DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR

GUIDEBOOK

OF THE

WESTERN UNITED STATES

PART D. THE SHASTA ROUTE AND 

' COAST LINE

BY

J. S. D1LLER AND OTHERS

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

1915
PRINCIPAL DIVISIONS OF GEOLOGIC TIME.a 

[A glossary of geologic terms is given on pp. 133-136.]

Era.

Cenozoic (recent life).

Mesozoio (intermediate 

life).

Paleozoic 

(old life).

P r o t crozoic 

(primordial 

life).

Period.

Quaternary.

Tertiary.

Cretaceous.

Jurassic.

Triassic. 

Carboniferous.

Devonian.

Silurian.

Ordovician.

Cambrian.

Algonkian.

Archean.

Epoch. '

Recent. 

Pleistocene 

(Great 

Ice Age).

Pliocene. 

Miocene. 

Oligocene. 

Eocene.

(*)

(*)

(*)

Permian.

Pennsylvanian.

Missi s s i ppian.

(»)'

(&)

(6)

(6)

(& )

Crystalline 

rocks.

Characteristic life.

"Ago of man." Animals and plants of 

modern types.

"Age of mammals." Possible flrst appearance of man. Rise and development of 

highest orders of plants.

"Ago of reptiles." Rise and culmination 

of huge land reptiles (dinosaurs), of shellfish with complexly partitioned coiled 

shells (ammonites), and of great flying 

reptiles. First appearance (in Jurassic) 

of birds and mammals; of cycads, an 

order of palmlike plants (in Triassic); 

and of angiospermous plants, among 

which are palms and hardwood trees 

(in Cretaceous).

"Age of amphibians." Dominance of club 

mosses (lycopods) and plants-of horsetail 

and fern types. Primitive flowering 

plants and earliest cone-bearing trees. 

Beginnings of backboned land animals 

(land vertebrates). Insects. Animals 

with nautilus-like coiled shells (ammonites) and sharks abundant.

"Age of fishes." Shellfish (mollusks) also 

abundant. Rise of amphibians and land 

plants.

Shell-forming sea animals dominant, especially those related to the nautilus (cephalopods). Rise and culmination of the 

marine animals sometimes known as sea 

lilies (crinoids) and of giant scorpionlike crustaceans (curypterids). Rise of 

fishes and of reef-building corals.

Shell-forming sea animals, especially cephalopods and mollusk-like brachiopods, 

abundant. Culmination of the bugliko 

marine crustaceans known as trilobites. 

First trace of insect life.

Trilobites and brachiopods most characteristic animals. Seaweeds (algae) abundant. No trace of land animals found.

First life that has left distinct record. 

Crustaceans, brachiopods, and seaweeds.

No fossils found.

Duration, according to various 

estimates.

Millions of years. 

Ito5.

4 to 10.

17 to 25.

 *

50+.

a The geologic record consists mainly of sedimentary beds beds deposited in water. Over large areas 

long periods of uplift and erosion intervened between periods of deposition. Every such interruption in 

deposition in any area produces there what geologists term an unconformity. Many of the time divisions 

shown above are separated by such unconformities that is, the dividing lines in the table represent local 

or widespread uplifts or depressions of the earth's surface.

t> Epoch names omitted; in less common use than those given.
PREFACE.

By GEORGE OTIS SMITH,

The United States of America comprise an area so vast in extent 

and so diverse in natural features as well as in characters due to 

human agency that the American citizen who knows thoroughly his 

own country must have traveled widely arid observed wisely. To 

"know America first" is a patriotic obligation, but to meet this obligation the railroad traveler needs to have his eyes directed toward 

the more important or essential things within his field of vision and 

then to have much that he sees explained by what is unseen in the 

swift passage of the train. Indeed, many things that attract his 

attention are inexplicable except as the story of the past is available 

to enable him to interpret the present. Herein lie the value and the 

charm of history, whether human or geologic.

The present stimulus given to travel in .the home country will 

encourage many thousands of Americans to study geography at first 

hand. To make this study most profitable the traveler needs a handbook that will answer the questions that come to his mind so readily 

along the way. Furthermore, the aim of such a guide should be to 

stimulate the eye in the selection of the essentials in the scene that 

so rapidly unfolds itself in the crossing of the continent. In recognition of the opportunity afforded in 1915 to render service of this 

kind to an unusually large number of American citizens as well as to 

visitors from other countries, the United States Geological Survey has 

prepared a series of guidebooks 1 covering four of the older railroad 

routes west of the Mississippi.

These books are educational in purpose, but the method adopted is 

to entertain the traveler by making more interesting what he sees 

from the car window. The plan of the series is to present authoritative information that may enable the reader to realize adequately 

the scenic and material resources of the region he is traversing, to 

comprehend correctly the basis of its development, and above all to 

appreciate keenly the real value of the country he looks out upon,

1 Guidebook of the western United States: Part A, The Northern Pacific Route, with 

a side trip to Yellowstone Park (Bulletin 611); Part B, The Overland Route, with a 

side trip to Yellowstone Park (Bulletin 612); Part C, The Santa Fe Route, with a side 

trip to Grand Canyon of the Colorado (Bulletin 613); Part D, The Shasta Route and 

Coast Line (Bulletin 614).

3
4 PREFACE.

not as so many square miles of territory represented on the map in a 

railroad folder by meaningless spaces, but rather as land real estate, 

if you please varying widely in present appearance because differing 

largely in its history and characterized by even greater variation in 

values because possessing diversified natural resources. One region 

may be such as to afford a livelihood for only a pastoral people; 

another may present opportunity for intensive agriculture; still 

another may contain hidden stores of mineral wealth that may 

attract large industrial development; and taken together these varied 

resources afford the promise of long-continued prosperity for this or 

that State.

Items of interest in civic development or references to significant 

epochs in the record of discovery and settlement may be interspersed 

with explanations of mountain and valley or statements of geologic 

history. In a broad way, the story of the West is a unit, and every 

chapter should be told in order to meet fully the needs of the tourist 

who aims to understand all that he sees. To such a traveler-reader 

this series of guidebooks is addressed.

To this interpretation of our own country the United States Geological Survey brings the accumulated data of decades of pioneering 

investigation, and the present contribution is only one type of return 

to the public which has supported this scientific work under the Federal Government.

In preparing the description of the country traversed by the Shasta 

Eoute and Coast Line all the geographic and geologic information 

already published as well as other unpublished material in the possession of the Geological Survey has been utilized, but to supplement this 

material Mr. Diller made a field examination of the entire route in 

1914. Information has been furnished by Dr. F. M. Anderson, Dr. 

J. C. Branner, Dr. J. Harlen Bretz, Prof. E. S. Burgess, Mr. J. S. Daggett, Mrs. L. P. Diller, Mr. Harold Hannibal, Mr. 0. H. Hershay, 

Prof. A. C. Lawson, Prof. G. D. Louderback, Prof. J. P. Smith, Prof. 

C. F. Tolman, jr., and Prof. C. E. Weaver, as well as by others to 

whom credit is given in the text. Railroad officials and other citizens 

have also generously given their aid, and other members of the Survey 

have freely cooperated in the work.

For the purpose of furnishing the traveler with a graphic presentation of each part of his route the accompanying maps, 19 sheets in 

all, have been prepared with a degree of accuracy probably never, 

before attained in a guidebook, and their arrangement has been 

planned to meet the convenience of the reader. The special topographic surveys necessary to complete the topographic map of the 

route were made by B. A. Jenkins and J. E. Blackburn.
GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

PART D. THE SHASTA ROUTE AND COAST LINE.

By J. S. DILLEE, and others.

INTRODUCTION.

From Alaska to Lower California the western coast of North America is bordered by a belt of mountains which is from 100 to 200 miles 

wide. This belt as a whole has been named the Pacific System. It 

separates the Pacific Ocean on the west from an interior plateau 

region, which also stretches from Alaska to Mexico. This plateau is 

of varied character but, as is well illustrated by the State of Nevada, 

much of it is arid and is seamed with mountain ranges.

Attention need be directed here only to that part of the Pacific 

System which lies chiefly in the States of Washington, Oregon, and 

California, a section 1,300 miles in length. (See PL I.) Within 

these three States the Pacific System embraces a number of distinct 

mountain ranges from which project some of the loftiest peaks on the 

continent. It includes also broad valleys that are in part close to 

sea level. Consequently it is a region of strong contrasts in altitude 

and of wide diversity of scenery and climate. Before the snow disappears each summer from the crest of the Sierra Nevada the burning 

sun in the interior valley of California has yellowed the grain and has 

tinted the fruit in orchard and vineyard. Throughout the year the 

snow cap of Mount Rainier is in full sight from the fertile valleys of 

Washington, where winter severity is unknown.

For its entire extent, from Alaska to Lower California, the Pacific 

System may in general be divided lengthwise into three parts two 

long lines of mountain ranges and an intervening belt of valleys that 

may be called the Pacific valley belt. The northernmost member of 

this belt that need be considered here is the valley of Puget Sound. 

A low divide separates the sound from Cowlitz Valley, the next member of the belt to the south. Cowlitz Valley drains southward to the 

Columbia and is succeeded on the south by Willamette (wil-lam'et) 

Valley, whose waters flow northward into the Columbia. Willamette 

Valley extends southward for about 120 miles, or about halfway 

across the State of Oregon. Between its head and the north end 

of the Great Valley of California, the next member of the Pacific

5
6 GUIDEBOOK OF THE'wESTEKN UNITED STATES.

valley belt, there is a tract of generally mountainous country, 

where,, for 200 miles, the threefold longitudinal division of the Pacific 

System into two ranges and an intervening belt of valleys is less evident than it is elsewhere. South of this interrupting mass of mountains, which is dominated by Mount Shasta, the Great Valley of California stretches for more than 400 miles, having a width in general of 

40 to 50 miles. Its northern part, known as the Sacramento Valley, 

drains southward, and its southern part, known as the San Joaquin 

Valley, drams northward, Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers 

both flowing into San Francisco Bay. The south end of the San 

Joaquin Valley is separated by the transverse Tehachapi Mountains 

from the Mohave Desert. This in turn is separated by the San Bernardino range from the Salton Basin, which is nothing more than the 

former upper part of the Gulf of California, the sea ( having been 

excluded by the great mass of sediment dumped into the gulf by 

Colorado River. By some the Mohave Desert and the Gulf of California are regarded as parts of the Pacific valley belt. By others, 

however, notwithstanding the general alignment of these features 

with the Great Valley of California, they are regarded'as parts of the 

plateau region that lies east of the Pacific System of mountains.

As the Pacific valley belt separates in general two parallel ranges 

of mountains, so these ranges in turn may be subdivided into mountain groups that are sufficiently distinct in form or structure to have 

received individual names.

At the north end of the western line, between Puget Sound and the 

ocean, stand the Olympic Mountains, which attain a height of 8,000 

feet. Very little is known of their structure or of the rocks that 

compose them.

South of the Olympic Mountains, stretching along the coast of 

Washington and Oregon for 350 miles, is a comparatively low range 

which, to distinguish it from the similarly situated range in California, 

may be called the Oregon Coast Range. This consists chiefly of 

rather soft sandstones carrying fossil shells from which it has been 

determined that the sands were deposited in the sea during early 

and middle Tertiary time. Lavas associated with these rocks show 

that volcanoes were active in this region in early Tertiary time. 

These rocks are no longer in the original horizontal position in which 

they were deposited but have been crumpled by pressure. Moreover, 

in some places they have been traversed by long cracks or fissures, 

and the rocks on one side of a crack have been shoved past the rocks 

on the other side. The geologist would describe these effects briefly 

by saying that the beds have been folded, fractured, and faulted.

South of the Oregon Coast Range, partly in Oregon but chiefly in 

California, are the Klamath Mountains. They are composed of rocks 

that are older and more complicated in structure than those of the
THE SHASTA ROUTE AND COAST LINE. 7

Oregon Coast Range and are closely related in materials and in 

structure to the Sierra Nevada. The Klamath Mountains extend 

south-southeastward into California for 150 miles and overlap to the 

east for 80 miles the north end of the California Coast Ranges.

The California Coast Ranges extend southward for more than 600 

miles to the vicinity of Point Conception, where the coast turns 

sharply eastward along the Santa Barbara Channel. They consist 

of rocks of great variety of character and of widely different geologic 

ages. Then* structure also is exceedingly ^ complex. The most 

abundant rocks were formed in. the Tertiary, Cretaceous, and perhaps 

Jurassic periods. Most of these rocks were deposited as sediments 

on a sea bottom, but associated with the rocks so formed are in places 

layers of lava or masses of igneous rock, which were forced in molten 

condition into the sedimentary rocks. All have been folded and faulted 

at several periods. Finally erosion, or the action of moving water, 

in the form of rain, streams, and waves, aided by the crumbling effect 

of weather, carved out the hills as they now appear. The resulting 

forms reveal to one skilled in their interpretation some indication of 

the complexity of the underlying rock structure.

At their south end the Coast Ranges meet another set of ranges, 

which have a more easterly trend than the Coast Ranges proper and 

do not fall readily into the general threefold division of the Pacific 

System of mountains that is so clearly recognizable farther north. 

The suggestion has been made that these mountains should be distinguished from the Coast Ranges, with which they have commonly 

been included, by designating them the Sierras de los Angeles, from 

the city of Los Angeles. Well-known individual ranges classed in 

this group are the Santa Ynez, San Gabriel, and San Bernardino.

Along the east side of the Pacific valley belt stretch two great 

ranges the Cascade Range on the north and the Sierra Nevada on 

the south. The Cascade Range begins a few miles north of the 

boundary between Washington and British Columbia and continues 

southward for 650 miles to the vicinity of Mount Shasta in California. 

It has a foundation of granite and of sedimentary rocks, such as sandstone and shale, ranging in age from Carboniferous to Miocene. Some 

of the sedimentary rocks and some associated igneous rocks have been 

changed by heat and pressure into crystalline laminated rocks known 

as schists.' From Mount Rainier southward the rocks just mentioned are buried to an increasing extent under lavas which probably 

flowed from many vents at different times. The volcanic cones, such 

as Shasta, Hood, and Rainier, which form striking features of the 

Cascades, represent a comparatively late stage of volcanic activity 

and have been piled up on a preexisting mountain range.

The Sierra Nevada, which continues southward the general line of 

the Cascade Range, is of somewhat different structure and history. It
8 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

is a great inclined block 350 miles long and 80 miles wide, with a gentle 

slope to the west and an abrupt descent on the east to the deserts of 

Nevada. This abrupt descent marks a line of faults, east of which 

the desert country has gone down and west of which, to some extent, 

the Sierra Nevada has gone up. The Sierra Nevada consists of a 

great irregular mass of granite which in early Cretaceous time was 

intruded in a molten condition into sedimentary and older igneous 

rocks, both of which sets of rocks, in. consequence of the heat and 

squeezing which accompanied this intrusion, were changed in part 

to schists and slates. After the range had been deeply worn down 

by erosion, floods of lava were poured over the surface in Tertiary 

time and the range was tilted up to its present general form. That 

form, however, has been much modified in detail by comparatively 

recent erosion and by the canyon cutting of the present streams.

South of the Dominion of Canada three rivers, the Columbia, 

the Klamath; and the Pit, flow across the Pacific System from the 

interior plateaus to the ocean. Other large streams, such as the 

Willamette, in Oregon, and the Sacramento and San Joaquin, in 

California, flow northward or southward for many miles in one 

or another of the longitudinal depressions of the Pacific valley belt 

before turning westward across the western line of mountains to 

reach the Pacific.

The valley belt is the great agricultural region of the Pacific coast, 

and in Washington and Oregon, owing partly to its accessibility to 

ocean-going ships by way of Puget Sound and the Columbia, it contains most of the population. In California, however, the broad 

fields, orchards, and vineyards traversed by the Sacramento and 

San Joaquin are rivaled by the many smaller but fertile valleys -of 

the Coast Ranges. The superb harbor of San Francisco sufficiently 

accounts for the situation of the metropolis; and the rapid growth 

of Los Angeles, the second city in the State, is due to a combination 

of shipping advantages with highly profitable kinds of agriculture 

and extensive resources in petroleum.

