad is indispens- able to a proper reception into this wonderful town. Indeed, so pre-eminently necessary is this ride, that, at breakfast upon my first morning in the city, I was asked, " Have you been out to the Cliff? " Appreciat- ing all this, we prepared for the drive the second day after our arrival ; and so after lunch we were off. A drive of a little more than a mile through the city was a martyrdom we little liked. The fine sand from the hills about fills the air, and, borne upon the Pacific 78 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. 79 blasts, cuts one's face until lie cries for quarter.' These sand-hills were blown up from the ocean-beach ; and their position seems to be constantly changing. The streets often run through these sand-banks ; and, if you plough through one, you then can understand what a sandy road is indeed. The old Pawtuxet of boyhood memory is outdone ; the road through Warwick to Apponaug ill its palmiest days was a smooth asphalt way compared to these streets of sand. In other places, where the streets have been graded and macadamized, the sand comes in, and repossesses itself of its old quarters, covering sidewalk and car- riage-way, door-stoop and front-gardens. By dint of courage and perseverance, we succeeded in getting beyond the city street proper, and upon the famous road. As there were races at one of the agri- cultural parks, the road was unusually lively and gay ; and we had the pleasure of seeing the " fast nags." The road is nigh three miles long, and has a hard, smooth carriage-way, in width some sixty feet, and a trotting track-way of some forty feet ; and the whole is kept in most perfect order from the funds received at the gate, the toll being four bits ^ each carriage. As a road, it is of great merit. The drive is entirely witli- * A bit is an old silvei* ninepence ; and so the toll is a silver half-dollar each carriage. 80 THE ATLANTIC out interest, unless it be to watch, the varied surface of the great sand-banks made by the wind, or look over a field and observe the ripples and the changing colors. Just as you approach the hotel, the road takes a sharp grade down towards the beach, and, by a very nicely curved way, you are let down to the level of the Cliff- house piazza ; and a short distance more brings you down upon the sandy beach. The Cliff House is a wooden structure built out over the rocks, and has evidently been enlarged as business increased, and is neither pretty in its architecture, nor inviting in its appearance ; but inside the house crea- ture comforts are dispensed with lavish hand. Standing upon the veranda looking out to the ocean, you have, a little to your left, the great Seal Eock, whereon disport the great sea-lions, and in their antics — now crawling up the rocks, their sides dripping with the foam ; now stretching themselves out in the sun ; and now rubbing their sides with their great fins, which serve them as paddles, hands, and feet ; or now again lashing the rocks with their tails, all the time growling, or rather howling — offer great amusements to the peo- ple who throng this popular resort. Among the lions which have grown old and ill look- ing in the service of entertaining the populace of this fun-loving city with its strange freaks and pranks, and TO THE PACIFIC. 81 whose eyes now squint from over-feeding, and who seems to rule the rock with the greatest bravado, is one called "old Ben Butler.'^ For the peace and good of the other lions, may "old Ben" soon take his last leap into the sea ! To our left is Gull Rock ; and farther around are the Headlands, and the Gate called golden, through which all the commerce of this port must enter, and through which our ships seek a path to China and Japan. The hills, where they are of rock, rise majestically from the sea \ and with the air clear of fog, and at setting sun, a beautiful picture must be here, and this narrow road- stead must have been rightly named "The Golden Gate." For miles you can ride along as pretty and sandy a beach as you could desire. The ocean dashing at your feet, or surging against the projecting rocks, tells us of our "other ocean," — the blue Atlantic. Navigators called this the "Pacific," because its waters were so calm; but they only knew of its southern character. Then they had not been far enough north to determine whether California was an island or the mainland ; and, indeed, upon the early maps which we have seen, it is laid out as an island. If you desire to try its " pacific waters," we are told that a voyage north, to Portland, Oregon, or to Alaska, will settle the question ; and you will only hope that Shelvocke and Drake, and their 82 THE ATLANTIC compeers, had sailed farther north before they named this great ocean. Its waters are evidently not as blue as our ocean, neither are they as clear ; but this last, undoubtedly, is caused, to a considerable extent, by the mining, which sends down into the bay so much soil and decomposed rock. Around the Cliff House are "other houses" which once sought to be Cliff Houses, but whose pretensions have been entirely dampened by the gold which it is said the coffers of the old "house" contain: so now these stand around, deserted monuments of what a number of Cliff Houses there might have been, had it not, as in every thing else in this State, been a mo- nopoly. A delightful drive took us back over the road, and through some of the best-built streets of the city, to our hotel, as thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of the Cliff House, and the famous road leading to it, as is a hazed freshman into the great mysteries of college life. Let not any thing here written deter you from taking this famous drive, lunching at the Cliff House, and taking a sight of " Old Ben Butler," should he still live to torment his enemies, and disgust his friends, when you visit the Golden State. TO THE PACIFIC. 83 SUNDAY IN SAN FRANCISCO. We were awakened with the sounds of martial music, and the tramp of soldiery. Por a time we thought it was the Fourth of July. From the hotel-window we saw no less than three military companies, each with a hand, marching on their way to some picnic. The side- walks were filled by eight o'clock, with men with wives and children, oftener, perhaps, with their sweethearts, hurrying to the boats, the cars, the " busses," and every sort of a conveyance wliich would take them to some ^' place of resort," or into the adjoining country. The horse-cars were all placarded with great shows and performances at Woodward's and the City Gardens. There were to be extra attractions at the theatre and circus, and at the gardens : so all must go for one day of rest. We confess ourselves a little bewildered at the sights, but were told that Sunday was the great holiday for the people, — perhaps to-day a little more parade ; but still every pleasant Sunday takes the people into the countr}^, to the villages and islands in the bay, or to that great of all great places, — Woodward's Garden ; for without Woodward, whom Providence long ago sent to the ^' golden shores " of the Pacific, where could California find her " Barnum " of to-day ? and how, in 84 THE ATLANTIC years gone by, would visitors from tlie mining camps have been entertained in the city, had it not been for the What Cheer House ? After breakfast we bethought ourselves to go over to Oakland to church ; but we found the boat in complete possession of a German Turner Society and tlieir numer- ous friends : so we were forced back to spend a quiet morn- ing, contemplating the strange sights which we had seen, and comparing them with the manner in which we passed our Sundays in New England. Did we not know it, we should have said certainly we were back again in Paris, where Sundaj^ is made the great gala-day. In the afternoon, we had arranged to accompany friends to the dedication of the new church-edifice, of which Dr. Stone is pastor. Architecturally this house is probably the finest in the city, and is situated on Post Street. The cost for lot and building was rising a hundred thousand dollars. The congregation was very large ; and the peculiar diver- sity of style in the hats and dress of the ladies made them look like " a huge nosegay," as one of our friends described it. The sermon of the doctor was not as brilliant as we had heard from him ; but still the services passed off to the entire satisfaction of all present. Dr. Stone is very popular with the people of the city, irrespective of denominational differences ; and his teach- TO THE PACIFIC. 85 ings and good works have an influence which is far- reaching. Thus our Sunday was passed; and we shall to-morrow begin a week of observation, out of which we trust that something can be gleaned for our readers. CHAPTEE XIII. Impressions after a Week in San Francisco. — What is seen from Oakland Wharf. — The Streets of the City. — The Peculiar Ar- chitecture. — The Churches. — A Tribute to the Memory of Starr King. The week which I have now spent in San Francisco has given me opportunities for making a judgnaent of her outward life and her material development ; and I will try to give my readers views which have been formed with deliberation. As is well known, San Francisco is greatly exercised of late about the occupation of Goat Island, and the building of a rival city on the Oakland side of the bay ; and I must say, that, to one unacquainted with the early history of the city, the site where Oakland is built seems the place for the great city of the Pacific. The deeper water-front of the early days determined the commercial superiority of the site selected, aided, and perhaps assured, by the Spanish mission-church and fortifications, then already established. The city now 86 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. 87 lias moved away from the deep-water-front, and is find- ing its commercial marts far to the south, where they must fill out into the bay for the wharves. As I stood upon Oakland Wharf, looking across to the city, considering the situation, and its future growth, the lines of Tennyson came in mind : — " I waited for the train at Coventry ; I hung, with grooms and porters, on the bridge, To watch the three tall spires ; and then I shaped The city's ancient legend into this," From this point, looking west, you have, just by that huge rock which rises from the water about a mile from the end of the bridge, called Goat Island, and which has given so much trouble, the roadstead which leads out into the Pacific, tlirough the Golden Gate. To the left rises Telegraph Hill, whereon, in early days, the beacon- light was placed, and at the foot of which the early miners pitched their tents, and began their city. For many years the business-portion of the city lay at the very base of this hill, with the tents and cabins of the new-comers far up its sides. It seemed to me, now, that I could see the scattered tents of the primitive town, and the good ship "Niantic," in charge of Capt. Brewer of Boston, gracefully sailing up the bay, to become the first hotel of the city. I saw the little settlement in- 88 THE ATLANTIC crease from liamlet to town, and from town to city. I saw her people gathered in the plaza, witnessing the fights of the bull and the bear. I saw ships flying the flags of every nation coming to the new-found harbor, bearing the living freights, and carrying away the gol- den treasure. Now the city has stretched far away to the south, — as far as Mission Bay, and to the west two miles, and more, towards the ocean. The place where " The ISTiantic " used to lie is now covered by a large brown-stone block of stores ; and to the east, for nearly a mile, the bay has been filled in to find deep water, and the whole space covered with large, and, in many instances, substantial storehouses. Around Telegraph Hill decay has at- tacked both the buildings and the dwellers therein : the stores have been emptied of their merchandise ; and but little now remains to tell of the bustle and noise of the early settlement. The plaza has been enclosed by a neat iron fence, and beautified with trees and shnibs, to remain forever a park, to which the old inhabitants love to come and think over the scenes of early days. As you look upon the city, you see the shipping, with fly- ing banners, at the wharves, and the war-vessels (al- ways some) riding at anchor, gayly decked in bunting, then the long lines of storehouses which cover the low land west to Montgomery ; there the Mansard roofs of TO THE PACIFIC. 89 Montgomery and Kearney Streets, and above tliem the clock-tower on the Chamber of Commerce, on Cahfornia Street, all come in view. Bising above the city is the bald and bare form of Telegraph Hill, and to the south the house-capped sides of Russian Hill. Farther to the south is Lone Mountain, where they are laying out a beautiful cemetery; and then the land stretcbes away in a gentle slope to Mission Bay, with the foothills separat- ing the ocean from the bay to the west. To the ex- treme south are the China docks ; and away down the bay is seen the dry dock and South San Francisco. From the city, the open sea is not visible, as it is situ- ated upon the southernmost of two ridges, or arms, which jut out towards each other, leaving only a narrow pass between them, which makes the Golden Gate, which fronts towards the bay. To the west of all rise tlie great sandhills, over which we must pass to reach the ocean. In the summer months, generally, a fog-bank, after ten o'clock in the moruing, hangs over the western part of the town, ready to be taken over and upon the whole city by the trade-winds, which prevail at this season of the year. Montgomery Street, running from Telegraph Hill south to Market, is the principal street ; while Kearney, the next street west, and parallel with it, is attracting the shopkeepers, whose trade is with the ladies. New 8* 90 THE ATLANTIC Montgomeryj whicli was to be an extension of the old street by that name, and upon which one front of the Grand Hotel is erected, was an unfortunate enterprise for its projectors, many of whom have been ruined, — a good example for those who, either as city officials or private individuals, attempt to change the location of trade by cutting through at great expense and more inconvenience new streets : in one case the individual may escape personal ruin, but the tax-payers suffer. Does not Boston and Providence furnish such exam- ples? The streets in the business portions of the city are of wooden pavement ; those in the sparsely settled portion are macadamized. There are too many of the plank- road style, which is the way in which the side streets are laid. The sidewalks are nearly all of plank, save upon the principal business streets, where all kinds of walks are used. Many of the streets are so very steep, that it is with difficulty that one can drive up or down them; Clay Street being a pretty good test even for pedestrians. The horse-cars are compelled to make long detours around the hills ; and, even then, often four horses are required to draw a car up the grade. TO THE PACIFIC. 91 THE BUILDINGS. We cannot speak very higlily of the architecture of the city. Around the old adobe church of the Mission Dolores are many of the old clay houses still remain- ing, which bear the marks of a century. The dwell- ings are neither elegant nor comfortable, as a rule, — generally small, one-story, three-roomed houses. E-e- cently some quite fine private houses have been erected ; but all seem so unhomelike, and so destitute of all grace and beauty ! The public buildings are so out of propor- tion, that they are deprived of all architectural claims. House-builders seem to have accepted the situation, — that every October the earth will quake, and that ma- sonry loill crack, and ceilings and chimneys will fall : hence they have sacrificed taste to a style which they call " earthquake proof." The great hotels — the Lick and the Grand — present long and somewhat impos- ing facades: the Occidental has the most harmonious front, but is considered too high " for that peculiar in- stitution,'' an earthquake. The newer buildings are of wood ; and all are covered with ornaments, to such an extent that they become often very repulsive. The structure which the Bank of California has erected for its offices, although neither large nor pretentious, is, to our eye, the best specimen of graceful and classical 92 THE ATLANTIC architecture. Neither the Treasury Building nor the new City Hall are far enough advanced to decide their merits. THE CHURCHES are not, as a class, at all creditable. Several new ones, among them Dr. Stone's, are fair in their proportions ; but there is in them all a lack of harmonious blending of materials used, and in the adjustments of the lines of gables, windows, doors, &c. The Episcopal church is almost ugly in its appearance ; Calvary is better, but has the look of an opera-house. The church which the lamented Starr King designed, and in which his society still worship, has a pleasing and harmonious front, — in the '^ lighter Gothic of the seven- teenth century," and in its interior designs and arrange- ments shows the cultivated taste, as well as the wisdom, of its architect. Just outside the church, within the little yard, sepa- rated from the street by an iron fence, and beneath the shade of a Monterey cypress, is the sarcophagus which holds the cherished dust of Starr King. New England gave of her best when she sent this "eloquent divine," in the trying hours of need, to the Pacific ; and who infused his own life and teachings into a people who now speak his name in honor, and revere his memory. TO THE PACIFIC. 