NOTE. For the convenience of the traveler the sheets of the route map in this 

book are so arranged that he can unfold them one by one and keep in view the one to 

which the text he is reading relates. A reference is made in the text to each sheet 

at the place where it should be so unfolded, and the areas covered by the sheets are 

shown on Plate I. A list of these sheets and of the other illustrations, showing where 

each one is placed in the book, is given on pages 137-138. A glossary of geologic 

terms is given on pages 133-136 and an index of stations on pages 139-142.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE

f>

V

*>

S

*' /> ,! 

^ -''*^ " 

RELIEF MAP OF THE COUNTRY TRAVERSED BY THE SHASTA ROUTE AND COAST LINE.
ITINERARY.

SHASTA ROUTE.

SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO.

On May 11, 1792, Capt. Robert Gray, of Boston, anchored in the 

great river that he named Columbia, in honor of his ship, and laid 

the foundation of our subsequent claim" to the region 

Washington. which it drains. The Hudson's Bay Co., whose 

agents early visited the extreme Northwest, discouraged settlers, but at Tumwater, near Olympia, at the head of Puget 

Sound, a permanent American settlement was established in 1845. 

Marcus Whitman and other missionaries settled near the site of 

Walla Walla in 1836, but in 1847 Whitman and his wife were killed 

by the Indians and the station was broken up. Conflicting claims 

between the United States and Great Britain were adjusted by a 

treaty July 17, 1846, which fixed the forty-ninth parallel as the niternational boundary. Oregon, as all this wild country was then called, 

became a Territory on August 14, 1848, and on March 2, 1853, the 

part of it north of Columbia River was separated as the Territory of 

Washington, which was admitted as a State February 22,1889. The 

vState of Washington has an area of 69,127 square miles and in 1910 

had a population of 1,141,990.

The superb forests of Washington, illustrated in Plate II, are the 

basis of its chief industries. Within it are 10 national forests, a 

national park, and a national monument, which together cover more 

than one-fourth of the State.

Coal is the principal mineral resource of Washington. . In the production of this fuel the State holds first rank on the Pacific coast, the 

output in 1913 having been 3,877,891 tons, valued at $9,243,137. 

Wheat, grown chiefly in the eastern part of the State, is the principal 

agricultural product. Oats and barley are next in importance. 

Western Washington, which has a moister climate than the eastern 

part, produces large crops of hay. The fruit industry is developing 

rapidly, apples in particular finding good markets in the eastern 

cities and abroad. The waters of the State are full of fish, and the 

salmon industry is large. The high mountains and heavy rainfall 

insure abundant water power, which will no doubt be increasingly 

utilized.

9
10 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Seattle.

Seattle (see sheet 1, p. 20), the metropolis of Washington, the commercial center of the Puget Sound country, and the gateway to 

Alaska, stands on a neck of land between Elliott Bay 

(an eastern arm of Admiralty Bay, Puget Sound) 

and the fresh-water Lake Washington, about 865 

miles by steamer and 957 miles by railroad north of 

San Francisco. Seattle was founded in 1852 and named after a 

Duwamish Indian chief. A fire that destroyed almost the whole of 

the business quarter in 1889 and the financial depression of 1893 

retarded for a time the growth of the city, but the discovery of gold 

in the Klondike region in 1897 gave it a new impulse, as it became 

the shipping point for the new gold fields. It is the western terminus 

of three railroads and has direct connections with several others. Its 

population has nearly trebled in 10 years, and it is now one of the 

largest and most progressive cities of the Pacific Northwest.

The city is built on a series of terraces, the commercial quarter 

standing near sea level and the better residential part occupying a 

terrace about 500 feet above the sea. From this part of the city 

there are fine views not only of the Olympic Mountains and Puget 

Sound, to the west, but also of Lake Washington and Mount Rainier, 

to the east. The city has an excellent salt-water harbor, which is 

being connected by a ship canal with Lake Washington, where vessels may go into fresh water to free their hulls of weeds and barnacles.

The principal exports are coal, timber, hops, and fish. Seattle is 

the chief point of entry from the Alaskan gold fields, and large quantities of gold dust are brought to the United States assay offices here.

The hills in the lower part of the city have been leveled off by a 

method used hi hydraulic mining; in other words, they have been 

literally washed away by powerful j ets of water. (See PL XIV, p. 48.)

This method of grading was feasible because the city is built on unco'nsolidated drift left by a glacier that once occupied the basin of Puget 

Sound, as described below by W. C. Alden. 2

1 The figures given for population 

throughout this book are those of the 

United States Census for 1910. For places 

that are not incorporated the census figures represent the population of the election precinct, township, or other similar 

unit; such figures are in this book marked 

with an asterisk (*).

2 Thousands of years ago, during what is 

variously termed the Great Ice Age, the 

glacial period, or the Pleistocene epoch, 

the northern part of the North American 

Continent was covered by vast sheets of 

ice similar to the great ice cap which now

covers most of Greenland. (See fig. 1.) 

Although at times the ice may have coalesced in one vast sheet stretching from 

the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the 

Arctic regions southward about to the line 

of Missouri and Ohio rivers, yet there were 

three distinct centers of accumulation and 

spreading. One of these centers was on 

Labrador Peninsula, one west of Hudson 

Bay, and one, called the Cordilleran, in 

the mountains of western Canada. There 

were also several distinct periods of ice 

accumulation, each followed by a warmer 

interval thousands of years in duration,
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

A WASHINGTON FOREST

The trees are chiefly red fir, but a cedar stands at the extreme 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE III

SNOQUALMIE FALLS, WASH.

Height, 268 feet. Falls go over a bkiff of ancient lava underlain by sandstone and shale of Eocene age.

Photograph by Curtis, Seattle.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 11

Lake Washington, a beautiful sheet of water near the eastern 

border of Seattle, is about 20 miles long and 2 to 5 miles wide and is 

entirely surrounded by glacial drift. Small steamers 

that ply to and fro on the lake afford fine views of 

the Cascade Range. 

Snoqualmie Falls (PI. Ill) is 270 feet high and more than 50 feet 

wide and is well worth seeing. It may be reached by the Northern

Excursions from 

Seattle.

during which, the ice is believed to have 

largely or wholly melted away. There is 

evidence of at least four of these distinct 

stages of glaciation, and the last of these 

is known as the Wisconsin stage.

tended southward from British Columbia 

into the Puget Sound basin. (See PI. I.) 

The name Vashon, from the large island 

between Seattle and Tacoma, has been 

applied by geologists to this ice lobe, the

FIGURE 1. Map of North America showing the area covered by the Pleistocene ice sheet at its maximum 

extension and the three main centers of ice accumulation.

At a time which probably corresponds 

to the Wisconsin stage of glaciation east of 

the Rocky Mountains the mountains of 

Washington were largely covered with ice, 

and a lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet exlast of the Puget Sound glaciers, and to 

the deposits formed in connection with it. 

This glacier is believed to have attained 

a thickness of about 2,500 feet. The ice 

filled the depressions now occupied by
12 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Pacific line by way of Woodinville, a trip of 54 miles, or by ferry across 

Lake Washington to Kirkland and thence by automobile, a route 

that, for small parties, is generally preferable. At the falls Snoqualmie 

River plunges over a great mass of lava underlain by fossiliferous 

sediments of the Eocene coal-bearing formation.

In the immediate vicinity of Squak Mountain and Sammamish 

Lake there are a number of large channels cut and then abandoned 

by streams from the former glaciers. They may be reached by either

the sound, spread over the elevated plains 

between the valleys, and extended from 

the foot of the Olympic Mountains on the 

west to the base of the Cascade Range on 

the east. On the south it reached to and 

covered much of the plains south of 

Olympia. The ice of this glacier was 

probably coalescent on the east with that 

descending the slopes and valleys of the 

Cascades, to which the name Osceola 

glacier has been applied by geologists.

These glaciers, on melting, left deposits 

of clay, sand, gravel, and bowlders (the 

Vashon and Osceola drift) on the elevated 

tracts between and around the troughs of 

the sound, but the deep depressions were 

unfilled, so that after the ice melted they 

were occupied by marine waters.

This later drift lies upon stratified sands 

and gravels (called the Douty gravel, Puyallup sand, and Orting gravel) deposited 

by waters from the melting of earlier 

glaciers. Buried in these deposits are 

beds of lignite, formed from vegetation 

that grew upon the sands and gravels. 

These older sands and gravels are in places 

much weathered and eroded; they were 

evidently exposed during a long interglacial stage before they were overridden 

and covered by the deposits of the Vashon 

and Osceola glaciers.

Beneath all these deposits lies a layer 

of stiff blue clay, mostly stratified but in 

places showing no bedding and crowded 

with subangular stones and large bowlders. 

This deposit (known to geologists as the 

Admiralty till) is supposed to have been 

formed at a still earlier stage of glaciation, 

when the Puget Sound basin was occupied 

by a lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet, as it 

was later by another lobe at the Vashon 

substage. Some phenomena suggest that 

glaciers occupied the basin still earlier.

One view as to the origin of the deep 

troughs composing Puget Sound may be 

stated briefly as follows: The Admiralty 

ice sheet occupied and overflowed deep 

valleys which had been cut when the land 

stood higher. When this ice melted the 

hilly tracts between the valleys were uncovered first, and the washing in of sand 

and gravel leveled these up into what are 

now the elevated intervalley plains. The 

final melting of the tongues of ice left the 

troughs to be occupied by marine water. 

Later came the ice of the Vashon glacier, 

and this, on melting, again left the main 

depressions unfilled.

According to another view the disappearance of the Admiralty glacier left the 

clay, sand, and gravel spread in a continuous sheet over the Puget Sound basin, 

burying, in large part, the older valleys 

and ridges. Afterward the land rose 

about 1,000 feet and streams cut deep valleys in these soft deposits. Then the 

basin was depressed about to its present 

level and the ice of the Vashon and Osceola glaciers filled the valleys and overtopped the intervening tracts, and, on 

melting, left the area thinly mantled with 

drift and the depressions unfilled.

As the main outlet of the Puget Sound 

basin is to the north, ice-dammed freshwater lakes were for a time held in the 

troughs at each stage of advance of the 

ice front. When, the outlet was at last 

opened the troughs were filled with 

marine water, which finally reached the 

level at which we now find it.

Marine shells found at various levels up 

to 290 feet above tidewater show that 

since the disappearance of the glacier of 

the Vashon substage the basin lias been 

further depressed and submerged and 

then reelevated.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FBANCISCO. 13

of the.routes just mentioned but are best seen southeast of Redmond, 

where Snoqualmie River once entered Sammamish Lake.

The United States navy yard and huge dry dock at Bremerton, 

about 20 miles from Seattle, are easily reached by steamer across the 

Sound. A trip to Hood Canal affords a close view of the densely 

forested Olympic Mountains. The scenic center of this range is 

Crescent Lake, reached from Seattle by steamer to Port Angeles, on 

the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and thence by stage. West of Port Townsend lighthouse, which is passed on this trip, is a bold bluff, 175 feet 

in height, of stratified glacial sand. Tertiary beds (rich in fossils at 

Clallam Bay) are well exposed on the southern shore of the Strait 

of Juan de Fuca. Crescent Lake contains ten varieties of trout, of 

which two are unknown elsewhere. Mount Olympus, 12 miles away, 

may be reached from this point with pack outfit. The mountain is a 

complex mass of metamorphic sandstone, shale, radiolarian chert, 

glaucophane schist, and greenstone cut by peridotite serpentine, a 

series of rocks closely resembling what is known as the Franciscan 

group of the California Coast Ranges.

Between Seattle and Portland trains are operated by the Northern 

Pacific Railway, Southern Pacific Co., Oregon-Washington Railroad 

& Navigation Co., Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, and Great 

Northern Railway, the tracks of all these lines being near together. 

The Shasta Route trains run over the Oregon-Washington and 

Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul tracks from Seattle to Tacoma, and 

over the Northern Pacific from Tacoma to Portland.

On leaving Seattle the train first traverses made land, built out into 

Puget Sound by washing glacial gravels through flumes from the 

adjacent hills. A turn to the left,1 2.3 miles from Seattle, brings 

into view a bluff of whitish shales and sandstones. These rocks 

are exposed for only a short distance at this place, but a mile 

farther south they reappear in a more prominent bluff just north of 

Georgetown.

These rocks, which were once sediments on a sea bottom, contain 

abundant fossil sea sjiells that indicate Tertiary (middle Oligocene) 

age. The exposure of the beds at this place is 

due to their having been arched up from then' 

originally horizontal attitude. This arch, or 

anticline, as geologists term it, may be traced, as 

shown on the map, from Bainbridge Island southeastward to and 

beyond Lake Washington.

Some greenish rocks that form a bluff on the left are composed 

largely of fragments of volcanic material. These beds are fossilifGebrgetown (Argo).

Elevation 20 feet. 

Seattle 3 miles.

1 Unless clearly otherwise intended, 

the words right and left as used in this 

bulletin refer to the sides of the railway

track as they appear to a traveler facing 

the engine in going from Seattle to San 

Francisco.
14 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTEEN UNITED STATES.

erous near the wagon-road bridge at Steels Crossing. They belong 

to the principal coal-bearing formation of Washington, presently to 

be described, and are associated with lavas. At Steels Crossing the 

railroad enters the coal field of western Washington, the largest in 

the State. The productive portions of the field, however, are miles 

away, northeast and southeast of this point, about Newcastle and 

Issaquah, Black Diamond and Franklin, Wilkeson and Carbonado. 

The field contains, many coal beds, three or four of which have been 

mined, in places to a depth of 2,000 feet. The coal ranges from 

low-grade subbituminous to anthracite but is mainly subbituminous 

and bituminous. Coking coals occur at a number of localities and 

are worked in the Wilkeson region. They are the only coals coked 

commercially on the Pacific coast.

The fossil plants that are associated with the coal, and that represent the vegetation from which the coal was formed contrast strongly 

with the plants of this region to-day. In the present forest conifers 

are dominant in size and number, but in the forests of the Eocene 

coal period conifers were few and palms and deciduous trees were 

abundant. No palms now grow; wild within a thousand miles of the 

Puget Sound region, so the climate here during the coal period must 

have been very unlike that of to-day. The coal-bearing rocks crop 

out at intervals along the western base of the Cascade Range from 

the international boundary on the north to the Columbia on the 

south.

The railroad crosses Black River, the outlet of Lake Washington, 

at Black River Junction, from which branch lines lead to the Newcastle, Renton. and Black Diamond coal fields.

Black River Junction. The mine ftt Renton js 0]1}v 2 miles to the east 

Elevation 39 feet. fleft) of Black River Junction. Two beds are

Population 519.* -IT mi i i f '-, i

Seattle 10 miles. mined here, ine thicker one is 2 teet 8£ inches 

thick and inclines or dips southeastward at an 

angle of 12°. The coal is subbituminous.

From Seattle to Tacoma the railway follows a broad valley in 

glacial drift which forms the bluffs on both sides. This valley, which 

is continuous from Duwamish River to the Puyallup, was left by 

the melting of the ancient glacier as one of the intricate series of depressions now occupied in part by Puget Sound. It was later partly 

filled with silt, sand, and gravel by the mountain streams. White 

River, which enters the valley on a low deposit of gravel and sand 

which it has itself built up south of Auburn, separates on this sloping 

deposit, or alluvial cone, into two streams. One, which retains the 

name White River, flows northward into the Duwamish, and the 

other, called Stuck River, turns to the south and joins the Puyallup. 

This division of a stream on the sloping surface of its own deposits 

tells the story of a long period of successive floods carrying heavy 

loads of gravel and sand into this old depression. The later floods
SHASTA EOUTE- SEATTLE TO SAN FKANCISCO. 15

have spread over the valley the fine silt to which its remarkable fertility is due. A generalized section of the valley is shown in figure 2.

The dominant industry in the vicinity of Kent is dairying, and

herds of Holstein cattle may be seen in the fields. There are condensed-milk factories at Kent and Auburn, and the

Kent. two have a combined average daily output of about

Elevation 40 feet. 96,000 cans, or 25 carloads. The red-berried elder

population 1,908. (Sdmbucus callicarpo) , a showy shrub in June, is

Seattle 17 miles. ,., . f ' . , J . , ' .

likely to attract the traveler s attention along this 

Auburn. Par* °^ the route. On the left, a mile away, is the 

Elevation 74 feet. ^luff of the great gravel pit of the Northern Pacific 

Population 957. Railway, which shows the structure of the ancient

Seattle 22 miles. Qf

Pacific transfer yards, containing 37 miles of track. 

On the east (left) side of the valley, 3 miles northeast of Sumner, 

is the power plant of the Piiget Sound Light & Traction Co., where 

water drawn from Lake Tapps, on the upland a few miles to the 

southeast, develops 80,000 horsepower.

 ." * '. '.".'.'* . _- . . .* .*_. '..'' '.'.^S^c.'~7-.^zrx:':rr=^

FIGURE 2. Generalized section of White River valley at Kent, Wash., showing alluvium-filled depression 

in glacial deposits, including (a) Vashon drift, (6) Orting gravel, (c) Admiralty drift, and (d) deposits 

of present stream.

As Sumner is approached a yeast factory can be seen on the left.

g On the right, near the station, is the gravel pit of

the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, which

Elevation 70feet. ,1 t - f ,1 i v/r Population 892. shows the general composition 01 the gravel cans inseattie 29 miles. closing the valley.

The Sumner and Puyallup country, once noted for its hops, is now 

better known for its fresh and canned fruit, especially raspberries 

and blackberries. Here the Cuthbert red raspberry reaches perfection and is grown in enormous quantities. The Puyallup & Sumner 

Fruit Growers' Association, consisting of 1,400 growers, has its own 

refrigerating plant and in 1913 shipped 600 care of fresh fruit to the 

eastern markets. .

Puyallup is the home of Ezra Meeker, a pioneer who in 1852 with 

an ox team crossed the plains and mountains to Puget Sound. In

XT .1. « 11 1906 he returned by the same means of conveyance North Puyallup. _ __ J ,,- , ~. , . , ~

from Puyallup to New York City, marking the Oregon

Seattle 31 miles. m -i , -xi. x ^"U "IV 4. Trail at many points by monuments. The brilliant 

yellow flowers of the gosmore, or cat's ear (Hypochseris radicata), a 

near relative of the dandelion, abound by the wayside. At North 

Puyallup, with its berry farms, the railroad enters the Puyallup
16 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Indian Reservation and crosses the valley. As Taooma is approached 

the Indian School for Trades may be seen on the left.

Tacoma is the western headquarters and the official tidewater 

terminus of the Northern Pacific Railway. It is beautifully situated 

on a series-of terraces rising about 300 feet above the 

Tacoma. head of Commencement 'Bay, the southeast arm of 

Population 83,743. Puget Sound, and commands fine views of the Sound, 

Seattle 41 miles. ^e Cascade Mountains, and the white cone of Mount 

Rainier (PL IV, A). Its industrial establishments include a lead 

smelter and refinery, large sawmills, furniture factories, foundries, 

railway shops, and flour mills. Tacoma carries on an extensive commerce in grain, lumber, coal, tea, silk, and other articles. In the 

courthouse is the Ferry Museum, which contains,'among othe?; things, 

an interesting collection of Indian baskets, domestic utensils, canoes, 

and implements of hunting and war.

Tacoma is a subport of entry (Port Townsend is the official port) 

and is second only to San Francisco in the volume of its foreign 

trade. It has an excellent harbor and 25 miles of water front, and 

from it transoceanic steamship lines run to Japan and China, to 

the Philippines and Hawaii, and to London and Glasgow.

Capt. George Vancouver visited the site of Tacoma in 1792, and 

Lieut. Charles Wilkes surveyed it on his exploring expedition in 1841. 

Gen. Morton Matthew McCarver founded the present city in 1868. 

It was at first called Commencement City, but fortunately the name 

was later changed to Tacoma, an Indian word meaning "big snow 

mountain" and referring to Mount Rainier.

The principal excursions from Tacoma go to Mount Rainier, which 

is reached either from the northwest by way of the 

ExCTacoma.fr°m Wilkeson coal field or from the south by way of Longmire Springs.and Paradise Park.

The great naturalist John Muir has justly termed the mountain 

parks "fountains of life." Appreciation of the beautiful in nature 

should become more and more an American characteristic, and in 

these days of national stock taking we do well to inventory as part 

of the nation's wealth its resources in wild scenery.

The Mount Rainier National Park is unique in possessing the 

wildest of mountain scenery almost at the gates of two large cities. 

Less than half a day's travel by rail and stage from Tacoma brings 

the visitor to the hotel at Longmire Springs, well within the park, 

and the perfectly graded Government road enables him to reach the 

lower end of the Nisqually Glacier. Just beyond is Paradise Park, 

where a tent hotel affords accommodations amid beautiful surroundings at the starting point for the ascent of the mountain.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE IV

A. MOUNT RAINIER, WASH., FROM SPANAWAY LAKE.

Mount Rainier is an extinct volcano 14,408 feet in height. It is a huge pile of lava (chiefly andesite) resting on 

a plateau of Tertiary and older locks. Photograph copyrighted by Barnes, Parkland, Wash.

B. PARADISE PARK, ON SOUTH SLOPE OF MOUNT RAINIER,

Elevation, 5 500 feet. The rock at the right of the summit is Gibraltar. Beyond the forest is the Nisqually 

Glacier, at the head of Nisqually River. Photograph by Curtis & Miller, Seattle.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE V

OCEAN SPRAY (SERICOTHECA DISCOLOR), A COMMON FLOWER IN WASHINGTON.

Sometimes called arrowwood, because the branches are used by the Indians in making arrows. Photograph

by Barnes, Parkland, Wash.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FEAKCISCO, 17

Mount Rainier is the noblest of the peaks that overlook our Pacific 

coast. It attains an elevation, of 14,408 feet and is the highest 

peak of the Cascade Range. Like Fujiyama in Japan and Shishaldin 

in Alaska, it rises majestically with the graceful lines that proclaim 

its volcanic origin. Its base is set in the green of the wonderful 

Puget Sound forest, and its snowy cone merges into the clouds, to 

which it appears to belong rather than to the earth. From this cone 

a score of radiating glaciers, the largest in the United States, extend 

down the gashed slopes into the forest below, where they give rise 

to rushing, roaring rivers of milk-white water. Over 25 years ago 

Jarnes Bryce, later British ambassador to this country, and Karl 

von Zittel, the well-known;German geologist, visited Mount Rainier, 

and in a report expressed the hope 'that this peak might be reserved 

as a national park. It is gratifying to Americans to know that these 

experienced and discriminating travelers said that they had seen 

nothing "more beautiful in Switzerland or Tyrol, in Norway, or in 

the Pyrenees than the Carbon River glaciers and the great Puyallup , 

glaciers."

In Paradise Park (PL IV, B], or in some other sylvan retreat on 

the lower slopes of Mount Rainier, whoever is weary of \he city may 

find true recreation. All about are bright flowers, which throughout 

the summer follow the retreating snowbanks in a succession of gardens wherein nature displays a profusion of bloom alongside of ice 

and snow. Below are the forests, dark and almost silent, except 

where their stillness is broken by the raucous cry of the Clark crow 

or where some stream roars over the bowlders or splashes musically 

among the ferns. Above all looms the peak, clad in eternal snow.

The volcanio cone of Mount Rainier has been built up by lava 

erupted through past ages. Although it is practically extinct, its 

crater still gives forth steam and sulphurous fumes. The form of the 

cone has been modified by the destructive work of glaciers, which have 

cut deep grooves into the mountain sides, and of avalanches, whose 

occasional thunder testifies to the continued attack of atmospheric 

agencies.

Mountain goats, marmots, and ptarmigan constitute the fauna of 

the mountain.

To avoid some heavy grades the Northern Pacific Co., by tunneling 

Point Defiance and continuing thence by way of Steilacoom, has 

recently built a new line from Tacoma to Tenino, commonly known as 

"the loop,"' thus enabling the traveler to enjoy some coast scenery. 

This line is 6 miles longer than the old line, but the easier grades offset 

the difference in distance. From Tacoma the new line follows the 

shore northwestward for 4 miles, past the flour and saw mills to the

96286° Bull. 614 15 2
18 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

lead smelter, affording a good view of Commencement Bay and of the 

harbor of Tacoma on the right. In the bluffs on the left rudely stratified cross-bedded sand and gravel (Puyallup substage) rest at several 

points on evenly stratified clays and fine sands with local pockets 

of gravel and bowlders of the earlier (Admiralty) stage of glaciation. 

The first good example is on the left, 2 miles from the Tacoma union 

station, where an arch of the clay beds brings them plainly into view, 

as shown in figure 3.

Four miles from Tacoma, near the smelter tunnel, on the left, is a 

deep clay pit exposing the same formations in the same relative position, but just beyond, at the entrance of the main tunnel, there are on 

both sides of the cut beds of well-stratified clay and fine sand with 

patches of gravel lapping up over irregularly stratified and crossbedded sand and gravel. The tunnel is 4,400 feet in length and 275 

feet in greatest depth. In excavating it no hard rocks were cut, but

a large tooth, probably of a mastodon, and 

traces of coaly material were found in sand 

associated with gravel.

From the west portal the run along the 

showing (a) an arch of finely strati- shore for 15 miles affords splendid views of 

Xl^fd.tVvL'.X^i the Na d the OVmpic Range beirregularly stratified gravel and yond. Puget Sound has 1,750 miles of shore 

sand of the Puyallup substage. ^ ^^ shelvmg beach> preCipitoUS cliffs,

and dense forests, affording some of the most beautiful inland water 

views in America. The seepage of much water in many places along 

a line about 120 feet above low tide marks the contact of stratified 

clays and overlying gravel and causes the railway much trouble from 

slides. -

As Steilacoom is approached the traveler's attention is likely to be 

attracted by the pits on the left, from which large quantities of gravel 

are loaded on scows for shipment to Tacoma and Seattle. The loading 

is done by an application of the hydraulic method, first devised in 

placer mining. The gravels as exposed in the pits show distinctly the 

double set of bedding planes characteristic of delta deposits, namely, 

a series of beds that dip rather steeply in the direction of the liver's 

flow (foreset beds), overlain by a series of nearly horizontal layers 

(topset beds). The delta was built out into Lake Russell while the 

Puget Sound glacier was melting.

Steilacoom is one of the oldest settlements in the western part of

the State.. A monument placed here in 1908 marks the site of the

first Protestant church building erected north of the

Steilacoom. Columbia. It was built in- 1853. Scotch broom

Population 430. (Qenistd scoparia). which has been introduced into

Seattle 60 miles. . _f . " -, -, -, this region, nourishes about Steilacoom, and its bright 

yellow blossoms form a pleasing feature of the landscape.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 19

Beyond Ketron the water view widens. The horizontally stratified 

sands and gravels that have been the prevalent material along the 

railway for miles are well developed and within view 

on Ketron and Anderson islands. The dark-spotted 

rock used to protect the railroad embankment from 

the southwest storms of winter comes from the vicinity of Bremerton 

and contains a few fossil shells. Porpoises, seals, and even whales 

may occasionally be seen in this part of the Sound. A whale stranded 

near Steilacoom in 1912. At the mouth of Sequalitcher Creek are the 

wharf and power house of the Dupont powder works, which are just 

out of sight on the left. The foreset bedding of the old delta gravels 

is well shown for 3i miles along this portion of the route. These 

gravels are succeeded abruptly at 22.1 miles from Tacoma by wellexposed stratified clays (Admiralty) overlain by stratified gravels.

At the mouth of Nisqually River a strip of the present delta nearly

a mile wide is alternately covered and left bare by the tides. Three

miles up the river valley is Nisqually station, where

Nisqually. ^he main line is crossed by the Grays Harbor branch

Population 497.* of the Northern Pacific, leading to Olympia, the State

Seattle 68 miles. . . , . i i , TV capital, and beyond to the coast. Jbrom Ulympia 

another branch runs through Tumwater, the oldest American settlement in Washington, which marked the end of the Oregon Trail. 

Near Nisqually station there is a small terminal moraine left by 

the receding front of the Puget Sound glacier. South of Nisqually ' 

River are delta gravels which were deposited by a former stream on 

the great outwash plains left by the melting glacier. These gravels 

are well exposed in the railway cut. Near the Nisqually are obtained 

some of the best forest views on the route. Almost all the lands of 

the Seattle-Tacoma region except the cultivated river valleys are still 

forested. The "dominant forest tree is the red fir, which covers fully 90 

per cent of the heavily timbered area, in places with a stand so dense 

that the sun can scarcely penetrate to the soil. In a narrow strip 

along the coast the dominant species is the Sitka or tideland spruce. 

In the bottom lands, mainly river valleys, the conspicuous trees or 

shrubs are the red cedar, giant cedar, white fir, large-leaved maple, 

Oregon ash, cottonwood, western dogwood, vine maple, crab apple, various willows, devil's-club, and salmon berry. On the gravelly plains 

may be seen the only species of oak growing in the State, the black pine, 

and from spring until the middle of July a carpet of brilliant flowers. 

The material of the terminal moraine southeast of Olympia is best 

exposed in the area surrounding Patterson Lake. The railway cuts 

are not deep, however, and are therefore not very 

satisfactory to the geologic observer. The open 

681 prairies on the glacial outwash plain (that is; the 

plain formed by gravel washed from the front of the glacier) begin 

near Kyro. They present a sharp contrast with the dense forests
20 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

around them and are probably due to some peculiarity of soil or

drainage that is unfavorable to forest growth. Several miles beyond

is Chambers Prairie, which is 2 miles north of the railroad station of

the same name. (See sheet 2, p. 24.) From this prairie excellent

views may be obtained of Mount Rainier, in the rear, to the left,

and of the Black Hills, ahead, to the right. Just before Plumb is

reached there is another fine view of Mount Rainier, across a meadow.

At milepost 38 the railway enters Rocky Prairie,

which is notable for its curious mounds. The origin

of these mounds has been fully discussed by Prof. J. H.

Bretz, of the University of Chicago, who concludes that they are not

the result of erosion, as some have thought, but that the gravel of

which they are composed was deposited in hummocks. Similar

mounds are abundant on some other prairies.

After traversing another belt of terminal moraine and of hills

composed largely of Tertiary shales the railway enters Tenino, which

stands near the end of a projecting spur of the CasTemno. ca(je Range. Qn the right, near the station, is a

Elevation 280 feet. quarry of a sandstone that is widely known to builders

Seattle a?1 miles via in the Northwest as the "Tenino sandstone." It is

piumb; si miles via generally fine grained, well cemented, and easily

worked, and has the valuable property of hardening

after being quarried. The high school and Trinity Church in Seattle

are built of this sandstone. The rock is of Eocene age. About a

mile north of Tenino, near the old line of the Northern Pacific, is a

large quarry in the same sandstone, from which the Government has

obtained rock for the Grays Harbor jetty.

The Puget Sound glacier, of the Vashon substage, is believed to 

have had its southern boundary, at its time of greatest extension, 

near the line where the prairies end against the timbered hills south 

of the town. There is, however, no terminal moraine marking this 

limit for some miles east or west of Tenino.

At Tenino the railway is joined by the old line of the Northern 

Pacific from Tacoma. This line passes through much prairie country on the great outwash gravel plain formed by the melting of the 

Puget Sound glacier. A few miles north of Hillhurst and at Yelm 

the traveler may enjoy fine views of Mount Rainier.

As Bucoda is approached the valley widens. The railway crosses 

Skookumchuck River (the name is Chinook for " strong water") and 

R . runs between bluffs of coal-bearing Eocene sandstone 

on the left and 'the river on the right. Just south of 

population sss.* Hannaford Creek the beds in the bright-red cliff on 

Seattle 84 miies.i fae ieft stanci vertical. The brilliant colors have the 

effect of a burned coal bed. Waters flowing from the Puget Sound

1 Distances by the old line are given for stations beyond Tenino, and to get the 

distance actually traveled from Seattle by the new line 6 miles should be added.
BULLETIN 614 SHEET I 

WASHINGTON

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OP THE

SHASTA ROUTE

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White. Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.

Loose surface materials. 