93 telling their children of him whom they loved so well. Was not New England amply repaid for her loss in be- holding her influence and her principles ripen into such a glorious fruition, that the " old flag " received no harm from this far-off sister, who had been so long separated from the rest of the band, that she had nearly forgotten her " nourishing mother " ? This done, his mission seemed ended. The memory of his life and his recorded utterances remain a perpetual legacy ; and every son of New England, as he visits the grave of the noble King, cannot repress a tear in remembrance of him who was so noble a son of the land of the Pilgrims. In my next I will tell of the gardens and their flowers, and of the schools, and, before I leave San Francisco, something of the Chinese. CHAPTEE XIV. The Gardens of San Francisco. — The Plants and Trees. — The Schools. — The Manufacturing Interests. — Banks and Curren- cy. — Horse-Cars. — The Chinese. — Their Life. — Their Thea- tre. — Their Religion. In riding round the city of San Francisco, one is amazed with the gardens, and the plants which grow in tliem. Hedges made with the fish geranium; fuchsias trained against the liouse, reaching above the windows, or in a tree, with stem four inches in diameter ; the century-plant in full bloom ; the tea roses, pelargoniums, and the choicest pinks, all growing out of doors without protection, — is a sight never witnessed in New England. There is a lack of shade-trees along the streets ; but in the gardens we saw the pej)per-tree, with its delicately- fashioned leaves ; the cypress, with its feathery foliage ; the eucalyptus, from Australia, which grows so fast, and is said to rival in size the sequoia ; the fig ; the several varieties of palm ; and choice evergreens, the arborvitse, the cedars, and many other trees, all growing in luxuri- 94 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. 95 ance. As there are no grasses indigenous to this sec- tion, much difficulty has been found in making lawns ; but some of the southern grasses, like Kentucky red- top, the Timothy, together with the white clover, have been made to grow upon prepared soil, with constant irrigation ; for even here a windmill is almost as common, and equally as useful, as in Stockton. The lawns, how- ever, are not like those at Newport, which to me seem as fine as any in England, truly always fresher. As you look at these plants and trees, growing the year round, it seems that they must be tired, and need a Northern winter to sleep away a part of the year. THE SCHOOLS we found much better than we expected ; and, by the kindness of the superintendent, we were enabled to visit several of them. The scholars are much farther ad- vanced at the same age than with us ; and they excel in the languages. We found children ten to twelve speak- ing quite fluently French and German, and those, too, who hear only English at home. The}'' show great talent for the dramatic ; and, in the rendering of selections from the authors, they not only spoke well, but acted well, and brought into play accessories in costume and furniture in a manner creditable to an eastern Amateur Dramatic 96 THE ATLANTIC Society. Music is given too mucli prominence, we mean instrumental ; and, in some of the more solid branches, the schools are not up to ours : but they are creditable to the city, whose people are wise in fostering and advan- cing the interests of popular education. Our visits to the schools were full of interest and instruction. MANUFACTURING INTERESTS. There is in the city but very little manufacturing of any kind. The Mission Woollen Mills are now, by the union of the Pacific with this company, and using Chinese labor, enabled to keep their machinery run- ning. The market being so limited, they are forced to produce a great variet}'' of fabrics, among which the " Mission blanket " is justly celebrated the world over. Some few shoe-factories are carried on with Chinese labor ; but, aside from these, but little is done : and Chicago — now so near, since the railroad was completed — is made to supply what the city ought to produce within itself The click of machinery, the hum of the loom, and the puff of the steam-engine, all are lacking, which make ISTew-England cities so full of life, and which tell that within our workshops are being fashioned the most curiously-formed products, both useful and ornamental, which other States will need in exchange for the farm- er's grains and cattle. TO THE PACIFIC. 97 THE BANKS AND CUBRENCT. As is well known, California, unwisely as it seems to us and now to very many of her j^eople, refused a paper currency, and has to this day used only gold and silver. That they are now learning that a paper note, when duly honored, is more convenient for use than coin, is at last acknowledged by the bankers and mer- chants in the demand for a national gold bank, which has recently been established, and whose issues, in lieu of coin, are eagerly sought for by the people. The smallest piece of money used, after the early custom of using gold-dust ceased, was an old ninepence (twelve and one-half cents), which was always called a " bit." A quarter of a dollar was a '• two-bit piece," a half- dollar a " four- bit piece," &c. Now that this coin has departed, and the nomenclature as well as practice remains, a great difficulty is experienced. If you buy any thing for a " bit," and hand a quarter in payment, they return you ten cents in change, which would be, as they would say, taking the "long bit ; " the " short bit " being a dime. A person who tenders a dime for a " bit " is stamped as a mean man, and is avoided : so what is demanded is, that you should try to pay about equally lo?ig and short No nickels are seen, and very few silver fives. The leading bankers, I think, are now 98 THE ATLANTIC satisfied that it would have been better to have adopted our common currency ; and, if this State had, long ago the difference between gold and greenbacks would have been eliminated by the general confidence in our paper. I discover two reasons which determined the course: first, as the people had always been accustomed to gold coin, never having used paper currency, it was a dif- ficult matter to effect a change ; and, secondly, it must be said, although I regret it, that there was a large and very influential minority who were favorable to the South ; and, although there was always a majority of loyal people, still the influence of this minority gave a tone to all political acts and measures. The Bank of California is the leading financial institution, and wields an immense influence, and is presided over by Mills and Kalston so ably, tliat it has the confidence of the entire financial world. HORSE-CAES. The manner of getting around the city in the cars, — " For ways that are dark, And for tricks that ai'e vain, . . . are peculiar." The cars are of all sorts and sizes, — two-norse cars, four-horse cars, and down to a one-horse car j and the TO THE PACIFIC. 99 prices for riding in these conveyances vary, like the cars, from three cents up to seven cents. As they have no change, you are forced to take tickets, or pay a dime for a ride. The consequence is, that, after you have been in " Frisco " a few days, you have a collection of car- tickets, which, for variety in shape, color, and printing, cannot be surpassed. The roads do not generally ex- change; but the three-cent line takes a seven-cent ticket of any other company. How the people submit to such inconvenience one cannot tell ; but I suppose a horse-railroad company is substantially of the same genus in " Frisco " that it is in — say Boston. And now a few words upon that greatest of all the institutions on the Pacific, the CHINESE. If ever there was a study which repaid one, it is to learn of this curious people, who, transplanted from their "native heath," are trying in this foreign land to preserve the customs of their country. Meeting with many difficulties, suffering much, working hard, they still succeed in maintaining their own Josh House, their own theatre, and in not at all mixing with the white race. There are, at present, rising twelve thousand in the 100 THE ATLANTIC city ; for although there are large monthly arrivals, still the demand for their labor in the country keeps the average very nearly the figures stated. They swarm in the section around Sacramento Street, and are scat- tered throughout the city. For the most part, they are sober, kind, and submis- sive, and in certain places they are exceedingly valua- ble as servants. It is the custom here to have a Chi- naman as chsimheTmaid ; and your cook is a "John," who — arrayed in neat blue tunic, with pigtail, black and neatly braided, reaching to the heel of his thick, cork-soled slippers, and whose big trousers at least hide ungraceful legs — goes about his work without bluster, and sends to your table dishes exquisitely prepared. Your dinner is served by a "little John," in tunic as white as snow ; and your garden is weeded by another, in a hat so large, that, looking down upon it, you see no "John," or any thing else save bamboo braided into a peculiar shape. The Chinese have monopolized the laundry business ; and in this they excel. You see around the city little signs over little doors in little buildings, upon which is printed High Lung, washing and ironing ; Hup Lee, Quon Lee, Hi Boo, or Le Chung, either one of whom will come for your linen, and return it in a short time nicely prepared, and at very low prices. TO THE PACIFIC. 101 Chinese servants quit without notice, or without giving any reason for so doing; but, aside from this, a large majority of them are faithful at their work, easy to learn, and exceedingly neat. They are addicted to gambling; but theirs is the only fair game that I ever knew to be practised for this pur- pose. It is simply this: A grave-looking Chinaman sits at the head of a long table, before him a large heap of checJcs, or chips, round, w4tli a hole in the centre : a handful of these is taken up, and laid away nearer the centre of the table. Upon the left of the umpire sits the banker, who now wagers something from his bank, — seldom over fifty cents, — that there are either an odd or an even number in the heap. Some one of the crowd now wagers as much money as the banker against him. If any other one bets, then the banker must advance the same amount; the money being laid upon a little board marked off into squares. The cus- tomers use representatives of money ; while the banker lays down the coin. If a party loses, he settles up for his checks. When all are done, the umpire, with ivory stick slowly draws the checks one by one from the pile, and places them in tiaos back in the large pile. The experienced eye of the Chinaman, long before they are all drawn away, will detect whether the number is odd 9* 102 THE ATLANTIC or even, and so whether he has won or lost. This causes a general talk in a most animated manner. The banker would seem to have no advantage, save a small fee which is charged for the privileges of the house ; and, if people must gamble, the plan of the Chi- naman is highly recommended. It is by far fairer than the modes adopted and practised in that great den at Saratoga owned and run by ex-Congressman Morrissey, or at any other gambling-saloon, if I am rightly in- formed by " those who have been there." Bret Harte's Chinaman had evidently learned all his tricks from some old Californian, who, about ready " to pass in his checks," w^as willing to tell others "how it was done." Many of them are intelligent, and come from home with a knowledge of simple English words : all of them know how to read in their native tongue, to count, and to keep accounts. I made the acquaintance of many Chinese gentlemen, not only of intelligence, but of cul- ture, and whose friendship I prize. They live very frugally; rice and pork forming their chief food, with chickens, of which the}^ are passionately fond, when they can get them ; and often their last " bit " goes for a hit of chicken. Tea is their favorite drink. We lunched one day at the fashlonahle Chinese res- taurant, and, for the first time in our life, knew what a TO THE PACIFIC. 103 good cup of tea was. We could not use tlie chop-sticks. so we could not eat rice ; but we took from the tray, filled with nice-looking viauds, which is always brought, some very delicate cake with almonds in it. This was the place where the wealthy Chinamen lived ; hut in the other restaurants the food seemed to be good : but of course, as in all such communities, there were places where you would not believe one could taste what was called food. At night they huddle together in the smallest space. They keep innumerable little shops. The doctor has his filled with all sorts of barks, leaves, and berries ; the tea-man has his teas ; the grocer has his supply of china- packed goods, including jars of the choicest ginger; the butcher has his stall full of the most curiously cut bits of pork, often smoked black, chicken, and fish ; the clothier has his tunics, trousers, hats, caps, and slippers. The great tea-merchants have simply an office, as they deal only in large quantities direct from China. There is among them an artist, who paints in oil, or johotographs with Chinese accessories, doing creditable work. Their theatre is a favorite place of amusement ; and the piece which is now on was begun at the opening of tlie house, years ago, and will occupy many years more to complete it: hence the necessity of going often to keep up an interest in the play. 104 THE ATLANTIC Their Joss-houses are attended upon fete days of their church. Here they have their hideous images of the good, the evil, the pretty princess, the man cast out of heaven, the great prince, &c., before all of whom the sandal-wood taper is kept burning, and dishes of food in great abundance are placed for the gods to eat. Adornments of odd designs cover the sides and ceilings of the rooms ; and a great bell, which is beaten at times of worship, stands near the door. These temples are presided over by a soothsayer, who sits in his little office, and writes almost continuously, as if he had a great book to complete ; and, as he writes, he mutters the words of the legend. The whole of the Chinese religion is simply this, stripped of its forms of development : They believe that there are two spirits, — the good and the evil. The good cannot do harm in any way; as it is good, it can do only good : but the evil, while it cannot do good, may not do bad ; so they try to appease the evil spirit, that it may not exercise its terrible power. This they do chiefly by keeping him well fed, and by following certain rules of life, which traditions from the old philosophers have taught them to be the proper way to live, that after death, if the evil spirit does not come, they shall dwell in peace and happiness. But in heaven, constant care must be taken lest they may be cast out, like TO THE PACIFIC. 105 the man whose image is always set up in their Joss- house as a warning. There is a deep philosophy in their religion, which Confucius gave them, and which, with the lapse of time, they have not lost. The Chinese are honest, — a trait which seems to be a part of their natures ; and a close study of them for five weeks leads me to hope that we shall soon have them in the East, not to come into opposition to any form or kind of labor, to injure any class, but to take their places side by side with all, and do their share of the labor, which is far more rapidly increasing than are the hands to do it. As soon as the present laboring-classes of the East un- derstand them, they will cease their opposition, and allow them to take such places as they are fitted for. When I speak of the grape-growing interests of Cali- fornia, it will be seen how advantageous they have been, saving from utter ruin an enterprise of which now the whole country is proud, and continuing it in pros- perity where no other people could or would work. So my voice is for the Chinaman, praising his virtues, and dealing leniently with his many faults. CHAPTER XV. The Hotels. — The People and Home. — The Amusements. — Free Lunches. — The Libraries. — The Pioneers. — The Bohemian Club. — Art and the Artists. — Goat Island, and what Gov. Stanford says. — The Future of San Francisco. Before closing what I have to say about San Fran- cisco, mention ought to be made of the liotels. No city- is better supplied. The four large houses — Grand, Lick, Occidental, and Cosmopolitan — oifer pleasant homes. As the Grand is new, it is filled with tourists ; the wide- spread reputation of the Occidental brings all the busi- ness-men to its halls ; while the Lick is a great family boarding-house, whose magnificent dining-room used to be thronged with the elite of the city. Hotel life is not as general as it was formerly ; and, the supply being greater tlian the demand, hotel property is at a sad discount just now. It is often stated that you can live cheaper in this city than elsewhere ; but, with equal accommodations, I can live as cheaply at the Hoffman in New York as at 106 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. 