A Stream deposits (alluvium')

B Outwash (Steilaeoom gravelf from retreating 

Vashon Glacier

C Glacial drift (Vashon and Osceolai, Wisconsin, 

stage

D Outwash fOrting gravel and Puyalhip sand) 

from Admiralty Glacier, shown by stippled 

pattern

E Glacial drift < Admiralty ; , pre-Wisconsin 

stage, represented by heavy line

Lava flows 'andesita of Cascade Range\

Miocene 

H Shale. Miocene

^ Sandstone and shale, with coal beds (Poget 

group). Eocene 

sCity

_ _ Sea 

Restoration H-. *i* BREM 

U.S.NAVALSTA

Scale 500,000

Aroximately 8 miles to I inch

L.9. ... ? .... lO

lontour interval 200 

ELEVATKS IN recr ABOVE MF

The distuncas frt Seattle, Washington, &r

The cross; on the railroads are spaced \

 .

asteGoree CdugarMtn ' '

CMdBaldyMt

7.90
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 21

glacier found an outlet down this valley as far as Centralia and 

thence went northwestward by way of the Chehalis River valley.'

Centralia, about a mile above the mouth of the Skookumchuck, is

an important railway junction and the center of a large lumber

industry. The town is also becoming a coal-mining

Centralia. center, and much attention is given to dairying and

Elevation 188feet. to the growing of small fruits, especially strawberries.

seattieg1!nJies1 ^e coal-bearing rocks, of Eocene age, lie east of the

town. The beds to the west (Astoria shale) are Oligocene, and are succeeded by still younger formations toward the

coast.

Below Centralia the Skookumchuck enters the broad valley of the 

Chehalis, a river which drains a section of the Cascade Range and 

flows across the Coast Range to the Pacific at Grays Harbor. Tw.o 

railway lines, a branch of the Northern Pacific and a line of the 

Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Co., connect Centralia 

with the coast by way of Chehalis Valley.

Chehalis is the center of a large dairying district and has a

condensed-milk factory. A branch line runs west from this place to

South Bend. The State Training School stands on

Chehalis. a terrace formed by gravel with soft decomposed

Elevation 188 feet. pebbles, which is well exposed in several street cuttinSs a few blocks west of the railway station and 

at many other points farther down Chehalis River, 

especially at Satsop. These gravels were deposited during the early 

part of the Pleistocene epoch by the floods from the melting glaciers.

South of Chehalis the river is joined by Newaukum River. The 

valley at their confluence is broad and fertile and contains many 

thriving farms, chiefly on the left. A group of yellow monkey flower 

(Mimulus) brightens the wayside in spring and summer. Other 

plants likely to attract attention are the thimbleberry, with its 

white blossoms; the salmonberry, with its yellow fruit; the pink 

fireweed; the white, plumose, gracefully pendant ocean spray, 

or arrowwood (Sericotheca discolor, PI. V, p. 17); and other forms 

growing among larger plants on the wooded slopes. In the more 

open ground the almost omnipresent dandelion in June, with its 

fluffy crowns of seeds, the purple lupine, the red and white clover, 

the white yarrow, and a host of other flowers give the beauty of 

varied coloring to the views in this forest land.

From Seattle to Portland the great forests of Washington are 

almost continuous. The exceptions are the so-called prairies of the 

outwash gravel plains; the great stretches, bristling with the blackened trunk of many a forest monarch, which the lumbermen leave 

in their wake; and the. long alluvial valleys which the farmer has 

cleared and tills. Alder and maple are the usual successors to the 

firs in the valleys.
22 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTEBN UNITED STATES.

Napavine.

Elevation 444 feet. 

Population 1,304.* 

Seattle 103 miles.

Beyond Chehalis the railway gradually ascends through shallow 

cuts in Eocene sandstone and early Pleistocene gravel to Napavine, 

situated near the crest of a low east-west divide (450 

feet above sea level) that separates Chehalis River 

from the Cowlitz, a tributary of the Columbia. The 

broad surface of the divide is the level top of an extensive deposit of gravel that is well exposed in the cuts 

along the railway. In this locality the gravel consists largely of 

volcanic materials, the white quartz pebbles that are so common in 

many gravels being absent. About 3 miles beyond Napavine, near 

Evaline, may be seen the brownish Eocene sandstone which underlies the gravel.

The railway crosses Olequa Creek, along which is a well-developed 

bench or terrace eroded in the same gravel formation that was seen 

near Napavine. A similar terrace, at a corresponding height above 

the stream, is a prominent feature of the Cowlitz, Willapa, and other 

valleys in southwestern Washington. A bluff of the same gravels, 

here 150 feet in thickness and overlying Oligoceiie beds, appears on 

the left as Winlock is entered.

Winlock is commonly known as "Bungalow Town" and the station has been built in that style. About 3 miles 

beyond Winlock the valley opens and on the right 

a fine view is obtained of Abernathy Mountain, a 

spur of the Coast Range. On the left are some 

remarkably tall alders with a background of firs. 

. Near Vader station are tile ovens, which are supplied by clay 

obtained near by. A mile beyond the town, on the right, is a small 

gas plant. The gas is made from the slabs rejected 

by the adjacent sawmill and is supplied to the town 

at the rate of $3 a month for five lights and a kitchen 

stove. The salable by-products of the gas plant are 

pyrogallic acid, creosote, tar, and charcoal.

 Olequa Creek is again crossed and the train enters a short gorge. 

On the left, by looking ahead down the gorge, the traveler may get 

a fine view of the snow-covered top of Mount St. Helens, standing 

above deep-green forests of fir. Nearer at hand, on the left, a bluff 

exposes a sheet of lava overlying Eocene shales, 1 and on the right are 

Pleistocene sands.

Winlock.

Elevation 309 feet. 

Population 1,140. 

Seattle 109 miles.

Vader.

Elevation 143 feet. 

Seattle 116 miles.

1 This is the region, of the type section 

of the Olequa formation, described by 

Arnold and Hannibal as extending from

the Ewing ranch, 2 miles above Little 

Falls [Vader], southward down Olequa 

Creek to Olequa, a distance of- 5£ miles.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE VI

A. SMELT FISHERY ON COWLITZ RIVER NEAR KELSO, WASH.

B, SEINING SALMON ON COLUMBIA RIVER.
VIEW UP COLUMBIA RIVER FROM COLUMBIA HIGHWAY AT CHANTICLEER INN, 

On the left across the river is Cape Horn, against which the flat-topped terrace ends. This terrace, as 

valley of the Columbia The canyon of the Columbia is comparable to the valley of Hudson RPortland. (See also Pis. VIM and IX.)
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRAHCtSCO. 23

Olequa Creek joins the Cowlitz, on the left, at Olequa station.

Some hop fields and hop dryers are visible up the Cowlitz. On the

left at the end of the bridge a bluff of columnar

Olequa. basalt (lava) overlies Eocene shales, and the railway

Elevation 102 feet. passes through a deep cut in this basalt that resemPopulation 485.* f & TT-n i. AT v i A ^ XT Seattle 118 macs. bles the Bergen Hill cut, near New York. At the

south end of the cut, on the left, the Eocene shales 

are well exposed. Much of the lava of this region was probably 

poured out at intervals over the sea bottom while the sediments that 

were later consolidated' in to sandstones and shales were accumulating, the lava thus becoming interbedded with the coal-bearing 

Eocene strata. Later horizontal sheets of lava overlie the tilted 

coal-bearing beds near the volcano St. Helens, from which they 

issued, but these later lava beds, although some of them probably 

extend for a long distance west of the volcano, are not visible from 

the railway.

Toutle River is crossed near its junction with the Cowlitz, and 

that river, bearing numerous log rafts, may now be seen at many 

places on the right-hand side of the railway.

At Castle Rock frost is rare. Here are extensive farms among

the low-rounded hills of the region and some small 

Castle Rock. orchards of prunes, cherries, and apples. The railEievatkm59feet. way cuts near Castle Rock expose 60 feet of stratified 

seattie^mdies light-gray sand, forming a terrace whose top has an

elevation of 120 feet above the sea.

At Ostrander (see sheet 3, p. 32) logs floated down the Cowlitz 

are chained into flat or cigar-shaped rafts for further transportation to the mills on the Columbia and elsewhere. 

Ostrander. 'pj^g piace is noted for the size of the timber that it

Elevation 41 feet. can supply. A sawn stick 215 feet long can be seen

Population 339.* i i Seattle 131 miles. by the station, and one 44 inches square and 100

feet long was prepared for the Chicago exposition.

A few miles beyond Ostrander the railway enters a 1,200-foot

tunnel through a spur of basalt, from which it emerges into a broader

part of the valley. Small stern-wheel steamers ascend

Kelso. the Cowlitz for 17 miles beyond Kelso. The smelt

Elevation 26 feet. fisheries (PI. VI, A} in the Cowlitz yield about $50,000

Population 2,039. . 11 n J 1* 11 1 4. \

Seattle 135 miles. annually. Canned smelts sell here at a > cent a

pound, and they are shipped as far east as New York.

The Cowlitz Valley contains lignite coal, and some of the seams

have been worked, but the decreasing demand for coal due to the

competition of Calif ornia oil has put a stop to mining for the present.
24 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTEBN UNITED STATES.

Mount Coffin, on the right, a few miles down the Columbia from 

the mouth of the Cowlitz, was an Indian burying ground and received 

its name from the large number of coffins exposed on it. On this 

mountain Commander Wilkes, in 1841, made astronomical observations to determine its position.

Ahead, to the right, over the flats at the mouth of the Cowlitz 

and beyond the Columbia, may be seen some even-crested hills about 

1,000 feet in height. These continue on the southern horizon from 

this point to Portland Heights. Similar flat-topped hills stand 

also on the north side of the Columbia. If an observer so situated 

as to be able to overlook the whole valley of the Columbia in this 

region should imagine all the ravines and valleys which now separate 

these hills to be filled to the general level of the flat hilltops he would 

then see spread out before him. a very broad, shallow, flat-bottomed 

valley and would realize that the present hills are all that is left of 

such a valley after its floor has been deeply furrowed and carved 

by streams. The hilltops are flat because they are parts of what was 

once such a continuous valley surface. This old broad valley was 

worn in basalt by Columbia River in early Pleistocene or glacial 

time, when the land stood 1,000 feet lower than now. When the 

land started to rise the streams began to cut into the old valley floor 

and fashioned it into the flat-topped hills of the present landscape. 

At Carrolls may first be seen the cliffs of basalt 

Carro s. which form the banks of the Columbia for hunEievation2ifeet. dreds of miles and attain imposing heights along 

the stretch of river between Portland and The Dalles. 

The Northern Pacific once ferried across Columbia 

Kaiama. River from Kalama to Gobel, Oreg., and the old boat, 

Elevation 21 feet. which could carry 24 cars and an engine, can still be 

Seattle i45mfles. seen at its wharf. The railway now continues up the 

east side of the river to Vancouver. Seines set for 

salmon fishing (PL VI, B] may usually be seen near Kalama.

The dark bluffs on the left, which the railroad now skirts for 

several miles/with the river on the right, are in part solid flows of 

basaltic lava, but are mainly beds made up of fragments of volcanic 

rock associated with some sandstone and shale. At milepost Ilia 

deposit of sand and gravel overlies lava and shales.

As Woodland is approached a fine view opens on the left, up

Lewis Valley. Mount Adams is in sight, and a little farther on, to

Woodland *^e "^ °^ ^' appears the white cap of Mount St.

Helens. Finally Mount Hood comes into view to Elevation 53 feet. . . , . ^

Population384. the right oi Mount Adams. .Near milepost 115, 

Seattle 155 miles. scattered over an alluvial bottom, are some large oaks, 

the forerunners of those to be seen later in Oregon and California.
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 2

47

Sheet- No I 122V WASHINGTON

%

EXPLANATION 

A StreamMgDosits (alluvium) |

B Outwash (Steilacs^m gravel) from former retreating 

Vashon glacier \

C Glacial drift, marking limit of Vashon glacier; shown 

by stippled pattern J

D Sandstone and shale, mainly marine, with some coal beds] 

(Eocene) \

Quaterna 'y

E Sandstone and shale of fresh or brackish water origin,}- Tertiary 

with some beds of coai (Eocene)

ss 00 Sandstone quarry 

Coal mine

46

Scale 500,000 

Approximately 8 miles to I inch

ip 15 20Miles

20 SOKilometers

Contour interval 200 feet

123'

5he,&f No 3

The distances from Seattle, Washington, are shown every 10 miles 

The orosstie& on the railroads are spaced 1 mile apart

122V
GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SHASTA ROUTE

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S, Topographic 

Sheet of that name.
SHASTA EOI7TE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 25

At 157 miles from Seattle Lewis River is crossed. The bluffs* of 

basalt on the left here give place to slopes of gravel, sand, and clay. 

These deposits were laid down by Columbia River in early Pleistocene time and now form hills of pleasing rounded contours.

Two miles beyond the crossing of Lewis River are well-stratified 

sands and clays like those near Tacoma, and just beyond is a horizontal sheet of lava (basalt) showing the peculiar feature called 

columnar jointing. The columns are due to cracks produced in the 

lava by contraction on cooling and may be compared with the polygonal cakes into which a layer of mud breaks on drying. The mud 

cakes are thin in comparison with the long, regular columns found in 

some bodies of basalt, but the modes of formation are analogous.

Gravels deposited by the Columbia when its bed was higher than 

_., _ ,, it is now occur between Ridgefield and Knapps, Ridgefield. , , , . ° rn . , rr '

_. t. , . where they form an extensive terrace 50 feet above

Elevation 60 feet. J IIP -^ T re Population 297. sea level.. On the left, near Fehda, is a blurt 01

Seattle 161 miles. grayel and Qm^ which ape older than ^ pleig_

tocene gravel of Columbia River. 

At Vancouver Junction the rounded hills are

covered with prune orchards. From this place 

Vancouver Junction. & branch ^ ^ northeastward 2g miles to 

Elevation 62 feet. v . 

Seattle 172 miles. 1 acolt.

V W h Vancouver is the military headquarters of the

Elevation es feet ' Department of the Columbia. Here Dr. John

Population9,300. McLoughlui, the factor of the Hudson's Bay Co.,

Seattle 176 miles. ^ ^ 1824_25 rujed ^ region ^^ irQn hand

but benevolent purpose, built Fort Vancouver, which soon became 

not only a thriving port for ocean vessels engaged in the western 

fur trade but also an outfitting point for exploring parties. In 1841 

the Wilkes exploring expedition ascended the Columbia and camped 

at Fort Vancouver for some months, exploring the great river and 

its tributaries. An overland party under Lieut. Emmons, including 

the geologist J. D. Dana, was dispatched by way of the Willamette Valley, Mount Shasta, and Sacramento to San Francisco. In 

1843 John C. Fre'mont visited Fort Vancouver, having floated down 

the Columbia from The Dalles, a route then in favor by emigrants who 

came into the country over the Oregon Trail. On arklike rafts 

loaded with farm and household belongings these emigrants glided 

down the river, those bound for the Puget Sound country turning 

northward from the Columbia at the mouth of the Cowlitz, and those 

for the Willamette Valley turning southward opposite Vancouver. 

Later, in 1853-1855, came the exploring parties of the Pacific railroad 

surveys in search of the best transcontinental and coast routes.
26 GUIDEBOOK OP THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

They traversed the country from Puget Sound to the Gulf of California along the routes since followed by the Southern Pacific Co.

The Columbia* is the great waterway from the interior of the continent through the Cascade Range to the coast. In 1805 it bore the 

canoes of the first transcontinental explorers, Lewis 

Columbia River, and Clark, from the slopes of the Rocky Mountains 

to the sea. Their party spent the winter on the 

Pacific coast and returned by the same route in 1806.

Columbia River, including its tributaries, has a drainage area of 

about 259,000 square miles and a total navigable length of 2,136 

miles. The system as a whole is capable of furnishing an estimated 

maximum of about 19,740,000 horsepower, of which only 351,249 

horsepower, less than 2 per cent, was developed in 1909, the latest 

year for which complete statistics are available. In five States,

1 Columbia River from the lower cascades to its mouth, a distance of 140 miles, 

is, like the Hudson, a good example of 

what geographers term a'' drowned river." 

The earth's surface is not absolutely stable 

but is subject to upward and downward 

movements. As a rule these are so slow 

as to escape notice except in so far as their 

effects can be seen and interpreted by 

those who make a study of land forms. 

When a broad section of coast land traversed by a river moves downward, the sea 

water advances into the depressed and 

thereby deepened river channel, the 

river water is backed up, perhaps for 

many miles, and the lower part of the

river so affected becomes a narrow inlet 

whose waters, instead of gliding steadily 

to the sea, ebb and flow with the tides.

As was explained on page 24, the Columbia in early Pleistocene time, many thousands of years ago, flowed in a broad valley 

whose floor is now represented by the flat 

tops of the hills seen near Kalama. The 

land, which probably had been stationary 

for a long period, then began to rise. The 

slope of the river channel was increased, 

the water flowed faster, and, with the sand 

and bowlders of its channel as abrasives, 

the river began to wear down its bed. 

This went on until the land stood higher 

than at present and the river had cut its 

bed to a very gentle grade. Then the 

earth movement was reversed. The land

very gradually sank and the ocean water 

backed up into the Columbia. It was 

this sinking that transformed the lower 

Columbia into a navigable stream, deep 

enough for ocean-going steamers, and 

made possible the commercial development of Portland and Vancouver. This is 

merely one of many illustrations of the 

direct bearing of past geologic events and 

processes on modern life. The influQnce 

of some of these processes, such as the 

formation of coal, is plain enough to all. 

The influence of others, though equally 

real, is not so obvious.

The mean range of the tide at Lower 

Cascades is only 0.2 foot, at Vancouver 0.8

foot, at Portland 1 foot, andatAstoria6.4 

feet. The fluctuation in the height of 

the river due to changes in meteorologic 

conditions is more than 20 feet at Portland and Vancouver, so that the tidal 

oscillations there are of very slight practical importance.

Rivers are the sculptors of their own 

valleys. The wild gorge through which 

the Columb ia traverses the Cascade Range 

(PI. VII, p. 23) is the noblest of its kind 

on this continent. Its history 'has not 

been fully made out, but it appears that 

the Cascade Range was slowly uplifted as 

in the form of a series of broad ar^hea or 

uptilted blocks of the earth's crust along 

a north-south axis, and that the river, 

which is thought to have had nearly ita
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE Vlll

ONEONTA GORGE, COLUMBIA RIVER, NEAR ONEONTA, OREG.

The tributary stream is strong enough to cut down its bed about as rapidly as the main Columbia, making a gorge.

(Compare PI. IX.)
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 61* PLATE IX

LATOURELLE FALLS, COLUMBIA RIVER, NEAR LATOURELLE, OREG.

The small tributary stream here, unable to cut down its bed as rapidly as the main Columbia, enters the river by 

a fall. (Compare PI. VIII.) The lava adjoining the lower part of the falls illustrates columnar structure. 

Photograph copyrighted by Weister.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAF FRANCISCO. 27

Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Washington, 1,072 power 

wheels were turned by waters of streams in the Columbia River basin 

during that year.

The most valuable fisheries in the world, except only the oyster 

and herring fisheries, are those supported by the salmon. Of the 

salmon fisheries by far the largest are those of the Pacific coast of 

North America. Columbia River is justly celebrated as having 

afforded more salmon than any other river in the world, and Astoria 

is the chief center of the industry.

In early days the salmon were merely dried by the Indians. About 

1833 they were first salted in old rum kegs. In 1864 the canning 

of salmon was begun on Sacramento River, in California, and two 

years later on the Columbia, where it has flourished ever since. The 

fish are caught in nets of various kinds, but also, and most effectively, 

in the salmon wheel, which may be seen at many points along the 

shores of the Columbia. By this device, which is kept in motion 

by the stream, the fish are automatically scooped up and thrown into 

a tank.

From Vancouver the Columbia is crossed by a new bridge more 

than a mile in length. The depth of the river here is 29 feet. The

present course before the range was 

formed, maintained its channel by wearing down its bed as rapidly on the whole 

aa the mountains rose. The larger tributaries cut down their channels also and 

carved deep ravines which open on the 

river (PI. VIII). The smaller streams, 

however, have been unable to keep pace 

with the main stream in lowering their 

channels, and reach the river by plunging over the cliffs a? falls (PL IX). Tributary valleys perched on the sides of a 

main stream valley in this way are called 

"hanging valleys." . At Cascade Locks, in the very axis of 

the Cascade Range, the river has been 

unable to maintain a uniform grade and 

falls 50 feet in a.series of rapids to the tidal 

portion of the stream. Above the cascades the river is ponded, as if the obstruction over which it falls were acting as 

a dam. At one time the ponding was 

more extensive than at present, as shown 

by the occurrence, some miles above the 

cascades, of trees belonging to species now 

living that have been killed by the water 

and partly buried in silts (PL X, A, p. 28) 

containing their fossilized leaves.

Three explanations have been suggested for the occurrence of the obstruction at the cascades and.the consequent 

damming of the river above them. One 

is that it represents a hump that has been 

produced across the river channel by the 

continued slow uplift of the Cascade 

Range. It is supposed, in accordance 

with this view, that the uplift of the range 

at this place has proceeded a little faster 

than the river could cut down, its bed. 

Another and more probable explanation, 

in view of the localized character of the 

obstruction, is that it is due to faulting - 

that is, to movement along a crack in the 

rocks that runs approximately at right 

angles with the course of the river, the 

formation of the crack being followed by 

a slipping of the rocks along it in such a 

way that the country east of it has sunk 

a little or the country west of it has risen 

a little. A third and still more probable 

suggestion is that a large mass of rock has 

slid into the river from the cliffs and thus 

made a dam which has not yet been wholly 

washed away. Not enough geologic work 

has been done in the vicinity to determine 

which explanation is the true one.
28 ' GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

character and the natural sorting of the material of the river bed are 

well illustrated by the deposits of fine-grained sand dredged opposite Vancouver, of coarse sand opposite Russell Landing, and of 

gravel opposite Fishers, 9 miles above Vancouver. Halfway across 

the Columbia River bridge the traveler passes into the State of 

Oregon.

The name Oregon was in 1778 first applied by Jonathan Carver to

the river now known as the Columbia and afterward somewhat

vaguely to the vast country drained by it. The present

Oregon. State of Oregon is about 375 miles from east to west and

200 miles from north to south and comprises an area of

96,699 square miles. Its population in 1910 was 672,765.

Oregon, like Washington, extends across the mountain belt and 

includes much of the interior plateau. It has thus a wide range of 

climate, that of the coast being mild, equable, and humid, and that 

of the interior dry with pronounced variations in temperature. 

Most of the mountain belt is heavily timbered, and the Douglas 

spruce (Pseudotsuga mucronata), commonly called red fir, is said to 

constitute about five-sevenths of the total timber stand of the State. 

This tree yields the well-known "Oregon pine" of commerce. The 

value of the lumber and timber products of Oregon in 1912 was 

about $22,263,920,000. A large part of the State lies within the 

great volcanic field of the Northwest, the rocks of which yield rich 

soils. Although great quantities of oats and barley are grown in 

Oregon, wheat is the principal grain crop, and most of it is raised by 

dry farming in the eastern part of the State. The most productive 

agricultural region, on the whole, is the Willamette Valley. The 

fisheries of Oregon are of great value. The principal product from 

its mines is-gold, the yield in 1913 being $1,177,082 from deep mines 

and $450,628 from placers. Its water resources for power and irrigation are as yet largely unused and await the further development of 

the State.

Oregon was early a bone of contention between nations. While 

the United States claimed the drainage of the Columbia, the British 

were moving down from the north and Spain was advancing its 

missions from the south. The regulations of the Hudson's Bay Co., 

administered by John McLoughlin, were the first law of the region. 

They were superseded by a more independent form of government 

when Oregon was organized as a Territory in 1848. The Territory 

of Oregon included, besides the area of the present State, the region 

now included in Washington and Idaho, with parts of Wyoming 

and Montana. On February 14, 1859, Oregon was admitted to the 

Union as a State. .
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE X

A. TRUNKS OF TREES OF A SUBMERGED FOREST, COLUMBIA RIVER ABOVE CASCADE LOCKS,

OREG.

Opposite Wind Mountain, Wash. It is possible that a landslide into the river from the north side dammed back 

the water so as to drown the trees and cover them partly with mud.

CIGAR-SHAPED RAFT OF LOGS FOR OCEAN TRAVEL. 

On the right is the cradle in which the raft was made.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE XI

A. MOUNT HOOD FROM PORTLAND, OREG. 

Photograph copyrighted by Weister Co., Portland.

B. WILLAMETTE FALLS, OREGON CITY, OREG.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 29

From the Columbia the railway crosses the broad, partly swampy 

alluvial flood plain of the river and enters a deep cut over a mile in

length and 30 to 100 feet deep. (See fig. 4.) This 

Columbm^River to cut goeg through part of a terrace that projects

into the angle between Columbia and Willamette 

rivers. East Portland is built on this terrace. The principal 

material exposed in the cut is fine sand, rudely stratified and containing scattered 

lenses and streaks 

of gravel, with a 

few pebbles as 

much as 6 inches 

in diameter. In 

this material at 

intervals of 3 or

Fine sand with few 

pebbles and streaks 

of clay, 60 feet

FIGURE 4. Section of deep cut of Northern Pacific Railway across Portland 

Peninsula between Vancouver, Wash., and Portland, Oreg.

4 feet there are thin beds of clay or clay and sand. Above this lies 

coarse cross-bedded gray sand and gravel capped by buff loam.

Beyond the cut the railway crosses the Willamette at Willbridge 

and turns to the left up that stream. East of the river, above a 

bluff, is Columbia University (Catholic). In the bluff, which is 175 

feet high, are exposed lower beds than those seen in the cut, and they 

include, as may be seen at one point southeast of Mocks Bottom, 

larger bowlders and coarse gravel. On the right as Portland is 

approached is Guild Lake, the site of the Lewis and Clark Exposition in 1905. It is now being filled for factory sites by washing in

and, gravel, and bowlders of Quaternary age 

'ternating layers of compact marl,shale, 

ssil plants,ngnite,sand,andgravel, suposedlobeof Tertiary age

FIGURE 5. East-west section of Willamette Valley at Portland, Oreg., showing the relations of the sandy 

loam (a) and the basalt (6) of Portland Heights to the sand and gravel (c) on which Portland and East 

'Portland are built and to the gravel (d) of Mount Tabor and the sandy loam (e) best exposed on the 

upper slopes of Westover Terrace.

gravel. Across the lake is a dark bluff, which is notched by the ravines 

of small streams that drain a plateau west of it. The bluff, which 

is made up of basalt lava, is capped by buff sandy loam that has 

resulted from the weathering of the basalt. A diagrammatic section 

from the plateau on the west, through the river terraces on which 

the cities of Portland and East Portland are built, to Mount Tabor 

on the east is shown in figure 5.

The flat-topped heights west of Portland, including Council Crest, 

are part of what in early Pleistocene time was an extensive nearly 

level surface produced by erosion a peneplain, as it is termed by
30 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Portland, Oreg.

Elevation 56 feet. 

Population 207,214. 

Seattle 186 miles.

geologists. As such a surface is not produced until the region is 

worn down nearly to sea level, this plain must have been elevated 

since it was formed. Remnants of this old surface, 1 which has been 

deeply cut by the present rivers and their tributaries, extend up the 

Columbia to Cape Horn and up the Willamette to a point beyond 

Oregon City.

Portland, 186 miles south of Seattle and 771 miles north of 

San Francisco, is often referred to as the Rose City on account of 

the beauty and profusion of the queen of flowers 

in its gardens and even along its streets. An annual 

rose festival is held here during the first week of June. 

On the terraces and slopes in the western part of the 

city, which have a range of altitude of more than 

1,000 feet, there are many beautiful homes, each with' its garden, 

from which may be obtained views that are surpassed in few other 

cities in the world such as the view across the Willamette to the 

snow-crowned peaks of Mounts St. Helens, Adams, and Hood

(PL XI,-4).

The settlement was founded in 1845 by two men from New England 

and was named after Portland, Maine. It was chartered as a city in 

1851. Its situation at the head of deep-water navigation on the 

Columbia and Willamette and at the gateway for railroads to the 

East through the gorge of the Columbia gives it great advantage as a 

commercial center. Steamships ply from it to many domestic and 

foreign ports. It exports every year raw materials and foodstuffs 

chiefly wheat, wool, lumber, fish, and flour to the value of over 

$15,000,000, and its manufactured products, including woolen goods, 

flour, and many other articles, amount to $35,000,000 annually.

1 This peneplain ia related to a similar 

one in central Washington and to an 

elevated beach along the coast of Oregon 

which records the ocean level at that 

time. It was in the later stages of this 

period of erosion that the basalt became 

so deeply weathered.

The general uplift of the region that 

followed the formation of this peneplain 

caused the rivers to cut deep, wide valleys across it and expose the lava and 

underlying Tertiary sediments in bluffs 

such as those near Portland. Subsidence 

followed and the valleys were partly 

filled with gravel. A succeeding uplift 

enabled the rivers to carry away much of 

this old gravel in the Columbia Valley, 

but a remnant of it may be seen on Mount 

Tabor, a basalt knob in East Portland. 

The knob is itself a remnant of an extensive lava flow. Still another subsidence caused the rivers to deposit the 

gravels and sands of the terrace on which 

Portland and East Portland are built. 

These sands and gravels were themselves 

cut into and trenched in consequence of 

a later moderate uplift of the land. 

Finally, as has been seen, a relatively 

slight depression drowned the lower 

reaches of the Columbia and, of course, 

of the Willamette also. It thus appears 

that the land in this region has had 

many ups and downs in late geologic 

time. The movements here noted, 

however, are only .the more conspicuous 

ones. Many minor oscillations have left 

less noticeable traces in the landscape. 

All these movements were probably so 

slow that they passed unnoticed by men 

if any were there at that time.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 31

Among the more notable buildings are the Public Library, the 

Wells Fargo Co.'s building, the Chamber of Commerce, the Commercial Club, the Oregonian Building, and the Art Museum. Of the 

church buildings, the Presbyterian, Congregational, Baptist (White 

Temple), and Episcopal (Cathedral) should be mentioned. The City 

Hall contains the Oregon Historical Society's museum and the 

Hawkins Museum of Natural History.

Willamette River, which separates East Portland from Portland, 

is spanned by five bridges.

Electric cars afford easy access to the hilltop known as Council

Crest, from wHich superb views may be had of the rolling lava plateau

in which the Willamette has cut its valley, a country

°f ^ f ai>mS aild °rckards- T° tne east may be seen

the Cascade Range, surmounted by uhe lofty peaks 

of Mounts Rainier, St. Helens, Adams, Hood, and Jefferson.

Cloud Cap Inn may be reached in a day by the Oregon-Washington 

Railroad & Navigation Co.'s train up the south bank of the Columbia 

to Hood River station, thence by auto stage through the famous 

orchard country of the Hood River valley and up the northern slopes 

of Mount Hood to an altitude of nearly 6,000 feet. From this place 

the glaciers are in full view and may be easily reached. The cliffs 

along the south side of the Columbia (Pis. VII-IX), seen on this trip, 

are remarkable for their sheerness and for the numerous waterfalls 

that plunge over them to the river, but the cliffs upon the north side 

of the river are in general less imposing and lack falls. Fish wheels, 

log rafts for ocean transportation (PL X, B, p. 28), and the Cascade 

Locks are additional attractions of a trip that is well worth taking.

Astoria, near the mouth of the Columbia, may be reached by 

steamer or railway. The river is 5 miles wide here. At its mouth 

are the great Government jetty; Forts Stevens and Scarboro Head, 

which guard the entrance; lighthouses; and a life-saving station. 

Some typical sand dunes may be seen near Astoria, and the type 

locality for the rocks and fossils of the Astoria shale (Oligocene) is 

in this vicinity. Here, many years ago, Prof. J. D. Dana, then on 

the Wilkes expedition, observed some sandstone dikes, formed by 

sand that filled wide cracks in the rocks and later itself hardened 

into rock. As a rule dikes are composed of igneous rock which has 

been forced into such cracks in a molten condition. Dikes of sandstone are comparatively rare.