107 either of the first-class houses here : and the Hoifman is the ne plus ultra of American hotels. THE PEOPLE. You meet so many Eastern men, indeed, so many whom you have known before, that you feel quite at home. We expected to stay in this far-oif city like a stranger in a foreign land, making it only the base from which to start upon excursions throughout the country and adjoining States. But the people of San Francisco, proud of their city and State, did all in their power to make my sojourn pleasant : and how well they succeeded, let a prolonged stay of seven weeks attest. To all whom we met, the thought was dear, that some day they were going back home to the rugged scenes of New England, the great farmhouse of Pennsylvania, or to the land through which flows the noble Hudson with its villa-crowned banks. The father, the mother, and children, all talked of home, questioning you closely, even though twenty years had passed since the father, with mother and little ones, made the weary journey across the desert, over the mountains and plains, in the slow ox-team. ^ They are, as a class of people, very hos- pitable and free, live easily, and spend their money with- out stint. Such a people demand places of resort ; and 108 THE ATLANTIC they have them in this city in every form, — gardens, theatres, circuses, saloons, skating-rinlis where a polished floor takes the place of ice, and restaurants where choice viands are set before you. Liquor-drinking is here perfectly open and free ; and the bars are fitted up in the most elaborate and costly manner, with choice woods worked into the most artistic panels and mouldings, with mirrors of costly plate, and with all the appurtenances of the bar of pure silver. There are at all the bars, during certain hours, free lunches; and in some places on and near California Street, you can, by purchasing a glass of wine for two bits (twenty-five cents), obtain an elaborate dinner. It seemed a contradiction that a man could make profits and carry on such an establishment ; yet they succeed, and are making fortunes for their proprietors. During the whole da,y, drinks are dispensed; but the price is always the same, — twent^^'-five cents. There are other places where a dime is charged, and where the lunch is less elab- orate. All are carried on in the most orderly manner, and not a noisy or drunken man is to be seen. Let one live a while here, and observe this peculiar development in society, and he is forced to the opinion, that one way to stop the excessive and intemperate use of liquor is to make its sale and use as open as possible. In the East we drink behind curtains and screens; TO THE PACIFIC. 109 here in a room carpeted with Brussels, and furnished with velvet-cushioned chairs, and open to the street by plate-glass windows and doors. During my whole sojourn here, only a few intoxicated persons have been seen. These facts are stated, not to favor the use of liquor, but that some lessons may be drawn that will aid in the suppression of an evil which is so cursing the country. The city is too young to have many libraries, picture- galleries, or museums. The Mercantile Library and the Mechanics Institute are both creditable, and, in the freedom with which they distribute their books among the members, show that they believe libraries to be for use, not for mere ornament to some frescoed room. THE PIONEERS is a society composed of all those who landed in Califor- nia prior to the first day of January, 1850. It has a fine hall, offices, reading-rooms, library, &c., in a build- ing owned by them on Montgomery Street. Here are preserved the trophies of the early days of California; the old "bear-flags" adorn the walls; and in these rooms are nightly gathered those whose names and deeds are so closely connected with the founding and 10 110 THE ATLANTIC early history of the State. It was to us a rare treat to visit the rooms of this society, whose hospitalities we received through W. K. Van Alen, Esq., and there meet the very men of whom we had read, hear from their own lips of the struggles and hardships which sur- rounded the birth of the State, and those still harder struggles which freed the country of the desperadoes and ruffians who so long infested the Pacific Coast. THE BOHEMIAN CLUB is composed of the artists and literati of the city ; and their kindness in giving me the freedom of their ele- gantly-furnished room added much to complete the entire comfort and happiness of my visit. Here every afternoon, after business, and during the evening, are gathered in these cosey parlors genial spirits ; and the hours glide away so pleasantly, that all cares are for- gotten, and upon the faces of all hang " Wreathed smiles, Such as Hebe brings." Here we met M. Pavy, the distinguished Frenchman, who is fitting out an expedition to the north pole, and from him- gathered some facts upon his proceeding in TO THE PACIFIC. Ill his explorations. As a memento of our interview is written in my journal the following : — " Bon souvenir de mon voyage a San Francisco. " Octave Pavy. "JuiN, 1872." Who can fail to he happy with the Bohemians ? May success and prosperity attend the club ! for, without it, a visit to this city would be robbed of much of its interest to me. They seem to carry into practice the German proverb, " He who creates a laugh creates for- getfulness ; and he who creates forgetfulness distributes oblivion." ART AND TH:E ARTISTS. We had the great pleasure of attending, on the even- ing of June 18, the first reception of the Art Associa- tion. In well-appointed rooms on Pine Street, which the association have fitted up for a permanent gallery, were gathered the artists and their friends, a brilliant assembly, to view the pictures, and pass a very enjoy- able evening. The pictures were not numerous, and many seemed to us very badly hung : still, for the first reception in a new city, and so far from the great art centres, it was very creditable. Bierstadt, who resides at San Eaphael, a few miles 112 THE ATLANTIC from the city, is represented by " Mt. Hood" and " Catliedral Eocks " in the Yosemite. His '' Mt. Hood " is a grand picture, and full of those pleasing "bits of painting " which he can so well put upon canvas, — as in this, the herd of deer browsing and feeding upon the margin of the quiet lake. Thomas Hill, who is for the present here, sends " A View from Point Lobos,'Mn which you see the great waves of the Pacific dashing against the cragged rocks and among the deep caverns of the shore. The picture is truthful in showing the brown look of the cliffs, and the dreamy atmosphere which alway surrounds them. Kidd, formerly of Albany, but now located here, gave us two very pleasing pictures, of which the one, " A Dead Mule on the Prairie," was, in drawing and details, a capital picture. This artist paints his animals with the greatest truthfulness, but fails in landscape effect. Brooks sent two exquisitely-painted salmon, and several still-life pieces. Por us, in most of his pictures, he spoils the effect of his fish or game by too much elabora- tion in the surroundings. A fish never looks better than when first drawn from the water, and lying upon the rocks or in the grass: by the time it reaches the place of fine tables and draperies, most of its character is gone. Loomis placed upon the walls a landscape, which, though it failed to attract much attention, still TO THE PACIFIC. 113 was as choice coloring as any of those exhibited. A picture by this artist in another place, and some pencil- drawings, gave us much satisfaction. If we mistake not, Mr. Loomis has charge of the drawing in some of the public schools. Irwin presented a portrait of the poet Miller ; and Champion several ; while Tojetti sent but one. These, with a large number of old master- pictures, said to be originals, but which we would stamp, without hesitation, as copies, and from the collection of the late Mr. Pioche, together with a few pieces of sculp- ture, formed the chief art attractions. The room was tastefully decorated by the lady-members ; the singing was called good ; and we passed a very enjoyable time. GOAT ISLAND. Undoubtedly you have known something of the great excitement which has stirred this city, caused by " The Goat Island scheme," as it is termed, and the question of ceding Mission Bay to the Central Pacific Pailroad Company. Kather than take any thing at second hand I had an interview personally with Gov. Stank of California: on the right, just u}>on the foot-hills, stands his palatial residence, built of brick, in the style of the French Henaissance, surrounded by elaborately formed houses of glass, which are a necessity with us, but here more for ornament, as it is only for a fjw weeks, during the great rains, that any plants, even those in. pots, require protection. Near the track are situated his ex- tensive barns, milk-houses, and other necessary farm- buildings, up to the doors of which a "siding" has been run, so that the milk from his great dairy can be taken directly from the barn upon the cars, to be trans- ported, in a very short time, to the city. Away to the east a beautiful r(;ach of low, marshy meadow inter- venes between us and the waters of tin; bay. The whole farm smacks of unbounded wealth 5 and it s(!enis a good omen that Mr. Mills prefers to carry on this 13 146 THE ATLANTIC magnificent farm, improve the breed of cattle and horses, by experiment decide the most useful crops, and, by his example, teach others how to till the ground, that health and plenty may come to the people of the State. But our train draws up at a station called Belmont : and, as we had been told that this was the station near- est "Kalston's royal mansion," we looked around in hopes of seeing that house ; but it is so situated among the foot-hills, that it cannot be seen from the road. When I describe an entertainment given a party of ladies and gentlemen at this mansion, and of whom I had the good fortune to be one, I hope to make you acquainted wdth the house and grounds, and know something of the sumptuousness of the private life of a rich Californian. We now enter the valley proper by making a little turn eastward ; and at once we see that we are within one of Nature's great parks. This valley has been often called the " garden of the State ; " but we would rather term it the "park." The great oak-trees, both the black and the live oak, stand in all their majesty upon the plain, and from their branches hang the mosses, just as 3^ou see them in the far South. They are scat- tered through the fields just as the landscape-gardener would desire them, but in an order which he always TO THE PACIFIC. 147 fails to get whenever he tries his hand at imitating Nature's planting. The grasses look greener and fresher than anywhere else that we have been in the State ; and, although we do not see a great variety of flowers, we do have the yellow blossoming mustard-plant, cover- ing acres in one mass of gold. We see wheat-fields of a thousand acres, that is, with no fence between, and the only breaks being dead-furrows ; orchards of apple, pear, peach, and nectarine, of great extent ; as well as plantations of English walnut, almond, cherry, and fig. From this valley come as fine strawberries as are pro- duced in the State ; and we visited one strawberry-patch which contained sixty acres, the vines covering the ground almost entirely. Oats, barley, and, to some extent, corn, thrive ; and the potato produces large tubers, but the quality is not as good as in sections farther to the north. The hay made from the wild oats and the volunteer crops, that is, grain which grows from the droppings from the last planting (they having here none of our grasses), is considered very nutritious ; and the fields which we visited yielded immense returns. One field upon which we went was being cut for the second time ; and the farmer said he should obtain one more crop before the drought succeeded in killing all green things. The villages through which we pass have a look of 148 THE ATLANTIC thrift ; and tlie many fine grounds and elegant mansions wliicli are seen along the line convince us that here '' wealthy Friscans " love to make their homes. Back from the railroad, the spires and housetops of the old town of Santa Clara appear in view ; and, after a ride of three miles, we arrive at the city of San Jose, which is located in the very heart of the valley, and just fifty miles from San Francisco. As is well known, the Spanish had their military post, called the Presidio, near the entrance to the bay in 1776, which is now within the limits of San Francisco. The commander of the post in 1777 resolved to make an agricultural settlement near the mission which had already been established at Santa Clara some ten months, and accordingly, on the 29tli of November of that year, made a beginning on the banks of a creek, which they had named Gaudaloupe : but. the early set- tlers were much annoyed by the floods which overflowed the banks of the creek, and destroyed their property ; so they moved their town to the north. All that is now left of the ancient town is one large storehouse, and the Halls of Justice, both built of adobe, and now in a very dilapidated condition. In 1797 the town had changed its location, and occupied the present site of the city. All this was in the time of Charles IV., when all that section, of which California is only a part, be- TO THE PACIFIC. 149 longed to the crown of Spain, and was ruled by a gov- ernor, who with soldiery kept the Indians in subjection. The name given to the new town was El Pueblo de San Jose de Gaudaloupe. In 1814 there were only twenty dwellings ; and the only foreigner (that is not a Spaniard or Indian) was John Gilroy, a Scotchman. In 1831 the population was five hundred and twenty-four ; and, as late as 1834, there were in all the town only twenty foreign- ers. In 1844 arrived the first party of Americans from Missouri ; and in 1846 another party of a hundred and twenty, commanded by Fremont, reached this valley, and came to the city. On the eleventh day of July, 1846, Capt. Thomas Fallon took possession of the town in the name of the United States ; and from this time begins its history. It was the first capital of the State ; and here the legislatures of 1849 and '50, and 1851 and '52, were held. After this the capital was removed to Sacramento. The city has now a population of about fourteen thousand, and is increasing faster, proportion- ally, than most of the cities. Although the loss of the capital was a severe blow to the little town, still it grew slowly, as the centre ' of a rich farming section. People seeking a pretty town to reside in, after they had " dug from the earth a fortune," came here ; and soon the community was one where existed great individual wealtli, — a position which it still retains. 13* 150 THE ATLANTIC The streets are broad, laid out at riglit angles, and mostly well graded. The city is well supplied with water ; as in most parts, by sinking an artesian well, the water rises several feet above the surface, — a pleasing substitute for windmills. The depth of these wells does not average more than thirty feet. This gives to San Jose peculiar advantages, as water in California is the great desideratum during a large part of the year. The buildings were very commonplace till within a year or so, during whicli time several fine blocks have been erected, doing credit to the enterprise of the citizens. The Court House is the finest public building (save the Capitol at Sacramento) which we have seen in the State. The State ISTormal School Building, built of wood, in the Corinthian style, is the finest, as well as the largest, wooden building in the State. It is to be ready for oc- cupancy in about a year ; and when the park around it is laid out, and planted, the whole will have a grand and imposing effect. The Academy of Notre Dame is located here, and, as a school for young ladies, is of great celebrity. The Auzerais House is a good hotel, in a pleasant location, where a Yankee, by name Churchill, will see that you are well cared for, at prices which are moderate. In the old part of the town, near the Halls of Justice, we found the old plaza, wliere the bull- fights TO THE PACIFIC. 