John Jacob Astor founded the town of Astoria in 1811 as a depot 

for the fur trade. It was seized by the British in 1813 but was 

restored in 1818. In 1821, while occupied by the Northwest Fur Co., 

it was burned and practically abandoned, the Hudson's Bay Co. 

being left in control of the country.
32 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Trains from Portland by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway connect with steamers of the Great Northern Pacific Steamship 

Co., which run to San Francisco three times a week.

On leaving Portland for the south the railway crosses Willamette 

River and ascends its valley. The drainage basin, of the Willamette

is a roughly rectangular trough-shaped hollow, 145 

Willamette River, miles long and 80 miles wide, lying between the

Cascade and Coast ranges. Its area is over 11,000 

square miles. The maximum power available from the river and its 

tributaries is 1,670,000 horsepower, of which 92,537 horsepower had 

been developed in 1909, the date of the United States Census report. 

The river is navigrble for 100 miles, and shallow-draft steamers ply 

regularly from Portland to Oregon City, Dayton, and CorvaUis.

East Morrison Street station is in the manufacturing suburb of 

East Portland, and a mile beyond, on the left, is the new Ford automobile factory. Half a mile beyond the suburb of Brooklyn, near 

milepost 767 from San Francisco, on the left, there are gravel terraces, 

on which stand the buildings of Reed College. For miles the railroad 

runs through a beautiful fertile country in which cultivated fields 

are interspersed with groves of firs, alders, and other trees. The 

white-flowered arrowwood, purple hardback, arid fireweed beautify 

the hedges and fields. Along this part of the route there are fine 

views of the even-crested bluff, probably of basalt, that bounds the 

valley of Kellogg Creek on the west. The smooth soil-covered slopes 

over which the train passes end abruptly against this bluff, which is 

probably due to a fault. Near Milwaukie (milepost 762), on the left, 

is Harmony School, and beyond are Mount Scott and other prominent 

rounded hills of lava (basalt).

There appears on the left, just before the train reaches Clackainas 

(see sheet 4, p. 36) a small sulphurous-looking factory where spray 

compounds for fruit trees are made. The State Rifle Range is near

Clackamas. Opposite the station there is a fine 

Clackamas. view of Mount Hood over field and forest. 

Elevation 137 feet. Near milepost 758 the railroad crosses Clackamas 

Seattle i^miies River, which is bordered by banks of basalt. On the

south side is Park Place station near Gladstone Park. 

As Oregon City is approached the valley of the Willamette narrows 

to a canyon between bluffs of basalt.

Oregon City, situated at the Falls of the Willamette (PI. XI, 

B, p. 29), is a manufacturing town and produces paper and woolen

goods. The water here falls 40 feet over basalt 

Oregon City. to tidewater level. A large hydroelectric plant by 

Elevation 102 feet. the falls supplies light and power for Portland, and 

seattte^inUes' *ke maximum available energy is said to be 50,000

horsepower. A lock canal along the west bank of 

the river transfers steamers and other boats past the falls.
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 3

4-6

EXPLANATION 

Stream deposits (alluvium)

Lava flows, chiefly basalt, and beds of fragmental volcanic material (tuff)

Shales (Miocene) i

Sandstones and shales, mainly marine, with some beds of }- Tertiar 

coal (Eocene'.1 [

Sandstones and shales deposited in fresh or brackish 

water (Eocene)

S? Coal mine

Scale 500000

Approximately 8 miles to ' inch 

. T> . . ip 15

5 10 15 2O 25 30Kilometers 

Contour interval 200 feet

The distances from Seattle. Washington, are shown every 10 miles 

The crossties on the railroads ere spaced 1 mile apart

WASHINGTON-OREGON
GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SHASTA ROUTE

v From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist . R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. C. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.
SHASTA EOUTE SEATTLE TO SAtt FKANCISCO. 33

Basalt bluffs restrict the outlook from the train, but the accompanying section (fig. 6) shows what may be seen above the bluff on 

the left (east), near the quarry and crusher, and along the road to Ely.

Dr. John McLoughlin, the Hudson's Bay Co. factor, settled here 

and did much for the early settlers and afterward for the town. His 

house is carefully preserved in a park that commands a fine view of 

the river.

Between Oregon City and New Era, a distance of 6 miles, the Willamette has cut a canyon 450 feet hi depth across an extensive rolling 

upland on which are many fine farms. This upland is traversed 

by the Pacific Highway, a road from San Diego, Cal., to Vancouver, 

British Columbia. Along the sides of the canyon, at elevations of 

100 to 200 feet above the sea, are remnants of a well-defined terrace. 

These are parts of a former bottom of the canyon, made when the 

river was flowing at a higher 

level. The upland is an old 

erosion surface, and was 

formed, together with the canyon and the terrace (fig. 6), 

while the gorge of the Columbia was being cut, before the 

falls at Oregon City came into 

existence. The falls have 

since cut back about a mile 

from their first position. In 

comparison with the recession 

of some falls for example, 

Niagara, which has receded 

about 9 miles this distance is not great, but the rock is hard and 

gives way slowly under the wearing action of the water.

Near Coalca, at milepost 751, on the left, scarcely visible among 

the trees of the terrace above the train, is Coalca or Balanced Rock, 

which marks the scene of many an Indian council.

At New Era the railroad emerges from the canyon into a broad

alluvial valley deeply filled with unconsolidated material deposited

by the Willamette and its tributaries.1 Gravel is

New Era. dredged from the Willamette here and after washing

Elevation 162 feet. an(j screening is delivered, wholly by machinery, in

bunkers at the railroad ready for shipment. At

Fishs Eddy the river impinges from the west against bluffs of lava,

500'

300'

200'

FIGURE 6. Section of east bluff at Oregon City, Oreg. 

a, Stratified gravel and sand; b, stratified coarse sand; 

c, stratified fine loamy material; d, decomposed basalt 

resembling material of c. These materials are like those 

noted at Westover Terrace, Portland. They are well 

exposed near the quarry at the head of Munroe Street, 

Oregon City, and on the Molalla road to Ely.

1 The explanation of the fact that the 

Willamette between Oregon City and 

New Era flows through a canyon, while 

north of Oregon City and south of New 

Era it occupies broad valleys, is thought 

96286° Bull. 614 15 3

to be as follows: At a time not definitely 

determined but probably early in the 

Pleistocene epoch a fracture was formed 

in the basaltic rocks near the site of Oregon City. This fracture had a general
34 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Canby.

Elevation 179 feet. 

Population 587. 

Seattle 210 miles.

which cause it to turn abruptly northwestward. At this place may 

be seen some Pleistocene sediments, deposited in the valley probably 

while the river was temporarily dammed, as described in the footnote. 

From this point to Salem the railroad passes through a region of 

broad alluvial plains with prosperous farms won from the great 

forest, which is represented now only by stumps and by scattered 

groups of tall firs.

The Clackamas County Fairground is visible on the right as the 

train enters Canby. Half a mile beyond the town is a railroad 

gravel pit. The gravels have the characteristic delta 

structure, known as cross-bedding a series of layers 

all inclined in one direction capped by nearly horizontal layers. They resemble the delta deposits seen 

near Puget Sound. Southeast of Canby, near Wilhoit, is a farm where teazels are grown. The dry thistle-like head of 

the teazel is used by fullers to comb up the nap on woolen cloth, and 

this farm is said to furnish a large part of the world's supply. At 

milepost 746 the railroad crosses Molalla River, which here flows 

along the east side of its broad, flat valley. In this valley are grown 

wheat, oats, potatoes, peaches, apples, and hops. In the neighborhood of Barlow and Aurora, where Pudding River is crossed, the forested areas increase, but to the northwest, near Newburg, there is a 

fine orchard country. (See PL XII.)

At Hubbard and between Hubbard and Woodburn 

the country is open to the east, and the traveler may 

get views of the Cascade Range, with Mount Jefferson and other snow-covered summits. Woodburn is 

the center of a rich farming country. Beyond the 

station a vista opens on the right to the Coast 

Range. Rural scenes continue to Gervais, a town 

notable for its fresh, white cleanliness. About a

Hubbard.

Elevation 210 feet. 

Population 283. 

Seattle 218 miles.

Woodburn.

Elevation 210 feet. 

Population 1,616. 

Seattle 222 miles.

northwesterly course. The rocks on opposite sides of it began to move, and apparently the principal movement was a 

rise of the rocks on the southwest side. 

The rocks were lifted as a tilted block, 

the hinge of the movement being somewhere near the site of New Era. The 

tendency of this movement was to dam 

the Willamette above New Era. Temporarily the river may have been ponded 

back, but on the whole it appears to have 

been able to cut a canyon in the basalt 

as fast as the rock rose. The Tualatin, 

a tributary which formerly entered the 

Willamette at Oswego, 5 miles below 

Oregon City, also had its course across the 

rising block of lava, but being a less

powerful stream than the Willamette, it 

was unable to maintain its original channel. It was forced to flow southeast, 

along the sloping back of the uptilted 

block, and now enters the Willamette 

nearly 3 miles above Oregon City. Oswego Lake, a long, narrow body of water 

trending at right angles to the Willamette 

west of Oswego, is really a remnant of the 

former lower part of the Tualatin.

While the Willamette was engaged in 

cutting the canyon through the hard lava 

block it had time to swing from side to 

side above the obstruction and to erode 

from the softer rocks the wide valley 

which the traveler sees as he emerges 

from the canyon.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

WILLAMETTE VALLEY NEAR NEWBURG, NORTHWES
SHALE INCLOSED IN DIABASE NEAR ROSEB

The diabase, an igneous rock, has broken up throu
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 35

mile beyond Gervais patches of blue toadflax (Linaria canadensis) 

may be seen in the fields in June. Less than a 

mile farther on; at the right, is a grove of oaks which 

contrast with the more common fir. 

Seattle 225 miles. Just north of the town of Brooks is a noted loganBrooks. berry farm, and during the season the adjacent oak 

Elevation230 feet. woods are white with the tents of the berry pickers. 

Population i.ois.* The loganberry is a hvbrid produced by crossing a red

Seattle 230 miles. & . " * l J to raspberry with a species ot blackberry. It was named 

for its originator, Judge Logan, of California.

At Chemawa is an Indian school with good buildings and wellkept grounds. It has about 600 students and teaches in a practical

way many trades and industries, giving most attenChemawa. tion to agriculture. The results are well illustrated 

Elevation IBS feet. on the school farm. Prune, apple, and cherry

orchards and berry gardens become more numerous

as Salem, the State capital, is approached. 

Salem is beautifully situated on Willamette River amid rolling 

hills that yield abundantly all kinds of farm, orchard, and garden

products. It is in one of the most productive cherry 

Salem. districts of the State, and its cherry festival is an 

Elevation 191 feet. annual attraction. Salem is noted also as a hop and

Prune ceilter- The State buildings are near the railroad, on the righi., and close to them are those of 

Willamette University. The State asylum for the insane and the 

penitentiary, surrounded by beautiful grounds, are about a mile from 

the railroad on the left.

A short distance west of Salem are some hills of basalt that are 

outliers of the great masses of volcanic rocks forming the Cascade 

Range. A pleasant trip on the Salem Heights electric car, running 

a mile to the south, will enable the traveler to see the lavas at 

many points and to obtain an excellent view of the city among its 

trees.

On leaving Salem for the south the railroad follows the valley of 

Mill Creek to Turner. The basalt hills just mentioned are on the 

right. Two miles from Salem, on the same side, is the Asylum for 

the Feeble Minded. On the left is the broad alluvial valley of Mill 

Creek, and a few miles farther along the State Industrial Training 

School for Boys, which stands on a hill that appears to be basaltic. 

Where the railroad rounds the basalt, slopes on the right the brightyellow monkey flower (Mimulus) borders the track in June, and at 

that season there is a wealth of flowers on every hand. The gpldenrod 

(Solidago) appears even as early as the end of June, and among the 

small trees is the attractive madrona (Arbutus menziesii}, with its 

brown bark and fresh, glossy evergreen leaves.
36 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Turner.

Elevation 332 feet. 

Population 191. 

Seattle 246 miles.

For miles south of Turner the Cascade Range is in view on the left 

(east); Mount Jefferson and the Three Sisters can be seen if the 

weather is clear. On the right, a few miles away, 

are basalt hills, some densely forested with firs but 

others cultivated. The varicolored crops make a 

beautiful contrast with the forest. 

Here, through spring and summer, the exultant song of the western meadow lark is heard, and bob white, the eastern quail who has 

been brought west, expresses contentment in his new quarters. 

Here, too, in the early hours of the day the traveler will hear the 

rippling music of the Chinese pheasant and will not wonder that 

M . Rostand's Chantecler, listening to that melody, forgot 

Elevation 329 feet ^° SLVQ his clarion call that was to set the world going 

Population 564* for another day.

Seattle 253 miles. Marion is surrounded by a great hay country in 

which, as elsewhere in Oregon, vetch is grown with wheat and oats 

for hay, with excellent results.

At Jefferson the railroad crosses Santiam River, one 

of the largest tributaries of the Willamette. Under 

the bridge at low water can be seen dark, more or 

less carbonaceous shales. The railroad passes between hills of basalt and traverses the alluvial plain 

past Millersburg to Albany.

 Albany, which is on the Willamette at the mouth of Calapooya 

River, is an important railroad center. Brandies from the main 

line of the Southern Pacific extend from it to the 

coast on the west and into the Cascade Range on the 

east. 1 A short distance south of Albany the Cascade 

and Coast ranges are in full view. Both ranges have 

been so eroded as to present irregular sky lines. 

Marys Peak dominates this part of the Coast Range, and some basalt 

buttes between Santiam and McKenzie rivers are outliers of the 

Cascade Range.

Jefferson.

Elevation 268 feet. 

Population 415.* 

Seattle 257 miles.

Albany.

Elevation 240 feet.

Population 4,275. 

Seattle 266 miles.

1 Trips over these branches give the 

traveler interested in geology and in the 

.relations of mountains to valleys an opportunity to study a partial cross section of 

the Pacific System, including the Oregon 

Coast Range, the Willamette Valley, and 

part of the Cascade Range.

At Corvallis, on the way to the coast, 

is the Oregon Agricultural College, a State 

institution with which is connected a 

Federal agricultural experiment station. 

Here also are the headquarters of the Oregon Bureau of Mines and Geology. There 

were 28 graduate and 1,250 undergraduate students at the college in 1913. Sandstones of Eocene age form the foothills 

west of the Willamette Valley and fossils 

belonging to that epoch occur near Corvallis. The crest of the Coast Range is 

composed of Astoria shale (Oligocene), 

but farther west; at Yaquina Bay, where 

the branch railroad ends, Miocene and 

Pleistocene fossils are abundant.

The Corvallis & Eastern Railroad, a 

branch of the Southern Pacific running 

east from Albany, follows up Santiam 

River, passes some sharp basalt buttes in 

the valley, and apparently crosses a belt 

of Eocene strata before reaching the lavas 

of the Cascade Range.
BULLETIN 614

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SHASTA ROUTE

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected .with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. C. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.

r-^%#4£^

flows and tuffs

A Stream deposits (alluvium)

B Lava flows, chiefly basalt, and beds of fragments! | 

volcanic material (tuff)

C Shales and sandstones; sediments largely of volcanic 1 Tertiary 

material (Miocene) f

D Sandstones and shales; sediments largely of volcan:

Scale 500,000 

Approximately 8 miles to I inch

The distances from Seattle. Washington, are shown every JO milt

The crossties on the railroads are spaced ! mile apart

lows and turfs
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 37

For 19 miles south of Albany the railroad runs through a highly 

productive grain and hay country. Oats and wheat are the principal 

grains produced and clovsr is grown, chiefly for seed. Vetch is sown 

with grain to some extent to make hay, but most of the hay crop is 

made from native grasses, which are cured and baled for market. 

From Albany Junction to a point a few miles south of Halsey, a 

distance of about 20 miles, the track runs due south as the crow flies. 

The station called Tangent is a few miles south of Albany Junction.

At the little town of Shedd (see sheet 5, p. 40) there is a creamery

and also a flour mill. On the left (east), 2£ miles away, is Saddle

Butte, a volcanic cone from which basaltic rock is

Shedd. obtained for use in road making. A number of these

Elevation290feet. cones, each marking a volcanic vent, probably of

Seattle 278 miles. -p, ; . *T. n ~u j on. Eocene age, rise near the valley border. Iney are 

surrounded by alluvium washed into the valley, and a little cone 

between Shedd and Saddle Butte is nearly buried by these unconsolidated valley deposits.