151 used to take place ; and scattered tlirougli tlie city are many old Spanish families, the members of which look, even now, as if tbey would relish "just one more bull- fight.'^ There still remain many of the old adobe houses ; but, for the most part, the residences of the people are not only comfortable, but in many instances elegant. The grounds surrounding many of the residences are very finely laid out, and tbe planting done with good taste and judgment : of all which we saw, those of Gen. Negley pleased us most ; and when we were told, that nine years before they were witliin a great field, and that most of the trees had been only three years planted, we were perfectly amazed. But we must bear in mind that here the seasons are so much longer, that the trees and plants can make much larger growth, which, when com- pared with our New-England season, gives probably three times the growth in a year; and with many plants the proportion would be still greater. THE ALAMEDA is the road connecting the cities of San Jose and Santa Clara. It is about three miles long ; was laid out by the monks, who planted upon each side of the way trees (the willow, oak, and sycamore), which have now become very large, so that, for a large part of the way, their branches 152 THE ATLANTIC interlace above your head, offering a grateful shade. Tradition tells us, that the monks used to wallc over from Santa Clara, and gather the Indians at San Jose around a cross which they had erected there, and tell them of God and the Bible : it is also said that the work of collecting and planting the trees was done by the converted Indians. By the kindness of Major George K. Vernon, formerly an officer in the army, but who resigned to give his whole attention to his ex- tensive farm, we were driven about the city, and over the Alameda, rendered historic by the old monks of the mission, who wended their way on foot over this very ground to carry " good news " to the Indians. I care not what was their creed, to them belong honor and thanks for the self-sacrificing spirit, which led them to the holy work of converting the savages. To this day the good they wrought remains ; and through them this great section was opened for the advance of civilization. Our drive over this famous road prepared us to retrace our steps next day, and visit the city and mission of SANTA CLARA. The town is old and dilapidated, without any appear- ance of business or even thrift. A horse-railroad con- nects the two cities ; and were it not for the college TO THE PACIFIC. 153 buildings, and tlie students who attend, the town would seemingly be deserted. There are still remaining many old adobe houses, built by the Spaniards and Mexicans ; and in one which we visited we found some dirty, ignorant Mexicans, unable to speak English, and with only the rudest implements for housekeeping ; and in a shed adjoining the old house, enveloped in rags and filth, lay an old woman ; and in another part of the house, in a room without windows or fireplace, was a woman and several children. These people are descend- ants from the proud Castilian and the native Indian, — a deplorable race, and more hated by the few pure-blood Spaniards who still survive the misfortunes which have overtaken their rule in America, than by the Americans themselves. As we roamed about the old town, we dis- covered inany evidences of the degeneracy into which this race had fallen. Many of the men live in the saddle, and get their food and blankets from the occa- sional sale of a pony, of which they always have sev- eral along with their train. Even the young boys show great expertness in the use of the lassoo. Having tired of looking about the town, we called at the entrance-door of SANTA CLARA COLLE-GE, and were ushered into a neatly-furnished parlor. With- 154 THE ATLANTIC out waiting long, a priest called, whom we afterwards found to be the learned Rev. Prof. A. Cichi, through whose untiring efforts this institution has now one of the most extensive collections of philosophical apparatus in the whole country. He said he was ready to show us around the college ; and we visited the several recita- tion-rooms, the laboratory, the museums, in all of which every " appliance of learning " was to be found. We were taken into the dormitories and the dining-halls, where the greatest neatness was apparent; into the rooms of the debating society, and the great hall fitted up with the accessories of the theatre, as well as into the various rooms for the teaching of special studies, as photography, mining, &c. ; through the beautiful gar- dens, where now are growing the fig and olive trees planted by the early missionaries, and under whose shade the " brothers " were now walking as they re- cited to themselves the words of their prayers, and willed their thoughts from things temporal to those of " the life to come." From the garden, we went into the old adobe church, built very narrow, but very long, as the early builders knew only how to lay beams across from wall to wall, instead of sustaining the roof upon a truss. The interior of the church is, of course, very rude ; and the old altar is still there, around which the "brothers" and their converts have often knelt. TO THE PACIFIC. 155 The old paintings brought from Spain still adorn the walls; and some of the painting and coloring upon the ceiling is just as it was originally. The sides of the buildings have been incased in wood to preserve them ; and above the old tile-roof another has been placed to keep out the rain. What thoughts arise in one as he stands within such a sanctuary ! This churcli is much better preserved than the old Mission Dolores in San Francisco, which we visited ; for while there much that is modern has been introduced, here all is old, nothing that is new. The same three bells — a Spanish custom — are still rung at morning and evening. The mission is very old, older by far than the city : but the college was not founded till 1855, by Rev. John Noblii ; and since its birth it has been very prosperous, being patronized by all denominations, as the studies are so arranged, that a Protestant is in no way debarred from the privileges of the school. The average number of scholars is about two hundred. We found Prof. Cichi not only a scholar, but a gentleman ; and to him we are indebted for many favors in looking over the buildings and grounds of this mission. As we left the college, just across the street, enclosed within a little wooden paling, stands one of the old wooden crosses, around which the savages used to con- 156 THE ATLANTIC gregate, and which they in their humble devotions, and in token of their recognition of the truths which the Jesuits told them, used to kiss. We wended our way back to San Jose, filled with thoughts of what we had seen. THE NEW ALMADEN MINE. But, before I close, I must tell you of the famous quicksilver mines, which are situated some seven miles from town, and known as " the New Almaden Quick- silver Mines." Although a stage runs to the mines, it is far bet- ter to go by private carriage. The road to the mines is pleasant, and is lined with the most magnificent sycamore-trees which can be imagined, with great branches stretching away thirty feet from the trunk, and resting themselves upon the ground, and with gnarled forms which tell of antiquity. Every one of them is a study for an artist, and should be put upon canvas. We soon enter a defile in the Santa Cruz Mountains ; and, as it narrows, we come within the property of the com- pany. Passing the church, the residence of the superin- tendent, and the neat cottages of the miners, we drew up in front of the hotel, — a long one-story and a half stone building, into the rooms of which you pass di- TO THE PACIFIC. 157 rectly from the sidewalk. In front of iis are the offices and smelting furnaces of the company, together with shops and various buildings required in the production of quicksilver from the cinnebar ore. We are now in the part of the property called the hacienda. As I was familiar with the suit which decided the title to this property, knew personally many of those who were earl}'- interested in the company, and knew many more who still owned stock therein, I felt a great desire to look over the property, about which I had read and heard so much. Passing through the gate, we called at the office, and, upon inquiry, were informed that Mr. J. B. Randol, the superintendent, was up in the mines, which are above on the mountains. Soon he returned ; and we found, that although he was leading a life far away from friends, and among rough miners, he was still the gen- tleman we had always found him to be in New York. Giving us every facility for seeing the property, we pro- ceeded first to one of the furnaces which was in opera- tion. It is built of brick strapped with iron, and has five openings along its sides. From a platform above, it is charged; that is, the ore called cinnebar (a red-looking stone) is packed into the fire-chamber: this is con- nected with the other chambers by long pipes, which gradually recede from the influence of the heat, and at 14 158 THE ATLANTIC last find an opening far up the sides of the hills, in a chimney, out of which pours the poisonous vapors of arsenic. The ore is heated ahove 480° Fahrenheit, when the quicksilver in it is sublimed, and passes along into the chambers and flues, and, as it is separated from the other substances, is gradually cooled, until it is precipi- tated, and runs from the chambers in little globules into a trough, extending along either side of the furnace, and which, by its inclination, carries the quicksilver into a large receptacle, which looks like an old-fashioned set iron hoiler, and from this it is dipped, weighed, and poured into the flasks, which are made of cast iron, hold fifty-six pounds, and are closed by a thread-cut stopper. Having seen this part of the work, we next drove, by one of the finest mountain-roads that could be made, up to the mines and the villages on the hill. The grade is so adjusted, that heavy loads are drawn up the mountain-sides, and the ore taken down to the shutes, through which it slides to the level of the furnaces. As we rode up, we found two villages of miners, — one of Mexicans, and one of Welch and Cornwall miners. The entrance to the mine was a great dark hole, through which you pass, and grope around for several thousand feet within the hill. A car brings up the ore ; and under a long shed it is cleaned and assorted, and prepared for TO THE PACIFIC. 159 the furnaces. Down about seven hundred feet below the old mine, another opening has been made ; and very rich ore is now taken out. There is, of course, much jS.ne ore which is very rich, but , which is too fine to pack : this is mixed with clay, made into adobe bricks; and, in this shape, they furnish a good lining for the fur- nace, and the quicksilver is saved. The houses perched about on the steep mountain- sides looked as if they would tumble down from their elevated positions ; but still the children playing about all looked happy, and the schoolhouse (which the company established, and where they maintain a good school) showed that they were being taught lessons which would be of advantage when they descended from their mountain-homes, down among men dwelling in the val- leys and on the plains. A well-stocked store supplies the miners ; and those whom we saw at work, and going to take their turn in the mines, were a hardy set of fellows. The whole property told of present good man- agement ; and I could see no reason why some of the dreams of the early owners had not been realized : but every such large property is the prey of those who work alone for their own interests, unmindful of the stockholders, who, as a rule in such companies, are only consulted or troubled when a new assessment is to be called for. 160 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. The property owned by the company is large ; its landed estate is extensive, its machinery costly ; and it would seem that they possessed every appliance for making the ore yield large returns in cash to the treas- ury to he divided among the holders of the stock. We were very much pleased with our visit, and instructed in seeing the processes employed, besides enjoying a ride which is not often surpassed in beauty of scenery and fine trees along the roadway. We turned, the next morning, our face again towards the city near the Golden Gate ; and at ten o'clock we were breakfasting in the grand dining-room of the Lick House. CHAPTER XIX. To the Yo-Semite. — The Routes. — Merced City and the New Hotel. — The Ride to Mariposa. — What we saw and heard. — White and Hatch's Hotel. — Clark's Ranche. — Capt. John. — The Mariposa Grove of Big Trees. — How you reach it, and the Size of the Trees. — Fashionable People Travelling. As is well known, tlie chief point of interest to be visited in California is the YO-SEMITE VALLEY. "How shall we go?" is the question asked by the tourist as soon as he begins to talk of the valley. There are agents for the different routes, who, of course, decry all save their own. For two weeks we looked over the routes, talked with those who almost daily returned ; and we will give the result of our labor. The time of making the trip is very important ; for, if you desire to see the waterfalls in their glory, you must go in flood- time, that is, just at the breaking-up of the snows, when 14* 161 162 THE ATLANTIC every thing seems turned to water : for^ be it remem- beredj the waterfalls of the Yo-Semite are made from streams swollen by the melting snows, and many of them dry up entirely; while all become only a mere trickling compared with their volume at flood-time. If the waterfalls are a secondary consideration, then it is much more easy and pleasant to make the journey across the mountains later in the season. The Yo-Semite is situated a little south of east from San Francisco, and, in a direct course, is distant a hun- dred and fifty-five miles ; but to reach the valley we must travel at least two hundred and fifty miles. The three routes are denominated ^^ Merced and Mari- posa," " Coulterville," and "Chinese Camp and Big-oak Plat." By the first, we have the great Mariposa Grove of Big Trees within some four miles of the line ; by the second, the shortest saddle-ride ; and, by the latter, we visit the Calaveras Grove. Of one fact there can be no doubt ; that is, that you should go into the valley on one side, and out of it upon the other ; for thus you have new and inspiring scenery and grand views while accomplishing a journey, which, of necessity, is very hard and tiresome. As we wanted to see the "big trees" in the Mariposa Grove, we chose to enter the valley by way of Clark's, or the first route, and return by the way of Coulterville ; although, TO THE PACIFIC. 163 if time had permitted^ we should have taken the other route, and visited the Calaveras Grove upon our way. On the afternoon of the 6th of June, we left the city for our journey, taking along with us only such luggage as seemed necessary, and arranging our dress " to rough it." The train leaves the city at four, p.m., and reaches Lathrop, on the line to Sacramento, at about half-past eight, where we change cars, and start up the San Joaquin Valley to Merced City, which lies some fifty miles away. After a slow and tedious ride, we reached the unfinished city and the unfinished hotel, named "El Capitan." The genial landlord — Bloss byname — gave us the very best accommodations that he could, under the circumstances, even sleeping-cars being drawn up on the side-track to accommodate the guests ; and we could only say, " Good-night ! " and " turn in." Our unfurnished room, and the excessively hot, oppres- sive atmosphere, were not very inviting surroundings for our first night on our way ; but we resolved not to com- plain of any reasonable hardship, leaving that to the young city belles, of whom you always meet more than a complement for comfort upon such expeditions. The morning found us early looking about the city. Four months ago, there was not a house in sight from the spot where now is the hotel. Tliis great house was erected by the Central Pacific Eailroad Company to ac- 164 THE ATLANTIC commodate the travel to the Yo-Semite. It is four stories high, a hundred and fifteen by forty feet, with two wings and broad piazzas, and to be furnished with all modern improvements. It will cost rising seventy-five thousand dollars ; and Mr. Bloss will add the furniture at an ex- pense to him of some forty thousand dollars more. The railroad offices are all in the building ; and, so far as the work has progressed, it is very creditable to the enter- prise of its projectors. Merced City is made up of three large livery-stables, a dozen saloons, and any number of unoccupied city lots. It is the centre of many mining villages, as Mariposa, Bear Valley, Hopeton, and many others, to nearly all of which daily lines of stages start, and from which they arrive, which, together with the many carriages which depart for and arrive from the Yo-Semite, make lively times at morning and evening about the hotel. If Mr. Bloss could do as well as he did under the circumstances, we are sure, that, by this time, he is able to entertain guests in a manner leaving little to be desired. There are in the city about three hundred people ; and one good citizen who had taken up his residence here persisted in telling us of this " pup of city," and assured us, that, when it got grown, it would astonish us with its " barking and growling.'' We should strongly advise tourists to arrange for a TO THE PACIFIC. 165 private conveyance from here ; for the stages are often overcrowded, go by longer roads to leave the mail, and are not so comfortable in any respect. At the appointed time, seven o'clock, we were off for the foot-hills, which in the distance bounded the great valley of the San Joaquin on the east. For about twenty miles, we drive through vast fields of wheat and barley, covering the earth on either side as far as the eye reaches, only relieved here and there by the cabin of the rancher, or a little growth of timber along the banks of some creek. The grain, which is now ripened, or nearly so, looks fine ; and the fields which have been " headed " are yielding immense crops, — by far greater than any previous year in this valley. Beyond these grain-fields we strike into the gravelly country which lies at the entrance to the foot-hills, — vast rolling fields, which Kature has made the home of the sheep and goat ; and now these great pastures are well stocked with these wool-producing animals. This region gives us a good idea of the foot-hills of the Sierra Nevadas. During our ride, our "knight of the whip" has grown familiar, aided, no doubt, by the contents of a small bottle which he occasionally takes from his pocket, and, with his teeth drawing the cork, manages to keep his team in motion, and at tlie same time empty 166 THE ATLANTIC some of the liquid into liis mouth. He told his history, — his life upon the "box/' and the ups and dowijs which had checkered his career. Of the people who lived at the ranches he told us, some of the stories being " too big ; " but, as we were in the land of big things, no wonder a stage-driver's yarns (never lacking in wonders) should here partake of the general character of im- mense size. He with grave face informed us that the region througli which we were passing was exceedingly healthy. " Die ! " said he. " No one out here would ever die, if it wasn't for whiskey and doctors." He, not liking the last mode, had evidently adopted the first-mentioned course to end his days within the time appointed for mortals. But now we are well in among the hills ; and our attention is attracted by the great ledges of sandstone which project from the surface, and often rise in the form of spires or domes, or in fantastic shapes, giving to the landscape peculiar beauty. This change is very agreeable ; for the fields of ripening grain become very tiresome to the eye, as do the great sheep-pastures, relieved only by the moving herds. There is another rock-formation which is worthy of note. The strata of slate stand at almost right angles to the underlying sandstone, and crop out of tlie ground in shape like grave-stones, covering the sides of the hills with a TO THE PACIFIC. 167 seeming ^^ city of the dead." The rock-croppings above the surface are called " buttes ; " and they add also the color of the rock, — as red buttes, white buttes, &c. Some trees, Pinus Sabiniana, are seen, and acres of the chaparral. Our first stop was at Indian Gulch, a mining-camp, once quite a settlement ; but, as gold has become scarce, it has dwindled down to a little, dilapidated village of a few Italians and a few negroes. A mile or so beyond this village, we enter the great Mariposa Estate, owned by a company bearing that name; ai.d whose stock, by its fluctuations, has ruined more men, and has especially been the cause of the fall of more bank-officers, than any other in the long list of those "doubtful commodities" which they sell to the bulls and the bears who frequent Wall and other streets. We take our course over the road through the estate, and are very much interested in seeing the Chinamen mining in the gulches. Stopping at one of the gulches, we got out of the stage to observe the operation. They erect a little sluiceway (as I before described) ; and into this they shovel the dirt, and wash away the coarser por- tion : that which is left is then put into a " pan," as they call it, which is filled with water ; and, by a peculiar twist- ing of it, the contents are made to revolve, and gradaully the specific gravity of the gold causes it to settle to the 168 THE ATLANTIC bottom, and the refuse dirt to go over the side of the pan. Here we also saw the " rocker," one of the uten- sils used in mining, which has never been improved upon, and is to-day just as it was in the early days of California placer-mining. It takes the place of a sluice, and is more economical in the use of water. The chief mining on the Mariposa Estate is, however, quartz ; but now all the stamp-mills are still. But just a little way on, our driver says, " Don't you see those grave-stones ? " — " Yes,'* we said. " W-a-a-1, now I tell you, you can always know you are coming to a town when you see them things: they always stand up first to let you know they have got a graveyard. I have seen the same thing East ; and I tell you I have known 'um out here, when they laid out a new town, to kill a man to start a graveyard ; for you see, here nobody dies of his own accord." But, before we had really digested the " graveyard story," we entered the old town of Mariposa, — once a thriving city, now a crumbling, ruined place. All the people of standing have left here ; and only a few shop and saloon keepers, and a large number of miners, and, I was told, some desperadoes, remain here. It is a sad story which the city tells of hopes blasted, of fortunes lost, and of glory forever gone. A stay of an hour, and we were oif again, in a moun- TO THE PACIFIC. 169 tain wagon drawn by two horses^ for White and Hatch's, where we were to stay over night. Just as soon as we stepped upon the piazza, we were assured of a good sup- per and a clean bed ; for the marks of a Yankee house- keeper were "hung upon the outer walls/' We were not long in finding out that these people came here from Maine, erected a saw-mill, and went into the lumber business, some twelve years ago. They entertained a few travellers at first ; but, the tourists to the mountains increasing, they were forced to enlarge their little house ; and, by successive additions, they have now quite a "tav- ern," where you are so kindly received by Mrs. Hatch, who spreads for you such a table of good things that Yankees are satisfied ; and, when they are pleased, who in the world is left to find fault ? A refreshing sleep prepared us for an early start ; and b}'' a delightful drive among the hills, under the shade of huge pines, we are taken to Clark's. The road leaves White's and Hatch's at an elevation of three thousand feet, and ascends Chowchilla Creek, and crosses the di- vide at an elevation of fifty-eiglit hundred feet, between the waters of this creek and the Merced. When we reach Clark's, we are at an elevation of forty-one hundred feet, and on the banks of the South Merced River, which, with swift current, fiows by near the house. The river is now at fiood, some seventy-five to eiglitj feet wide, 15 170 THE ATLANTIC clear as crystal, and by its rocky bed is tossed in foam as it speeds along to join the north fork in the Yo- Semite Valley. Mr. Galen Clark, from whom this ranch is named, and who now lives to enjoy the fruits of his labor, is one of the pioneers of the section, who came into the country as early as 1853, and in 1855 settled here. ' His first tavern was a tent, the ground his table, and tin plates served for China ; and at night the camp-fire was lighted, and around it they wrapped themselves in blankets, and slept. In a year or two he built a log-cabin, had three- legged stools and a pine table, with a tent for a dormi- tory, which in those days were luxuries indeed. The increase of travel forced him to erect larger and more substantial buildings ; and to-day they have good accom- modations. Mr. Clark, in his early days, was a great hunter, and is still a dead-shot with his rifle. He is plain in his habits, a lover of nature, and preserves the custom of nightly lighting the camp-fire, and gather- ing his friends about it to talk over " the days that are gone." In 1870 Mr. Edwin Moore came to the ranch, and entered into a co-partnership with Mr. Clark, and now has general management of the business ; and the hearty hospitality which he and the ladies of the house dispense make all feel at home. During the afternoon of the day of our arrival, there TO THE PACIFIC. 171 came galloping into the yard an old Indian, with a white silk handkerchief about his head, pantaloons of great size and white in color, a flannel blouse, and a striped shirt. His horse was a mustang, and upon his back rested a real Mexican saddle. Dismounting, he walked with the gait of age directly to the piazza where we were sitting, and greeted Mr. Clark with the utmost cordiality. Mr. Clark addressed him as Capt. John. After a little conversation in his broken English and Spanish, Mr. Clark told us that he was a chief of the once-powerful tribe of Indians called "Fresno," was on his way for a visit across the mountains, and over to Mono Lake. After much difficulty, he was made to understand that we lived about three thousand miles away, and " on the other ocean ; " and, with a face full of animation, the old man said, "Whew ! too muchy far, old Injun." No, indeed : neither he nor any of his tribe will ever see that other ocean of which their soothsayers had told them around the council-fires. They are fast passing away, and soon they will be numbered with their broth- ers of the Atlantic ; while the tribes in the great middle ground will survive only a few years longer the calami- ties which have overtaken the red men, dwellers by either ocean. But to Capt. John attaches peculiar interest, as he was one of the Indians who Gjuided the first white men into the 172 THE ATLANTIC valley. The Indians in 1850 being very troublesome, and having a stronghold far up the mountains, a com- pany, under command of Capt. Boling, started in pursuit of them, and under the guidance of friendly Indians, with their chief, Te-na-ya, were taken into the wonder- ful valley ; and for the first time white men looked upon the grandest scenery which the world to-day knows. As long as I staid at Clark's, Capt. John and I were good friends ; and he would often exclaim, " I sarva you," which means that he could understand me. At night, when the Indians of the little settlement near the house returned with their trout, and sold them to Mr. Clark, reserving only enough for supper, we visited their camp, and observed their mode of cooking them. A hole is dug in the ground, and a fire made therein ; and, while the coals are glowing, they are raked away, the fish put in and covered with them, and thus cooked. From the meal made from dried acorns, they make a kind of paste, which they call bread, and which, from a water-tight bas- ket, they eat with their fingers. Capt. John urged us so hard to eat with them, that we tried the fish, and found them delicious ; but the paste we had to omit. Our table was the earth ; our knives and forks were our fin- gers ; and we sat in a reclining position on our table, the whole lighted up by the fire, which was blazing near by. As they ate, they grunted at each other ; their lan- guage being a succession of grunts. TO THE PACIFIC. 173 Next day, although Sunday, it was arranged that our party should visit the MARIPOSA GROVE OF BIG TREES. The grove is reached over a trail of some four miles ; but the "rounds" to both groups of trees, and return, make a horseback ride of a little more than twelve miles. Our horses and mules, bridled and saddled, were led up by eight o'clock ; and the selecting and assigning of animals immediately began. The ladies first were mounted for the trip. For me, I preferred a mule, as being surer footed, and, looking among them, I selected one, not the best-looking, but well built, and with an in- telligent eye. Jumping upon his back, he turned his queer countenance towards me, and for some minutes seemed to consider ^ and then whirled round several times to show that gait, and then looked at me again. Coax- ing with a willow-twig seemed to let him know best the way I desired him to behave ; and after a few minutes he yielded, and ever after was " as good a mule as mule could be." For ni}^ whole stay in the mountains I kept him, called him ^sculapius, treated him kindly, rested and fed him ; and, were I to go again in that region, I should look for that mule, which T trust will ever bo well used. 15* 174 THE ATLANTIC I noticed one thing, — tliat those who "bragged most of their horsemanship made the poorest show when they were upon the animals. One jpoor child who talked loudly of his experience, and who tried to be very nice, came to grief, sprawled in the dirt ; for his mule per- sisted in not being led in a city ivay. No one pitied him, for he had put away all pity by his course. The la- dies also showed the same fact. — that much bragging, or even Eastern horsei6'o??^a?^ship, don't always succeed in conquering a mustang pony or a mountain mule. But, all ready ! and we are off over the trail for those wonders in the vegetable world. But, if we had not read of those bigger trees, we should have been satisfied with those about us ; the hotel standing in a grove of trees from six to twelve feet in circumference, and from a hundred and twenty-five to a hundred and seventy- five feet high, mostly pines. The trail is a very pleasant one, being up the side of a hill, under the shade of those magnificent great pines and spruces which cover the Sierras far up their sides. About an hour and a half was occupied in reaching the " Upper Grove," as it is called. These groups of big trees lie at an elevation of about fifty-five hundred feet above sea-level, but still in a little valley, a sort of depression in the side of a ridge. Congress has made a grant of two miles square, and TO THE PACIFIC. 175 clared it a national park, which, takes in the two distinct groves of these trees. The Upper Grove contains just three hundred and sixty-five of this species, over one foot in diameter ; while in the Lower Grove, which is situ- ated to the south-west of the first mentioned, the trees are more scattered, and less in number. Por a long time, a learned discussion was carried on both in France and England as to the name to be given this tree ; but now, by consent of all, it is named Sequoia gigantea. It is undoubtedly a twin-brother of the red- wood (^Sequoia sem.pe7'virens), of which the major part of the trees in the great Sierra forests is composed. The trees have signs placed upon them, giving each a name, as Grant, Lincoln, Lesseps, the Twins, the Sis- ters, Pluto's Chimney, &c., but which have not, and should not, become popular. Spare the old giants of the forest such indignities ! The highest tree in this grove is two hundred and seventy-two feet ; the highest in the Calaveras Grove is three hundred and twenty- five feet ; while the largest known tree in circumference in the world is here in the Lower Grove ; and there are in all, in the two groups, a hundred and twenty-five trees, each over forty feet around. The trees which are found intermingled with the big trees are the pitch and sugar pine, the Douglas spruce and white fir, together with the bastard cedar, which nearly resembles the Sequoia. 176 THE ATLANTIC The great tree in the southern portion of the grove is the one known as the " Grisly Giant/' which is ninety- three feet seven inches in circumference at the ground, and, eleven feet above, is sixty-four feet three inches. It is at the base rising thirty-one feet in diameter. Its branches are as large as our largest elms, many being fully six feet in diameter. Desiring to take home with me something which would show the size of this tree, with the assistance of the two guides, w^e stretched a cord around the tree as nearly as we could five feet from the ground, making no allowance for the decrease in size by the burning on one side ; and this cord (which I now have, as w^ell as the measurements of two others) measures just ninety-two feet eight inches in length. The age of this tree is variously estimated ; but it is safe to say (from the data of those which have fallen) that it is fifteen hundred years old. Through a fallen trunk, which was hollowed by decay and fire, we rode on mule-back ; and into another tree, still growing, but into whose side the fire had worked, we rode, turned our mule around, and rode out again. There was one where the fire had made a rent directly through the tree, large enough for us to ride through, and it was still growing, its top showing no signs of decay. These are great vegetable wonders ; and probably no trees ever found have created so much comment as these, all tlie TO THE PACIFIC. 