About 6 miles beyond Halsey, in the vicinity of Alford, near milepost 667, good views can be had of the irregular crest 

of the Coast Range on the right and the foothills of 

the Cascade Range on the left.

Population 337. Harrisburg lies between Muddy Creek and the 

Seattle 283 miles. Willamette, in a country where shifting meandering 

streams, with many islands, make hard problems for 

Harrisburg. the agriculturist. As a preliminary step to the work 

Elevation 336 feet. of reclamation by drainage, the Federal and State 

governments are cooperating in making large-scale 

topographic maps of this part of Willamette Valley. 

Near Junction City fields of grain and hay abound and 

June ion i y. flowers adorn the roadside. Just beyond the station on

Sep?iat°on3 759eet' the leffc (GQS$ the Httle blue toadflax shines out. In 

Seattle 290 miles. June the bright blue, purple, or white chicory, the pink

malva, and the yellow poppy give beauty to the scene.

Irving. In the vicinity of Irving groves of English walnuts

Elevation 405 feet. an(^ orchards of apples, prunes, and peaches, with

Population867* large patches of loganberries and other small fruits,

mies. alternate with fields of wheat, oats, corn, and grass.

Beyond Irving the hills begin to close in on the valley 

from both sides.

As the train enters Eugene, an attractive city at the head of the 

wide part of Willamette Valley, Skinner Butte, which rises 260

feet above the track and has a quarry on its north 

Eugene. slope, is seen near by on the left. The well-marked 

Elevation 453 feet. columnar structure of its basalt is clearly visible 

Seattle similes! an(^ illustrates the character of many of the buttes

farther north in the Willamette Valley. All these 

buttes are composed of solid basaltic lava and appear to be the
38 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. L

remnants of ancient volcanoes that have been subjected to long 

erosion and worn down to their solid cores or hard central parts, 

called plugs because they fill the opening through which the lava 

had been ejected.

At the University of Oregon, in Eugene, is the large collection of 

fossils made by Prof. Thomas Condon, who in his day did much to 

interpret the geology of Oregon.

A stage line up McKenzie River, the largest tributary of the 

Willamette, which enters the valley near Eugene, leads to the Blue 

River mining district and gives access to the hunting and fishing 

grounds about the Three Sisters, snow-clad peaks that carry the 

largest glaciers in Oregon. The extent of these glaciers during the 

glacial epoch has not been determined. An ice stream of considerable 

size probably once occupied the basin at the head of the McKenzie, 

but no evidence of glaciation has been recognized in the lower McKenzie 

Valley. Stray bowlders found at a number of places in the Willamette Valley have been more or less doubtfully attributed to ice floating in a body of water which Prof. Condon named Willamette Sound.

Railroad cuts on a branch now being built from the main line at 

Eugene across the Coast Range to Coos Bay will no doubt display 

good sections of the Eocene sediments of which this part of the range 

is largely composed. Another branch runs southeastward from 

Eugene up the valley of the Middle Fork of the Willamette to Oak 

Ridge. This branch when extended across the Cascade Range and 

connected with a line already built from Weed, Cal., to Kirk, Oreg., 

by way of Klamath Falls will form the main line of the Southern 

Pacific from Eugene to Weed. This route will avoid the deep crossdrainage valleys of Umpqua, Rogue, and Klamath rivers, will make 

Crater Lake National Park more easily accessible, and will be superior 

in scenic and geologic interest to the route now followed.

The rock underlying Eugene is a fossiliferous gray sandstone of Ter^ 

tiary age.

The University of Oregon is passed on the right (southwest) a 

mile from the station at Eugene. A mile farther on may be seen 

an abandoned quarry of the fossiliferous sandSpringfield Junction. stone^ algo on tne right Bevond jt tne railroad

Elevation 474 feet. passes through an area of basalt hills, sucSeattle 312 miles. jjv -Ci A4.o-.ciJT * ^

ceeded by shales. At Springfield Junction the 

shales give place to a gray sandstone full of marine shells like 

those seen nearer Eugene. This fossiliferous sandstone may be 

seen in an old quarry on the right side of the railroad. Hah0 a l 

mile beyond Springfield Junction are bluffs of fragmental volcanic 

material (tuffaceous conglomerate), which continue for nearly a mile. 

This material is cut by dikes of basalt, which may be seen along the 

banks of the river. After passing these the railroad takes final leave 

of Willamette River and in a climb of 20 miles surmounts the low
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAtf F&ANCISCO. 39

divide between the Willamette and the Umpqua. For nearly 200 

miles now the route is in the area of generally hilly country which, as 

noted in the preliminary sketch of the region, separates the Willamette 

Valley from the Great Valley of California and links the Oregon Coast 

Range and Klamath Mountains with the Cascade Range and the 

Sierra Nevada. From Eugene nearly to Greens, a distance of 80 

miles, the route traverses Eocene sedimentary or eruptive rocks 

except where these are covered by alluvium.

At Goshen basalt forms the hill directly opposite the station and 

extends at least to Spencer Butte, a prominent peak of the same 

material, which soon comes into view on the right 

(west). Between Mathews and Creswell is a wide 

*' stretch of alluvial plain on which are young orchards * 

Seattle 312 miles. of a great variety of fruit trees. From Goshen southward the valley narrows to Walker, being bounded on 

Creswell. foe }eff. (east) by the end of a bold spur of lava from 

Elevation 569 feet. foe Cascade Range. The low hills on the right consist

Population 307. -it J ± J i. l f iv/r t. j. Seattle 321 miles. mainly oi sandstones and shales, oi Miocene age, but

at one point a mile east of Saginaw basalt occurs on 

the right and is crushed for road material.

A branch line from Cottage Grove runs up Row River into the 

Cascade Range, toward the Bohemia mining .district, which has produced gold for many years. Gold was discovered 

Cottage Grove. here in 1858, and the total production has been beEievation G7i feet. tween $300,000 and $400,000. The gold-bearing 

s^atties^m'ues quartz veins oi this district traverse Tertiary lavas.

Quicksilver ore occurs at several places in this region, 

and an attempt has been made to mine it at Black Butte, on the Coast 

Fork of the Willamette 17 miles south of Cottage Grove.

The Southern Pacific Co. has a plant at Latham for treating wooden 

railroad ties with chloride of zinc to increase their durability. This

treatment is called burnettizing, from Sir William

am' Burnett, who patented the process. Without treatSeattle 331 mites. ment the ties lagt ab()ut gix vears? but when burnettized they last eight years. Dated nails are put in all the ties, of 

which more than 3,000 are treated daily.

Leaving the Coast Fork, the railroad ascends a branch valley to

the low pass across Calapooya Mountain that separates the drainage

basin of the Willamette from that of the Umpqua.

Divide. Calapooya Mountain is the most northerly of the

Elevation 779 feet. transverse ridges from the Cascades to the Coast

Seattle 335 miles. - , , . i i> -n T i

Range and is composed oi Eocene sediments and 

intrusive igneous rocks succeeded on the east by later Tertiary lavas. 

The terraced slopes of this pass suggest that formerly Umpqua River 

flowed through it and joined the Willamette. In the course of time, 

however, its waters found a shorter way through the Coast Range
40 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. I

to the sea.1 Igneous rocks appear near by on the right in the divide 

and on the left in Wards Butte.

The railroad now enters the Umpqua basin and continues in it for 

over 100 miles. In the descent down Pass Creek may be seen outcrops of tuffaceous conglomerate (formed of volcanic fragments), 

which is quarried here and there for riprapping the roadbed. As 

the general dip of these rocks is northeastward, successively older 

strata appear in the course of the southwestward descent. Near 

milepost 619, on the right, is an old quarry in-sandstone which contains numerous fossil leaves of Miocene or Eocene age.

At Comstock there are traces of coal in the sandstones, and a few 

Eocene shells have been found. The valley of Pass Creek in general 

is narrow and lies between wooded hills of fine fir 

timber. Here and there, however, it widens, and 

fields of hay and grain extend for some distance up 

the hillsides. Lumbering is still the principal industry 

of the region. Anlauf, Safely, and Leona are passed 

between Comstock and Drain.

Comstock.

Elevation 476 feet. 

Population 321.* 

Seattle 339 miles.

1 A cross section of the °valley cut 

through the Coast Range by the Umpqua 

shows certain features that throw light on 

the later geologic history of the region. 

In the first place, if the section given in 

figure 7 were extended it would show that 

the summits of the hills north and south of 

the river are more or less flat and at nearly 

the same level. An observer standing on 

one of these hills and looking over the

FIGURE 7. Generalized section of Umpqua Eiver 

valley in Coast Range, Oreg. a, Peneplain; b, 

earlier valley; c, later valley.

country could disregard the present valleys and imagine that his vision .was 

sweeping over a vast rolling surface that 

was nearly level a peneplain. The imagination would merely be recalling what 

was once reality a land surface worn 

down nearly to sea level through long 

erosion by rain and streams. The Umpqua 

flowed across this surface to the sea.

The next event was a slow rise of the 

land, in consequence of which the river 

began to flow faster and to deepen its valley. After it had cut down to a considerable depth the upward movement of the

land apparently ceased for a time and the 

river stopped cutting and began to meander and thus to widen its valley. Later 

the upward movement of the land was 

renewed and the river again began to cut 

down its bed, leaving remnants of its old 

valley floor as benches or terraces along 

the sides of its present valley.

^ similar relation of peneplain, terrace, 

and present valley bottom can be deciphered along nearly all the larger streams 

of the Klamath Mountains and adjacent 

parts of the Coast Range. This shows 

that a large area was affected by the same 

vertical movements of the land.

The Umpqua flows through the Coast 

Range to the sea in a direct course, which 

presents a strong contrast with its meandering course east of the range. This difference is due to the fa,ct that in the relatively hard rocks of the Coast Range the 

stream has been busily cutting down and 

has not remained long enough at any one 

level to widen its valley greatly. In the 

area east of the Coast Range the river has 

probably flowed over softer rocks and at 

some stages in its history has had time, 

between periods of active downward cutting, to swing from side to side, widen its 

valley, and establish graceful meanders 

after the common habit of low-grade 

streams.
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 5

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SHASTA ROUTE

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall. Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

tower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.

123' 30' Sheet No. -4- 123° OREGON

EXPLANATION 

A Stream deposits (alluvium)

B Lava flows, chiefly basalt and andesite, with fragments! 

volcanic material (tuff) from the Cascade Range

D Sandstones and shales composed largely of volcanic mateE Sandstones and shales composed largely of volcanic material (Eocene'

- Tertiarv

Scale 500,009 

Approximately 8 miles to 1 inch

ISMiles

IO

I L-L.

20 25 Kilometers

Contour interval 200 feet

' t ( : ,'' >'s£^ Th9 ^'stances from Seattle, Washington, are s/iown every 10 miles

' . '^fij^ 

 ^V^Vi" 7Ae crossr/es on r/ie railroads are spaced I mile apart

123°so' Sheer No. 6123' I22'30'
JHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 41

At Drain the railroad crosses Elk Creek and enters a gorge cut in

hard b? i , rock, illustrating the fact, already, pointed out, that

where the rock is hard erosion is slow and the stream

Drain. valleys are narrow, but where the rocks are soft, as

Elevation! north of Drain and near Yoncalla, erosion is more

Seattle 34^ rapid and the streams readily widen their valleys. A

' ' stage line from Drain down Elk Creek and the Umpqua

reaches^ ater at Scottsburg, about 25 miles from the coast. '

Near! ost 606, on the right (west), is a mineral spring (Bozwell 

Spring). S

From N cdla Valley (see sheet 6, p. 46) grain fields, orchards,

and flowered pastures sweep up the gentle hillsides.

Yoncalla. -, Many of the hills in this vicinity are composed of

Elevation 38? Eocene sediments, but some may have been carved

Population 23o. 1 1 . . _. tit Seattle 353 miles. irom basaltic lavas. Ihe rocks to be seen on the 

long ascent to Rice Hill are largely shale and sandstone, but include a small mass of basalt. At the

summit early in June are golden fields of St. John's 

wort (Hypericum), locally called goat weed. 

Half a mile north of Oakland the railroad crosses Calapooya 

Creek, just beyond which, on the left, is a small lens of impure limestone of Eocene age that contains great numbers of 

Oakland. fossils. To the right, beyond the station, can be had 

Elevation 454 feet. a view of Tyee Mountain, a part of the Coast Range.

This ran§e is more even crested here tnan it is farther 

north. Turning to the left the railroad goes through 

a sandstone ridge, near which are some tile works, and comes out 

on the flat valley called Camas Swale, where the thriving town of 

Sutherlin has recently sprung up. Camas Swale was once occupied by Calapooya Creek, but long before man had 

Sutherlin. any knowiec[ge of the region the creek deserted this 

Elevation 548 feet. valley f or its present course, north of Oakland, rejoinseattiesvo es. ^ cnaime\ j ust below Stephens. Man has

since compelled part of the water of the creek to return to the old 

valley, where it is used for irrigating numerous thrifty orchards and 

productive fields. To the west may be seen the Coast Range and, 

nearer at hand, the entrance to the crooked canyon through which 

Umpqua River runs northward to the mouth of Elk Creek, west of 

Drain, before turning to the sea. South of Camas Swale, to the left 

(east) of the track, are prominent hills of Eocene sandstone. Near 

Wilbur the 'sandstone is accompanied by masses of a rather coarsegrained basaltic rock called diabase. . This rock is believed to have 

been forced in a molten condition through the sand that was later 

consolidated into the Eocene sandstone while that material was being 

deposited on the sea bottom 'and to have been in turn covered by 

more sand. During the period of eruption deposits of tuff, made up
42 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

of fragments of the diabase, were also formed. This tuff contains 

fossils of the same kinds that are found in the sandstone. As Wilbur 

is approached some of the sandstone may be seen overlying the 

diabase and forming prominent .bluffs on the left side.

Beyond Wilbur the railroad crosses some Eocene sandstone and 

then enters an area of diabase which extends to Winchester. Here 

North Uinpqua Kiver is crossed. To the left is a mill 

Wilbur. dam, a place of fascinating interest during the 

Elevation 493 feet. salmon season, when the big fish endeavor to jump 

Population 354* over the dam instead of going up the fish ladder.

Seattle 375 miles. ,_... , i T> -L .LI -i j

Between Winchester and Koseburg the railroad 

crosses two areas of Eocene sandstone, but these are 

entirely surrounded by diabase, which continues toDe the prevalent rock along the route as far as Green,

30 miles from Winchester.

A mile north of Roseburg the railroad reaches South Umpqua River, 

which unites with the North Umpqua to form the main stream in 

Garden Valley, a few miles to the northwest. At the left are bluffs of 

lava in which are inclosed some fragments of Eocene shale, as shown 

in Plate XIII (p. 35). Deer Creek is crossed just north of the town.

From Roseburg, which is the seat of Douglas County, a stage line

runs across the Coast Range to Myrtle Point and Coos

Roseburg. Bay. This bay is one of the important harbors of the

Elevation 487 feet. west coast and the port of shipment for the Coos Bay

leattiessrmiies coa^ &&&) which produces more coal than any other

field in Oregon.

The bold hills about Roseburg are all composed of diabase. About 

15 miles northeast of the town, on Little River, a tributary of the 

North Umpqua, above Glide, Eocene fossils are abundant.

A mile south of Roseburg the deeply decomposed diabase affords 

good examples of spheroidal weathering. Specimens were collected 

here for the educational series of rocks prepared by the United States 

Geological Survey and distributed in 1898 to all the higher educational institutions of the country.

At Green there is a sudden change to the older rocks that compose

the Klamath Mountains conglomerates, sandstones, and shales of

Cretaceous age, associated with more siliceous rocks,

Green. hard sandstones, and cherts of Jurassic age, and slates,

Elevation 537 feet. limestones, and greenish lavas of Devonian and CarSeattle 389 miles. . .» bomferous age.

The core of the Klamath Mountains is composed of large masses 

of granitic rocks and serpentine, which are intruded into the Devonian, Carboniferous, and Jurassic rocks just mentioned. These 

older sedimentary rocks cross the country traversed by the railroad 

between Roseburg and Medford, occurring in belts running northeastward toward the Blue Mountains.
SHASTA EOUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 43

The hills at Green are smooth and rounded and for the most part 

without trees. The rocks of which they are composed are of Mesozoic age, mainly sandstones and shales, with some conglomerate. 