177 learned journals of the world having given them full descriptions and reviews. We lunched amid these great giants of the mountain forests, and let our thoughts contemplate the wonders of Nature, thankful that we had been privileged to behold them, and re-assured that Nature proved the existence of a God. We returned somewhat tired with our first experience in mule-back riding over a mountain trail ; but, never- theless, the lighting of the camp-fire found me with the ranchers, listening to their stories. Passing the door of the parlor later in the evening, a city belle said to me, " I should not think you would like to stay with those rough men." Surprised at first at the extreme ignorance shown by this lady, — only a specimen of tlie great majority who make such trips with their "dear papas," — I could only tell her that Mr, Clark was a gentleman ; that his son was a recent graduate of Yale College ; that Mr. Moore was a man of great informa- tion ; that I had derived much knowledge from the con- versation ; and, by mingling with them, I had learned their mode of life. Not satisfied, she again replied, " I did not come out here to associate with common people." This is the estimate which many place upon a person, — his dress. Fashionably-cut clothes go, with fashionahle people, farther than brains. If a person can travel 178 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. through our Great West, and associate as he ought with the people, and have any respect iox fashionable preten- sions afterwards, I deem him beyond hope ; for here the governor of the State dresses in homespun, and the sturdy ranchers and men of business forget the color of their shirt, if it be only clean. I could not help this tirade against fashionable women ; for they gave me more annoyance than all else upon my trip, and often created ill feelings, and wounded the sensitive natures of the few noble women, lovers of nature, who were along with the party, or whom we met at the stopping-places. To-morrow early we shall start for the valley, leaving at seven o'clock ; and, as the trail is nigh thirty miles, we shall not reach the valley before sunset. CHAPTER XX. The Trail from Clark's into the Yo-Semite. — The Mountain Peaks. — Inspiration Point. — The Yo-Semite Fall. We made an early start from Clark's for our long saddle-ride into the valley. There was a large number to go ; and every horse and mule was brought into requi- sition. By a bridge we cross the South Fork of the Merced Biver ; and by a trail^ ascending very rapidly, we reach the plateau, which lies between the main river and the branch mentioned. A journey of six miles brings us to a creek named Alder, along which our trail lies to its source in a great mountain-meadow. We have now reached an altitude of seventy-one hundred feet above the level of the sea, or nearly a thousand feet higher than Mt. Washington, or a mile and a half above tide- water. To know just what a mountain-trail is you must follow one ; but some idea can be had by ima- gining the roughest road you ever went over, and by far more crooked than any cow-path in the old pastures, and then narrow it down to a way just wide enough for 179 180 THE ATLANTIC one animal to pass, and then set this path at an inclina- tion little less than perpendicular, and then across it throw occasionally a snow-drift ten feet deep, and you can know something of the trail whicli we are going over to-day (June 10). Up here in the mountains it is early spring ; the snows are melting ; the streams are swollen; and, in the spots where the snows are gone, the grass is just springing up. There must have been an immense quantity of snow here ; for the drifts of snow, packed hard enough for us to pass over the crust, are from six to ten feet in depth ; and the ground in the shadow of rocks and trees is still " clothed in the white." A trail is peculiar : it follows the path first struck out, even though farther, and takes great pains to go a long way around a fallen tree or a rock, when the labor of a few hours would open a new path ; but still there is something fascinating in following the windings of our narrow road. The character of the trees has changed ; and now we have those which delight in these elevated places, as Pinus contorta, Picea grandis, Picea amahilis : of these the forests of the high Sierras are formed. The early flowers, too, are blossoming, and opening their bright eyes to the sun ; but it is too early in the season for the floral beauties which later cover the ground, ^nd make you for- get the frosts and the snows. TO THE PACIFIC. 181 By one o'clock we reached a place called " Mountain View Meadow/' — a great basin, as it were, in the moun- tains, whose lofty peaks rise on every side, covered with snow. We are now in the high Sierras, and are brought face to face with the grandest mountain-range on the continent. We lunch at the Mountain View House, a pretentious name for a log-cabin and one small frame house, with partitions made of cotton cloth. The property is owned by one Peragoy, who came from Baltimore to the Mari- I)osa country to dig gold. Stock-raising takes him into this meadow during each summer ; and Mrs. Peragoy takes charge of lunching travellers to and from the val- ley, and, that she does it well, the many praises from the company told full well. To her the mountains have no charm, the great meadow in which she lives no beauty ; but a well-set and ^^eZZ-loaded table, with tuell-'psiymg guests around it, who call loudly for extras, is to her the grandest sight upon which her eyes can rest. From Peragoy's the trails diverge ; one entering the valley by Inspiration, and the other by Glacier Point. The country between is rolling; now rising in sharp ridges, and now settling back into a pretty meadow, where the grass is springing up, offering abundant food for cattle during the few weeks that they are free from snows. In crossing these meadows, now filled with sur- 16 182 THE ATLANTIC face water, often our mule would mire to his knees ; and, in his efforts to get out, the mud would fly at a great rate, or, in crossing a creek which seemed shallow, down he would sink, and our feet would find water, to our dis- comfort. The highest point which we reach upon the trail is seven thousand four hundred feet above the sea ; and at this altitude, of course, it is impossible to walk or run at any speed ; and, until one has become accustomed to it, care should be taken not to exert one's self, as evil results often follow. But we are now catching glimpses of the huge walls and towering peaks which rise upon the farther side of the valley ; and a mile or so takes us to that famed spot, INSPIRATION POINT. Here we get our first view of a portion of the valley. Dismounting, we walk out upon the jutting rocks ; and then opens to our view the enchanting, awe-inspiring scene. The sun is just sinking behind the huge granite hills which rise in the west : in front of us, seemingly but a little way off, but really more than a mile, the Bridal Veil throws its white, flowing robes over the face of Po-ho-no, and, falling six hundred and thirty feet from the top of the rock to the river, breaks into a great cloud of spray. We are far above this fall. On TO THE PACIFIC. 183 our left rises the huge form of El Capitau, almost per- pendicularly, thirty-three hundred feet ahove the level of the valley. This rock the Indians called Tu-tock-a- mu-la, or the great chief of the valley. Away in the distance, where the valley seems to close up, we see the North and South Dome, the latter of which rises nearly five thousand feet above the valley; while away up among the very clouds we see the great peaks called Lyell and King, and Cloud's E-est, and many more, but which, from this point, appear like one great mountain, up the sides of which you can climb into and above the clouds, up to those shining orbs, the stars. Below us, a small part of the valley level appears, dotted over with great trees, and through which a river flows, its waters sparkling in the sun. To attempt to describe the grandeur of this scene would be folly ; to tell of the feelings of awe, of hu- mility, of reverence, which are here aroused, is all that can be done. He who tries to believe there is no God is here at once converted in the twinkling of an eye ; and his feelings of reverence and veneration, blended with love and beauty, force him to a worship at once pure and creedless. Enraptured by the scene, we all lingered long after our guides told us that darkness would come on before we reached the hotel. But, before we start down the 184 THE ATLANTIC precipitous side of this mountain, let us give a general idea of this wonderful valley. The valley is about six miles long by from half a mile to a mile and a half in width ; its area is nearly level ; and its sides rise almost perpendicularly from the sur- face ; the rock being solid granite of the finest grain. It is sunken almost a mile below the general level of the mountain region just around it ; and the general direc- tion of this depression is north-east by east, until near its upper end, where it makes a sharp turn, and divides into three canons, up through which wild gorges we can climb to the higher Sierras beyond. Prof. Whitney, State geologist of California, calls the valley "a gigantic trough," and sums lip its charac- teristics as follows : " The principal features of the Yo- Semite, and those by which it is distinguished from all known valleys, are, first, the near approach to verti- cality of its walls ; second, their great height, not only absolutely, but as compared with the width of the valley itself; and, finally, the very small amount of talus, or dehins, at the base of these gigantic cliffs." We will start down the trail ; and we must make a steep climb of twenty-nine hundred and seventy- feet before reaching the bottom of the valley. At each step of the way, we have new and inspiring views pre- sented to us. A little way down, we have the spot TO THE PACIFIC. 185 where Bierstadt made his sketches for his great picture, and a little off the trail, where Hill found the view which to him seemed grandest, and which he has transferred to canvas not only in outline, but in spirit. As we approach nearer El Capitan, we are impressed with its massiveness ; and, as it stands out into the valley, it seems to present a sharp edge of granite, but really very wide. At points, the trail is very steep, and, of course, some care must be taken to avoid accident; for although guides say there is no danger, still a misstep of your animal would surely cause serious trouble. On our right is the Bridal Veil Falls, which now we begin to look up to, instead of down upon it, as we did at Inspiration Point. On our left we have a fall called Virgin's Tear, a little more than a thousand feet high ; but this fall dries up as the season advances. We pass in our journey Cathedral Eock, twenty-six hundred and sixty feet high ; the Spires, which are dis- tinct granite columns, which rise, just as their names indicate, some five hundred feet, and, as the sun brings out their lines and forms, they are of rare beauty. On the other side are those rocks, rising one over and above the other, called by the Indians Pom-pom-pa-sus, or "Leaping Frog Kocks," from their resemblance to three frogs, but which are named in the survey " The Three 16* 186 THE ATLANTIC Brothers," tlie highest of which rises thirty-eight hundred and thirty feet high. As we approached the Bridal Veil, its beauty seemed increased ; and as the wind swayed its mass of foaming spray, losing itself among the tall trees which grow at its base, it seemed like the flowing of a long white veil. There seemed to be a dozen streams running from this fall into the Merced ; and, as we forded some of them, our feet dragged through the water, it was so deep. Leaving the rest of the party, some of us rode up among the trees, and got quite near the base of the fall, at least where the spray came over us like a shower of rain. It was a weird spot just as darkness came on ; and the sound of the wind striking the column of water made it all the more awful. The Indians as they came here gave to the fall tbe name of "The Spirit of the Night Wind," in their language Po-ho-no. A mile brought us to the first hotel, Leidig's; and a little farther on we came to Black's, where we had de- termined to stay. The roar of the great Yo-Semite fall was heard ; and in the moonlight we could see the spray. To the back of the hotel the great tower-like rock rises, which is called " The Sentinel Rock ; " and the house where we are has the name, "New Sentinel Hotel." Too tired to eat, and with mind crowded full of the TO THE PACIFIC. 187 incidents of the day, we soon retired, to be lulled to sleep by the roar of the " Great Grisly Bear/' as the Indians called the great waterfall just on the opposite side of the valley. Before the sun rose, we were out watching for its first beams in the valley ; and we were amply repaid for our early start. In the valley it was quite dark : but the spires and pinnacles of the surrounding mountains were gilded with the morning sun ; and, as he rose higher, his beams glided over the rocks, and gradually slid down their sides, bringing out in bold relief their forms marked and scarred by time, until at last his full rays burst in glory upon the whole valley, causing rocks and trees and waterfalls to shine and sparkle in his beams. Nothing could be more beautiful ; and those who persisted in remaining in bed till the break- fast-bell rang lost one of the most beautiful views of Nature which I enjoyed in the valley. In the early morning, or just at sunset, we have the best view of the YO-SEMITE FALL, This is probably the greatest attraction in all the valley, and in height (two thousand six hundred and thirty-four feet) surpasses all other known waterfalls in the world with like volume of water. It is formed by 188 THE ATLANTIC a creek of the same name, which heads ten miles away, in Mount Hoffman, and is fed by melting snows. It has its bed in solid granite, and, where it pours over the rock, is from twenty to forty feet in width, and from two to three feet in depth, with a current of a mile an hour. Where it pours over, the granite is polished so smooth, that it is dangerous to step upon it. The fall is divided into three parts ; the first, a vertical descent of fifteen hundred feet, where it strikes upon a shelf, which makes back nearly two thousand feet from the front of the lower cliff; and, by a series of cascades, it finds its way down (the descent being, in a perpendicular, six hundred and twenty-six feet) to the edge of the cliff, where it makes a final plunge upon a pile of debris, and by rivulets is carried into the Mer- ced. The volume of water is too great to be broken by the fall; and the wind has such an effect upon it, that it sways the foaming mass, which widens out, before it reaches the shelf, to some three hundred feet at flood- time. As it tumbles from the cliff, it falls in rocket- like masses, and seems to whirl ; by which air is collected within the mass, and, falling upon the flattened shelf of granite, causes a sound like the report of a cannon. The view of this fall varies very much in different positions : in some, it appears like one continuous fall without break ; in another, the cascades appear between TO THE PACIFIC. 189 the two perpendicular falls ; and from any point, whether near, or across the valley (here more than a mile in width), the sight is grand and imposing, and far more enchanting than Niagara. By this time our breakfast was ready, and we were ready, also, to do it justice after our tramp. Our animals are brought up ; and as the name, Mirror Lake, is so bewitching, it was voted to go there : and so we are oif. The trail brings us soon to the centre of business, — Hutchings's Hotel (kept by Hutchings, who lectured in in the east last winter), Smith's Cosmopolitan Saloon, a store, the photographic gallery of Hazeltine, the telegraph-office, and the new dormitory erected by Mr. Hutchings. These structures are somewhat rude ; and all elaboration is omitted, as all the material of which they are built, and with which they are furnished, was brought over upon pack-mules. Near Hutchings's we cross the Merced upon a bridge which ought to span the river; but the water is so high, that, when we get at the end of the bridge, we are only across the main channel, and our animals go leg-deep in the water across a great meadow. Soon the valley narrows between towering mountains. On the left we have the Koyal Arches, Washington Column, and that great dome-shaped mass of granite rock, called the North Dome. At this point the valley divides into three canons, — Tenaya, through 190 THE ATLANTIC wliich a branch of the Merced of that name flows ; the Nevada, or middle one, through which the main Merced flows ; and the right hand, or that to the south-west, the lUilouette, through which the South Fork flows. A little way up the Tenaya, we come to a great mass of broken granite rock, evidently the moraine of a glacier; and, climbing over this, we find that it has dammed up some of the waters of the river ; and this they call '^Mirror Lake." At the proper time of the day, the reflections in the water are undoubtedly fine ; but to call it a lake is a misnomer, and the great num- ber of mosquitoes make it very uncomfortable staying around in tliose parts. Mirror Lake is a humbug, and don't pa}'- for the time and trouble of getting to it. So it is with every thing. An attractive name will take with the many, who leave spots of rare beauty unnoticed, because no one has given them heaiitiful names. On our way we visited a ranchero of Merced Indians, and had a chance to see the squaws pounding acorns into meal, and some of the men, who, like other lords of the earth, deem it a disgrace to work, but are willing to be suf)ported by others. In the afternoon we strolled about by ourselves, and found more satisfaction and comfort. AVe met Joaquin Miller, the poet of the Sierras, who has the credit of first making Englishmen acquainted with the grand TO THE PACIFIC. 191 mountains, the fruitful plains, and the lovely valleys, of California. Many Eastern people, too, were stopping in the valley at the three hotels. We also visited the justly celebrated saloon of Mr. John Smith ; and it is a worthy example of pluck. It stands in salient contrast with all the other accom- modations in this valley. Mr. Smith first visited the valley some three years ago, and, with a far-sightedness which always compels success, perceived the future to which the Yo-Semite was destined, and resolved to anticipate its needs. To understand fully the magni- tude of tlio undertaking, it must be borne in mind that every tiling for building (save the roughest lumber), all supplies of every kind, must be packed into the valley upon mules, over a mountain-trail of ten miles at the very least. But Smith was a man who, the more difficulties, the more the energy he summoned to his aid. To resolve with him was to act : so up went the building, over came furniture, supplies, even city luxu- ries, into a valley where before only the rudest con- veniences were known. Late in the evening we again reached our hotel, satisfied with one day's full enjoyment. And I will close this chapter by adding a story which has credence in the valley. Along came a tall, gaunt-looking Yankee chap, and 192 THE ATLANTIC offered his services to the proprietor of the mule-trains as guide. Although he had never been in the valley, he assured them that his experience in the mountains would enable him to follow the trail, and his study of the map of the Yo-Semite would make him familiar with the points of interest. Pete, for that is his name, talked so plausibly, that at length a bargain was struck ; and he started off with a party. Good judg- ment took them safely into the valley ; and Pete had a ready answer to all questions. Coming to those three great rocks which I have described as looking like three frogs, some of the party inquired their name. " Them are the Missouri Sisters," said Pete with an air of confidence ; " and ain't them handsome ones ?" The party reached Hutchings's all right 5 and, after tea, Mr. Hutchings proposed a walk, and Pete accom- panied them. Mr. Hutchings was discoursing upon the beauties of the grand scenery, when presently his eye caught these three huge rocks, and, calling the attention of the per- sons to them said, " Those three huge rocks which lie one upon another, we call the ' Three Brothers.' " One of the party in amazement looked up, and cried, " Why, Pete, you told us they were the ^ Missouri Sisters." " Pete, ever ready, answered, "Hang it! no one can keep track of Hutchings's names ; for he changes them every week." TO THE PACIFIC. 193 And these popular iiames do change, and often have no significance at all. How much better it would have been to have preserved the old Indian names which had been handed down from generation to generation, and each of which had some appropriateness ! And even the word " Yo-Semite/' which is retained, is Anglicized ; for the Indian pronounces it ^^ Ho-ham-e-ta,^^ and it signifies the most awful thing to him, — a great grizzly bear. 17 CHAPTER XXL Nevada Canon. — Vernal and Nevada Falls. — The Flowers, Shrubs, and Trees of the Valley. — The Trail up to Gentry's. — Crane Flat and South Tuolumne Grove of Big Trees. — The Stage- Ride back through Coulterville to Merced. We again rose early, and enjoyed a tramp among the grand old trees to the foot of some of those towering rocks. Their great height is best appreciated by climbing up upon the debris to their face, and then looking up towards the blue sky. Long before the party (for you have to go in troupes, under the charge of guides) was ready, I was upon that mule, ^sculapius, and was off to see the reflections in the river. The ex- treme clearness of the water, its absolute quiet as it spreads out over the meadows, together with the great clearness of the atmosphere, give to these reflections peculiar beauty and character. The fine photographs made by Watkins of San Francisco reproduce these effects in great truthfulness. 194 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. 195 "When the rest of the party came up; we had wandered some distance up the trail which takes us to VERNAi;. AND NEVADA FALLS; which are among the most pleasing of all the waterfalls. We leave the valley proper at the point where the three canons begin. Our way lies up the middle one, wliere flows the main river. The Merced, in coming from the high mountain-plateau above, down into the Yo-Semite, makes a descent of more than two thousand feet in two miles ; and, besides the roaring cascades, we have the two falls mentioned. We follow up the river, and, after a ride of a mile or more, cross the Illilou- ette, which is quite a stream. Here we go over an im- mense deposit of huge angular granite blocks, which, undoubtedly, have been torn from the mountains by some great ice-floe. The trail rises very rapidly, and follows the tearing and surging river, which you per- ceive, from the inclination of its bed, must flow at a fear- ful rate. We soon arrived at the first fall, which has received the popular name of Vernal, but which the Indians called Pl-unj-ach, or Sparkling Water, — a name which has some appropriateness. The height of the fall is four hundred feet, as nearly as can be meas- ured ; for the great body of water which flows over this 196 THE ATLANTIC squarely-cut " step/' as it were in the canon, is broken into spray, which rises nearly half as high as the fall. As the sun shines upon this fall, beautiful rainbows are produced, which give to the whole scene exquisite beauty. One loves to linger about this spot, climbing up the rocks within the spray which is thrown by the fall on every side. Around the falls, where the moisture covers the rocks, cryptogamous plants thrive; and here a collection of mosses could be made, which would be very valuable in this class of plants. Por a little more than two miles, by a very steep trail, along a sharp ridge, we make our way up to Nevada Fall. This is a grand sight, the volume of water being very large ; and by a projecting rock, just at the edge of the lip of the fall, a whirling motion is given to the central volume of water ; and, as it falls upon talus or debris at the foot, the spray is thrown in all directions upon and among the great trees vdiich grow near the foot of the fall. This fall is six hundred feet high ; and the river between the falls descends three hundred feet. To our left rises a huge mass of rock, which stands alone in its grandeur. It is about two thousand feet high, and has several names, but that generally adopted is ^^ Cap of Liberty." Two days before we visited the spot, a large slide took place, which levelled great trees, TO THE PACIFIC. 197 filled up gorges, and, for many rods around, filled the air with flying stones ; and to-day we have every thing covered with granite-dust. Those who chanced to be here at the time described the scene as grand, yet pro- ducing extreme fear ; for the very rock where they were shook under their feet. We have visited no more picturesque spots than those which we have found in Nevada canon. The little house where we lunch is kept by Albert Snow and his wife. As w^e approached the house, some one asked Mr. Snow if he knew where " Drew " was ; and he replied with the utmost deliberation, "I'll be darned if I know ! " and in a tone which only comes from Old Vermont. And so it was. Snow is a Yankee, and his wife is Yankee too • and between them they succeed in making all people happy. Although there were more than a hundred at the little inn, Mrs. Snow gave all enough ; and those baked beans — " when shall I see the like again ? "- Grace Greenwood (Mrs. Lippincott) was here, and many people from the East ; and all seemed to drink in the beauties and sublimity of the scenes about them. Whoever visits the valley should find and become acquainted with John Muir, the scholar and enthusiast, who has seen more of the valley and adjacent country than any other white man. Visiting the valley about 17* 198 THE ATLANTIC four years ago, he became so much impressed with its grandeur and sublimity, that he returned home, closed up his business, and took up his permanent residence here ; and for three years, now, he has "been reading this great book of nature," as he says ; and he has well succeeded. Our evenings we spent in his little cabin; and one night the clock struck three in the morning before we ended what to me was a most instructive discussion. The theory of the formation of the valley advanced by Whitney never did satisfy me ; and, the more I ob- served, the more doubts arose ; and from Mr. Muir facts enough were obtained to believe with Agassiz, that all such deep ploughed gorges have been made by immense ice-floes. It seems strange that so few of our scientific men have visited the valley, and made a thorough exam- ination ; for, so far, only superficial glances have been made, and crude theories are the result. Another person must be seen, Mr. John Lamon, who was the first white man to take up a permanent resi- dence in the valley. He came into the valley and selected a few acres as early as 1860 ; and, for a number of years, he has passed the entire year in the Yo-Semite. He has set out and cultivated a fine orchard of apple- trees, has a strawberry-patch, and raises some vegetables. He is an intelligent man. TO THE PACIFIC. 199 The first house built in the valley was in 1856, and is still standing, and forms a part of Black's Hotel. Mr. J. M. Hutcliings first visited the valley in 1855 ; has lived in the valley since 1858 ; during the summer keeps his hotel, and seems bound to make money. As is well known, Congress ceded this valley, and the territory back from the line of the rocks (one mile all around), to the State of California, to be forever pre- served as a park. Commissioners were appointed, who began their work : but nothing has ever been done, as through the efforts, principally of Mr. Hutchings, all their plans have been thwarted ; and he is continually urging the legislature and Congress to recognize his private claims, and give him in fee a hundred and sixty acres of that which God has intended for a nation's park. Remissness on the part of some one exists ; for there should be a good carriage-road, at least, into the valley ; good hotel accommodations should be had ; and the price to be paid should be regulated. The State should move in the matter ; and to this the great rail- roads which take tourists to the region should give their attention, that many of the inconveniences which now attend a journey to the valley may be removed. There is a new trail opened this year up to Glacier Point, from which position a more extended view is obtained of the valley than from any point now acces- 200 THE ATLANTIC sible with any reasonable exertion. Year by year new paths will be made ; and it is an impossibility to go upon any trail, or upon any of the mountains, without finding new views, and each with its own elements of beauty. We were disappointed in not being able to reach Cloud's Rest and the higher Sierras, but the snows prevented ; and those who had attempted the ascents were of opinion that another week would pass before the snows would be packed hard enough to allow a pas- sage over the crusts. It must be borne in mind, that, as the summer's sun rises over these mountains covered with snow, it warms the whole mass, the least frozen portion is turned into water, and the icy part is brought together in a mass so firmly packed, that it will sustain the weight of a mule and its rider. In this way, dur- ing late July and August, they go over beds of snow from ten to twenty feet in depth, and often even deeper, in both the Sierra Nevadas and the Rocky Mountains. During our stay in the valley, we were every hour filled with the grandeur of the scenery ; and we could only regret when at last the morning came for our de- parture ; and we promised ourselves, that, should life and health permit, we would again visit this enchanting spot, and satiate ourselves with its glories. To get out of the valley as we had proposed, we had to cross the river upon a flat-bottomed boat, called " The TO THE PACIFIC. 201 Ferry," and make our way directly around the face of old El Capitan, the size of which was brought out by the time occupied in passing by it. By a very sharp grade we make our way up to the top of the hill ; the trail being about four miles and a half from Black's to the foot of the hill, and two miles and a half to the top, and the ascent equivalent to a vertical rise of more than three thousand feet. Before we are out of the valley, let us pause and take a short view of the flora. The most pleasing flower was the great masses of what we call swamp-cheese (Azcdia occidentalis), whose blossoms were both superb and deliciously fragrant. On the banks of the river we find Helleniunn grandifloriim, whose flowers are yellow, and very showy. In a little pond, yellow pond-lilies are seen, and ferns in great variety, and, in the swampy meadows, some very peculiar and rare sedges, or coarse grasses. The principal trees are alder {Alnus viridis)^ Douglas spruce (Abies Douglasii), Balm of Gilead poplar (Popu- lus halsamifera), yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa), the cedar (Lihocedrus decurrens). Among the shrubs are the Cornus Nuttallii, Rubus Nutkanus^ the manzanita (Arctosta phylos glauca), the wild rose (Hosa hlanda). In sandy places we have several varieties of pentste- 202 THE ATLANTIC mon, the Frangula Callfornica, the brake (Pteris aqui- lina), the Spracjuea umhellata, together with many smaller and less characteristic flowers and shrubs, cover- ing the ground in patches. While we have been botanizing, we have reached a point far up on our trail ; and here, just in the worst place, we meet a party coming down into the valley. Here's a place for a compromise, for one of tlie parties has to turn back. After some parleying, it is left for the guides to decide ; and all, save a luoman or two, ac- quiesce. To add further to our difficulties, a little far- ther on we meet a drove of four wild cattle, being driven into the valley ; and here is danger, which is averted by the quick movements of the young Mexican lad who is driving them, who spurs his horse out of the trail gets in ahead of the cattle, and drives them on the rocks above us, allowing us all to pass in safety. At length the top of the hill is reached, and we are at the house well known as Gentry's Station. But they have christened a new addition, " Alta-mont Hotel," which will do for Eastern tourists ; but it will always becalled Gentry's by the old ranchers and hunters of the region, as well as by the drivers who bring their stages to this point. As we rode up to a tree, jumped from our mule, and tied iEsculapius for the last time, we could not resist TO THE PACIFIC. 203 patting him on the head, and getting for him a bunch of hay. He had carried us many a mile, never had made a misstep, and generally had shown an obedient disposition. We trust that he may always have a kind master ; and, as the guide led him with the others back towards the valley, our best wishes went with that mule. This is the end of the carriage-road on this side of the mountain, whether you come by way of Coulterville or Big Oak Flat. After a good dinner, given us by Messrs. Gentry and Stockird, we were off upon our return-trip. Seven miles brought us to Crane Flat. The village consists of a large barn, two frame houses, and a saloon ; the latter being the popular resort of travellers. As our team was tired out by their drive the day before, we were obliged to stay over night ; and Mrs. Ann Gobin, who keeps the inn while her husband looks after his fifteen thousand sheep, took good care of us with the accommodations which she had. Enough to eat there was ; but, as the buildings have few partitions, you can perceive some difficulty in arranging beds for a large company. Although a place uninviting in every way, still we made up our minds to be satisfied; and finding a table in the saloon, which Mr. Hurst kindly allowed us to use, we penned one of our former chapters, 204 THE ATLANTIC and made our notes for this. The table, no doubt, had been " put to baser uses/' according to the custom of the country. We were told that the South Tuolumne Grove of Big Trees was situated within a circuit of three miles of this place, and we resolved to see them : and, arran- ging with Master Gobin to conduct us in the morning, we retired early; for breakfast was announced to be ready at six, and the stage to be off at seven. An uncommonly early start ; and we were soon among the tall sugar-pines, which, in the gray light of morn- ing, seemed like huge sentinels keeping watch of the surrounding hills. To add to the interest of our walk, just as we entered the forest where the Sequoia were, our guide sang out, " Keep this way ! for there's a grizzly's hole ; " and, not feeling like encountering one of these fellows, we did "keep this way" in good earnest. Wouldn't you have done the same ? My tramp, although a hard one, amply repaid me. The trees stand upon the northerly slope of the hill, in a sheltered position ; and, although not so large as those at Mariposa, still there are some specimens, which for beauty of form, symmetry, and healthfulness, are unsur- passed by any others. There is a stump left of a partly-burned tree, which must have been some twenty- three feet in diameter. The trees axe ^onjewhat scat^ TO THE PACIFIC. 205 tered, but are well worthy a more extended examination than we could give them. We made our way out to the road, which has recently been completed through this section, which -we followed back to the house, where we arrived rather late, as all our party had breakfasted. Although they bantered me for my early rising, and loss of what they termed a " magnificent breakfast," we had seen the trees, and they had not, and we went to California to see such sights ; for we can eat at home, but can't see such specimens of vege- tation. Nevertheless, we had our breakfast, and were ready when the stage came to the door. By the way, last evening, while we were sitting upon the piazza, who should drive up but our friend Daniel S. Harris of Springfield, Mass., president of the Con- necticut-valley E-ailroad ? He was accompanied by his wife; and it was, as you can imagine, a surprise to meet them so far away from our homes. Our road is a narrow way, built around the sides of the hills, and, by a steep grade, takes us down to the San Joaquin Valley. One's continual fear is, that one will meet a carriage coming in the opposite direction ; and, as a rule, one's fears become facts. A few miles on, in seemingly the worst place, we met an up-stage. A dilemma was at hand. " What will they do ? " cried the 18 206 THE ATLANTIC ladies ; and the men, unused to sucli incidents, looked troubled and perplexed. A few words between the drivers seemed to put things to rights ; for the driver of the up-stage began to unhitch his horses, accomplishing which, he drove the horses by our stage, and gave them in charge of one of the passengers ; then he had the people in his wagon get out, and pass on ; then they drew the carriage along with two of the wheels down the bank, and a half-dozen of us holding it up to prevent it tumbling do\yn into the valley several hundred feet. In this position, our stage passed slowly by; the i^^-stage was drawn up again upon the road, the horses attached, the people seated, and each went on. Except in the mountains, where any road is a great undertaking, there would be some better plan of turnouts; but our knights managed this so nicely, that it only made a slight delay. Along all mountain- paths, here and there is seen the wreck of a stage or some vehicle, sometimes many hundred feet below in the valley, sometimes overturned by the roadside ; and very frequently is seen a carcass of a horse or mule, which, failing by the way, has been killed, its whiten- ing skeleton telling of the toilsome journeys. About noon we reached Pechart's Ranch, upon which Bower Cave is located. This cave is in a limestone formation. The rock, having been worn away by sub- TO THE PACIFIC. 207 terranean streams until it was too slight to hold up the superincumbent mass, has fallen in, carrying with it the trees and earth, so that now, in the bottom of this great hole, are four large trees which fell with the earth. Some little crevices in the rock can be explored ; a little pool of water very transparent is there, upon which a little boat floats ; and this is the cave. Lady Franklin visited it in 1862, and we in 1872 ; but, notwithstand- ing this, I cannot recommend any one to make much exertion or delay to visit Bower Cave. At about six o'clock we reached Coulterville, the dis- tance being from Crane Flat thirty-three miles and one- half. This place was named after George W. Coulter, who was an early miner, a massed a great fortune, which he spent in gambling, and at last died poor. It is a dead place ; and decay and stagnation are seen on every side. It lies on the great quartz vein of the State ; and some fine stamp-mills were erected in the vicinity, which to-day are all still. We are at an eleva- tion of eighteen hundred feet, and on the middle ground between foot-hills and mountains. We were quartered for the night at the City Hotel, where the accommodations are miserable, and where the landlord, a German, means to take from guests all he can, heedless of how he entertains them. We visited in the evening Mr. Adolph Sinning, who, 208 THE ATLANTIC in 1850, left Germany, and came to the Mariposa country. Unsuccessful as a miner, he again turned his attention to his trade as a worker in nice woods ; and, in his little shop and house (for he lives entirely alone), we saw some of the finest work in wood which we ever found. Specimens of his handiwork have been sent over Europe and this country ; and he receives orders from a distance. He remains here to be near to the trees which give him his finest woods, which he fashions into exquisite forms, of boxes, tables, canes, &c. To insure our reaching Merced in time for the train in the afternoon, it was arranged to start by five, a.m. We had a meagre breakfast ; and, from our experience at Coulterville, we should advise every one to arrange not to remain here over night until a better house is opened, for the treatment which guests receive is a general com- plaint, and the managers of that route would do well to have a decent hotel for travellers by their road. The early start got us well on our way before the sun was high enough to trouble us with heat ; but the latter part of our way was hot and dusty and tedious. We came out of the foot-hills a few miles south of where we entered them. About one o'clock we drove into the lively village of Snelling, the seat of Merced County, situated on the Merced River, which is here a beautiful river, and would TO THE PACIFIC. 209 furnish good water-power if there was any demand for it. We found the Gait House a good place to get a dinner ; and, from what little we saw of the place, this must be a good home-like hotel. We hurried away from this place, and, a few miles out, crossed the river upon a ferry. It was such a ferry as is often seen in Europe, but seldom here, and is called a "tidal ferry." A stout cable is stretched across the river ; and the boat, by means of ropes and hawsers, is lield to the cable, attached by a tackle-block in which is a large pulley which rolls along the cable. The boat is pushed into the stream, headed just right, the hawsers secured; and the current pushing the boat down, and it being held, carries it swiftly towards the opposite bank. The apparatus was crude ; the boat was managed by two men, one a Chinaman. As the boatman was not at his post when we drove up, but in his house, a long distance away from the river, it took a deal of noise from our driver to rouse the fellow up, who, when he came, com- plained of being taken from his dinner. This delay came near costing us the loss of our train at Merced. By urging our horses, and especially the driver, by the promise of an allowance over regular wages, we were enabled to reach the city of Merced just as the train was starting ; and only the politeness of the con- ductor saved us a stay over night. Without a look at 18* 210 THE ATLANTIC any body or any thing, we tumbled out of the stage into the cars, and were soon again on our way towards Lathrop, where we join the main line. As we again looked over the vast plain, so level, and so different in character from the country in which, for two weeks, we had lived, we could not but exclaim, — " Level leagues forsaken lie, — A grassy waste extending to the sky." In this valley, a few weeks ago, the land was covered with ripened wheat, from which now the heads had been cut, leaving the straw standing on either side as far as the eye could reach. During our ride down to Modesto, we formed the acquaintance of Mr. C. J. Cressy, of the firm of Cressy Brothers, among the largest farmers and millers in the valley, who have this year in wheat a little more than ten thousand acres, own some six thousand sheep, run a flour-mill at Modesto, and, by attention to their busi- ness, make it i^y. From Mr. Cressy we gained much information regarding the cultivation of wheat in this valley ; but, as the climate and soil of California varies so in different sections, a mode found successful here would fail in another place. The soil of this valley looks like sand, and is, in fact, TO THE PACIFIC. 211 granite, ground into dust by the ice-floe whicli made the Yo-Semite. The custom is, to begin to plough just as soon as the autumn rains begin. A gang-plough con- sists of seven ; and of these each farmer has as many as he can find teams for. They start their ploughs ; and immediately behind them follow the seeders, also drawn by horses, which drop the seed, cover, and roll, at the same time. Nothing more is done to it till the grain is ripe, and ready for the harvest. They plough and plant to almost the ripening of the first sowing ; and this plan, year after year, is followed. When the grain is ripe, they run a header through the field. This is a great cutting-machine, which simply clips off the heads of the grain. The horses push it along, instead of dragging it ; and the grain is carried upon an apron into the wagon, which follows alongside of the header -, and, when full, the heads are carried to convenient piles, where a steam-engine is driving a threshing-machine, which leaves the grain perfectly clean, and which is put at once into bags, and sent to market. Here no rains interfere with the harvest. The straw is all burned off; and, by the time the ground is cleared, the rains begin (early in October), and the ploughs are started. Mr. John Mitchell, the largest farmer in California, owns between fifty and sixty thousand acres in this valley, and, this year, had raising thirty thousand acres 212 THE ATLANTIC in wheat alone. His ranch is divided into sections of different sizes ; and upon each he has houses and barns, and a rancher, to whom he furnishes seed, and takes one-half the crop. Of these sections, or small ranches, he has about a hundred, and spends his time in riding in his buggy, drawn by a team of fine bays, from house to house, and directing the work on his vast domain- He is a bachelor, and said to be a gentleman ; and his income this year will be two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from his lands. The average yield in this valley will be but little more than ten bushels per acre ; although those ranchos which were well ploughed and seeded will yield twenty bushels per acre, and in a few instances more. The price of wheat, at the time of which I speak, was two cents per pound at the ranch. Our very interesting conversation was too soon ended by the arrival of the train at Modesto, the home of Mr. Gressy, who was to spend Sunday at his own house, and then return to the ranchos. Before we reached Lathrop it was dark ; and, after a long waiting, the train came up which was to take us towards Sacramento. I had decided to stop at Stock- ton till Monday ; while all the rest — to some of whom I had become much attached — were to push on to Sacramento, and to their Eastern homes. TO THE PACIFIC. 213 It was only a few miles to Stockton ; and, as I left the train, a feeling of sadness came over me to leave friends from Boston and Philadelphia, whom I found so uniformly kind, and in such contrast with manj'- with whom you are of necessity thrown. Journeying together in a stage-coach for days will bring out character better than any where I have ever found. As the train moved away, I felt so lonely, that a tear irresistibly moistened my eye. ISTight, and I in a far-off city, among stran- gers, and all my friends speeding away home ! Jumping into a buss, we were soon at the hotel named " Grand ; " and our first thought was to repair our dilapidated condition, for rents appeared in all direc- tions, and dh't was plenty. Long shall I remember my trip to the Yo-Semite j and my desire is now far greater than before to go and stay during the summer among those wonders, and with Mr. Muir read that great hook of Nature which lies spread out in such grand scenery. CHAPTER XXII. Stockton. — A Trip down the San Joaquin. — Expenses of a Trip to California. — The Season of the Year to make the Journey. It would be a pleasing task to describe the beautiful flowers which are seen in a journey among the Sierras. In going to such an elevation, all the seasons are found. In the San Joaquin Valley, it was autumn ; the plants had blossomed, produced their seed, and were at rest. Up the mountains a short distance, it was midsummer; and the earth was covered with bright flowers. At an elevation of, say, five thousand feet, it was early spring; the plants were just pushing out of the ground : and, at seven thousand feet, it was winter, the snow still cover- ing the earth. All these gradations in plant-life are seen in a ride of, say, two days. The flowers of the moun- tains of California are very brilliant in color, the yellow prevailing to a great extent, seemingly, as Grace Green- wood prettily said, " to let us know that yellow gold is under them." 214 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC. 215 But we cannot delay longer with the flowers, espe- cially now that we are again in the valley, at the '^city of windmills/' called STOCKTON. It is a port of entry ; has a line of steamers to San Francisco, which come up the San Joaquin Kiver, and into the slough (always pronounced here s-l-u), upon which the city is situated. Among steamboat men this place is always called ^' Slu city." Imagine a kind of channel making up from the main river, with a dozen sloughs emptying their (usually stagnant) waters into it, with long wooden, bridges (often only for foot-passen- gers) over them in all directions, with buildings erected upon the ridges of dry land between these sloughs, with a short line of wharf along the main channel, a place which seems to be all under water, with stagnant pools breeding miasma, a few good buildings, but mostly poor old structures, and upon each a fantastic windmill, and you have the city of Stockton. It contains about ten thousand people : is the outlet of the great San Joaquin Valley, but has been greatly injured by the railroad, which goes hy, instead of through, the city, as it ought to have done. It is the county-seat of the county named after the great river, and the valley through which it 216 THE ATLANTIC flows. Once its trade was large ; but now it has dwindled away, and the city seems " under a cloud," as well as under water. The house at which we are lodged is kept by a Frenchman, who calls his house " The Grand/' takes good care of you, in a neat room and with fairly- cooked and fairly-served food. If I should say that I rose early the next morning after my arrival, you would know that it was a " slip of the pen : " so I take care to say that I took an exti^emely fashionable eleven- o'clock breakfast. Finding my friend, the E