These rocks are greatly crushed along a belt running northeastward. 

Southwest of Green station they are associated with a schist composed largely of the beautiful blue mineral glaucophane. This 

mineral, which is a rather rare variety of hornblende, is found in 

only a few parts of the world outside of Oregon, Washington, and 

California. With the glaucophane schist near Green occur a greenish mica schist, some flintlike rocks commonly called cherts, and a 

greenish igneous rock, referred to as greenstone, which has been so 

much altered that its original character is in doubt. The best 

exposure of the blue schist is three-fourths of a mile southwest of 

some farm buildings on the right (west) at milepost 567.

This is the only area near the Shasta Route in which these crystalline schists occur. On the other hand, the sandstones and shales 

with which the schists are associated occupy a large area that is 

traversed between Green and Dole, a distance of about' 13 miles.

At Games, nearly 1£ miles beyond Green, there is a view to the 

left up Roberts Creek to Dodson Mountain, a prominent peak standing 3,235 feet above sea level. In the distance are some outcrops 

of a limestone which is used for lime and cement.

At milepost 565 the South Umpqua is reached again by the railroad, which follows its right (east) bank. Along the stream the 

crushed sandstones and shales are well exposed to view.

Between Dillard and Dole the river cuts through a ridge, thereby 

making ' many fine exposures of the sandstones and shales. 

Fossils have been found at many places in the 

Dillard. ^^ of rocks just traversed, but opinions differ

Elevation 546 feet. as ^o whether the rocks are all Cretaceous or in

Seattle 395 miles. .

part Jurassic.

 From Dole (Ruckels post office) may be seen ahead, on the left, two 

ridges one wooded, the other bare. The absence of trees on the 

second ridge is due to the fact that it is composed of 

serpentine, a rock containing much magnesia and 

yielding an unfertile soil. Serpentine is an altered 

form of certain igneous rocks that are as a rule dark 

and heavy and contain more magnesia and iron than ordinary 

igneous rocks. Their characteristic mineral is olivine or peridot, and 

on this account they are called peridotites.

At milepost 553 the serpentine, which forms a belt more than a 

mile in width, is visible close at hand. At milepost 551.4 it is cut 

by dikes of porphyry, an igneous rock containing crystals that are 

noticeably larger and more distinct than those which make up most 

of the rock.
44 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Myrtle Creek.

Elevation 637 feet. 

Population 429. 

Seattle 406 miles.

A small cut at milepost 551 shows some fine conglomerate and 

sandstone lying at the base of a large mass of Lower Cretaceous 

sedimentary rocks (the Myrtle formation), over which the railroad 

runs for nearly 10 miles.

About 12 miles northeast of Myrtle Creek station, up the creek, 

considerable gold has been obtained by washing the gravels (placer 

mining), chiefly the gravels that overlie the igneous 

rocks of the region. Beyond Myrtle Creek the railroad crosses South Umpqua River and runs for some 

miles along the western border of the Missouri 

Bottom, where many kinds of fruits and grains are 

grown. On the right (west) is a prominent ridge of Cretaceous 

sandstone and conglomerate (Myrtle formation). These beds lap up 

over the serpentine of the ridge beyond.

At Riddle, in Cow Creek valley, the rocks contain many Cretaceous 

fossils, both plants and marine animals, and among the hills to the 

southwest, on Thompson Creek, there are also beds 

containing large numbers of Jurassic fossil plants.

Farther down the valley, among grain fields and 

prune orchards, may be seen on the right (northwest) 

a prominent, thinly wooded mountain of serpentine, 

in which there is a deposit of green silicate of nickel (garnierite). 

This mineral is extensively mined for nickel in the island of New 

Caledonia, east of Australia, but the Oregon deposit has not yet been 

successfully worked.

The distant bare hills seen to the right near the head of the valley 

are composed of serpentine, but the bluffs nearer at hand, on both 

sides of the track, consist of Eocene sedimentary rocks. Beyond 

these is the entrance to Cow Creek canyon, which has been cut 

through the serpentine belt of Nickel Mountain. The serpentine 

areas can generally be recognized from a distance by their greenish 

color and barren aspect. In places, however, they are covered with 

wild azalea bushes, which suggested the name Azalea for the now 

abandoned post office at the mouth of Doe Creek.

Between Iron Mountain (milepost 533) and Nichols shales and 

sandstones are exposed along Cow Creek and have yielded large 

collections of fossil leaves of Jurassic age, as noted below by F. H. 

Knowlton.1 Many of these leaves belong to various species of ginkgo,

Riddle.

Elevation 733 feet. 

Population 187. 

Seattle 413 miles.

1 The flora of the Jurassic period is in 

many ways one of the most remarkable 

fossil floras known. Although n ot 1 arge 

it contains probably less than 200 known 

species it is practically world-wide in 

distribution, ranging from King Karl's 

Land (82° N.) on the north to Graham 

Land (62° S.) on the south, and has been

found in nearly every country on the 

globe. It is especially abundant in the 

western hemisphere, occurring in Spitzbergen, King Karl's and Franz Josef 

lands, Greenland, Siberia, Alaska, and 

abundantly in Oregon and California.

The luxuriant vegetation and magnificent forests of western and southern
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FKANCISCO. 45

or maidenhair tree, so called because its leaves resemble in shape 

those of the maidenhair fern. The ginkgo no longer grows wild on

Oregon give so impressive an air of permanence and solidity that it seems as 

if the conditions now found there must 

have been unchanged from the beginning 

of time, yet we have but to turn to the 

study of the vegetation entombed in the 

wayside rocks to prove conclusively that 

during Jurassic time the land was clothed 

with a flora totally unlike that which now 

covers it. In the Jurassic period, whose 

antiquity can be measured only in millions of years, the dominant types of 

vegetation were ferns and cycads, which 

were accompanied by smaller numbers of 

conifers, horsetails, and the curious 

ginkgo. The types dominant in the flora 

of to-day are the monocotyledons (grasses, 

sedges, lilies, palms, etc.) and the still 

more abundant dicotyledons (oaks, elms, 

maples, etc.), but so far as we know no 

plants belonging to either of these great 

groups existed in Jurassic time.

A few miles southwest of Riddle there 

has been found a flora of about 70 species, 

making this one of the richest localities in 

the world for plants of Jurassic age. Of 

these species about 20 are ferns, 30 are 

cycads, and 10 are conifers, and the 

remainder belong to a number of more or 

less doubtful groups.

The largest number of ferns belong to 

the extinct genus Cladophlebis, mainly 

rather small ferns with much-divided 

fronds. Another wholly extinct form is 

Teeniopteris, which has long, narrow 

fronds similar in type to the grass fern, 

now found in this country only in Florida. 

Adiantites is believed to be one of the ancestors of the maidenhair ferns, of which 

there are many living species. There 

are also three that are thought to belong 

to living genera Dicksonia, which is not 

now found in this country; Polypodium, 

which is now a very large, mainly tropical 

group, though a few small species are 

found in temperate lands; and Thyrsopteris, a fern with finely divided fronds, 

the only living representative of which is 

a species in the island of Juan Fernandez.

The cycads were not only the most 

abundant as regards different kinds but 

in individuals as well, some collections

containing literally hundreds of specimens. They all belong to extinct types, 

and many of them were evidently large 

plants, probably with thick stems or possibly with trunks, at the top of which grew 

large compound leaves disposed in a 

circle or crown.

One of the most abundant and conspicuous plants of this flora was the ginkgo, 

of which four or five species have been 

found here. The ginkgo is now represented by a single species in China and 

Japan, where it is a more or less sacred 

tree, found about the temples. It is not 

certainly known to exist in a truly wild 

state anywhere. This tree has had perhaps a more wonderful history than any 

other now living. It appeared at least as 

early as the close of the great Paleozoic 

era, and by or even before the Mesozoic

FIGURE 8. Sketch of a ginkgo leaf from the 

Jurassic beds of Oregon.

era it had waxed mighty and had spread 

over most of the world except the extreme southern hemisphere. It has come 

down to us so little changed that some of 

the leaves from the Jurassic rocks of Oregon, apart from their fossil character, are 

distinguished with difficulty from those 

of the living tree. (See fig. 8.) Had it 

not been for the fostering care of man the 

genus would apparently have become 

extinct several centuries ago.

Associated with the ginkgo leaves in 

many of the Jurassic deposits of Oregon 

are a few branchlets of strange conifers, 

such as Sphenolepidium, Pagiophyllum, 

and Brachyphyllum; also a few forms 

that are referred with more or less uncertainty to living genera, such as Pinus 

(pine), Sequoia (redwood), Avaucaria, 

and Taxites (yew).
46 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

this continent, but it has been introduced from Japan and is

common in many of our cities. The rocks in which these leaves are

found belong to a formation not yet finally named. 

. From Nichols station a backward view may be had of the great

flat top of Table Mountain, which is made up of horizontal Eocene 

strata. Cow Creek Canyon near Nichols has a depth 

of about 1,000 feet and is well wooded, though in a

Seattle 425 miles. £ew pjaces ^he woods are marred by fire. The most

abundant trees are firs, to which the madronas, with their red-brown 

bark and shiny oval leaves, afford a pleasing contrast.

South of Nichols station the fossiliferous Eocene, Cretaceous, and 

Jurassic strata are succeeded by a very thick series of sandstones 

and shales, which form the slopes of Cow Creek canyon for nearly 

15 miles. No fossils have been found in them in this area. This 

great mass of sandstones and shales (the Dothan formation, of Jurassic age) is much crushed, so that the layering characteristic of rocks 

that have been deposited in water has been obscured.

From West Fork mail is carried over a trail to the lower Rogue 

River country and to Gold Beach, on the coast. About 3 miles south 

of West Fork a large slide occurred some years ago 

West Fork. on fae wes^ Sl0pe of the canyon and blocked railroad

Elevation 1,050 feet, traffic completely for three months. Four miles of

Seattle 436 miles. -, t i t i 11 track had to be changed and two new tunnels cut.

At a number of places along this part of Cow Creek old stream 

gravels, lying on hillside benches above the channel of the present 

creek, have been worked for gold.

About 4 miles beyond West Fork the sandstones and shales of the 

Dothan formation are succeeded by a much more variable set of 

rocks, chiefly slates and greenstones. The slates are known as the 

Galice formation, from the mining district of that name in the Klamath Mountains, farther south. They contain fossils which are similar to those collected from the slates (Mariposa slate) of the gold 

region of the Sierra Nevada, in California, and which indicate Jurassic age. The Galice formation is older than the Dothan formation 

and ought normally to lie beneath it, but earth movements since the 

beds were deposited have reversed these positions and the Galice at 

this locality now lies on top of the Dothan. Such an overturn is sometimes brought about by folding of the beds, sometimes by faulting 

whereby older beds are slid on top of the younger ones.

From Reuben spur (see sheet 7, p. 60) a wagon

e* en* road leads to the Reuben Mountain mining district,

Elevation i,376 feet, which hes about 10 miles to the northwest.' The

prevailing rock of the region between Reuben and

Glendale is greenstone.
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 6

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SHASTA ROUTE

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.

124' 123'so' Sheet No. 5

123°

EXPLANATION 

A Stream deposits (alluvium)

3 Lava flows from the Cascade Range, chiefly andesites, 

with some basalt and rhyolite and beds of fragmental 

volcanic material (tuff)

C Sandstone (Tyee sandstone. Eocene)

Chiefly thin sandstones and shales (Umpqua formation, 

Eocene)

E Lava flows (basalt)

~ Conglomerate, sandstone, shale, and limestone (Myrtle 

formation, Lower Cretaceous)

G Altered intrusive rocks (serpentine and greenstone)

H Flinty beds, consisting chiefly of siliceous skeletons of) 

microscopic animals (Radiolaria), and schists Owing 

their present character to changes effected- by the 

intrusion of igneous rocks

I Sandstones and shales (Dothan formation)

J Slates (Galice formation) containing fossils like those of 

the Mariposa slate of California

Quaterna

Scale 500,000

Approximately 8 miles to 1 inch 

0 . ^ .... 'P ....

IO IS

Contour interval 200 feet

The distances from Seattle, Washington, are shown every 10 miles 

The crossties on the railroads are spaced ! mile apart

D / /

'G /

124-°

OREGON

Sheet No. 7

I23°so' 123-
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 47

Northwest of Glendale there are two prominent peaks of greenstone Grayback, 4,033 feet above the sea, and Panther Butte, 3,517

feet. On leaving Glendale the train passes over a 

Glendale. mass of siliceous reddish lava (rhyolite), and beyond 

Elevation 1,437 feet, this is the greenstone that forms the divide between 

se^ti^TmUes Umpqua and Rogue rivers. The crest of the divide

also forms the boundary between Douglas and Josephine counties. The dividing ridge is penetrated by a straight 

tunnel (No. 8), 2,828 feet in length and 420 feet below the summit. 

The basin of Rogue River is traversed by the railroad to the summit 

of the Siskiyou Mountains, a distance of 93 miles. Beyond the 

tunnel the railroad descends by a long sweeping curve into the 

Wolf Creek valley. 

The station of Wolf Creek was formerly one of the hostelries

on the old California-Oregon stage line. The small 

Wolf Creek. power house on the left (south) is the northernmost 

Elevation 1,319 feet, station on the power line from Gold Ray, 50 miles

sS^TS. anead on the edse of the R°gue River vaUey- Wolf

Creek runs through a gold country, and in the early 

days many gold placers were worked in this vicinity.

Much of the primeval timber along Wolf Creek has been pine 

and oak, but madrona and other broad-leaved trees are now taking 

the place of the conifers. Buck brush (Ceanotfius velutinus), with 

its broadly ovate or elliptical shiny leaves, and tree myrtle (Ceanotfius 

sorediatus) ,~w'\\h its small oblong ovate light-green leaves, are common 

in the thickets of chaparral in southern Oregon. Blue brush or 

California lilac .(Ceanothus thyrsiflorus), with its tiny leaves and 

blue to white lilac-like flowers, which are good for cattle, soon appears 

in increasing numbers. By the roadside in June plants of the socalled Oregon grape or Mahonia (Berberis aguifolium), the State 

flower of Oregon, are full of bluish berries.

At milepost 497 the railroad crosses Grave Creek close to a placer 

mine, where water-supply pipes for hydraulicking and the gravel 

dumps left from former operations can be seen. Beyond Grave 

Creek is a broad belt of slates, probably for the most part Mesozoic. 

The name Grave Creek is suggestive of the old rough days of gulch 

mining, and the gravels along the creek did in fact yield considerable 

gold to the early placer miners. The metal in the placers is thought 

to have been derived by erosion from the Greenback lode, on the 

divide north of the creek. This lode was worked years ago, but the 

mine is now idle.
48 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Leland.

Elevation 1,218 feet. 

Population 239.* 

Seattle 463 miles.

From Leland station there is a good view not only of the slates 

near by but also of the hilly country. Here the manzanita, 1 which 

is abundant farther south, makes its first appearance. 

The railroad ascends Dog Creek to tunnel No. 9, which 

is at an elevation of 1,700 feet, is 2,205 feet long, and 

runs 300 feet below the summit. The tunnel is cut 

in black slates of Mesozoic age. On the right (west) 

as the train emerges is Tunnel Creek, down which it continues for 

about a mile and then, turning sharply to the left, enters an area 

of rock different from any yet seen along the route. Most people, 

including quarrymen, would call this rock granite, and such for all 

practical purposes it is. When fresh it has the characteristic gray 

speckled appearance of granite.2

Hugo lies in the area of granodiorite, which is of irregular outline

and extends southward for 15 miles, to the vicinity of Applegate

River, beyond the town of Grants Pass. The rock

Hugo- at the surface is generally decomposed and crumbling,

Elevation 1,316 feet. an(j is consequently more easily eroded than the

Seattle 469 miles. iji-j, j xi' , j

harder slates and greenstones, and the country underlain by it is less rugged than that north of Hugo.

From Merlin a stage line runs to Rogue River, about 4 miles to 

the west, and down that stream to the Galice mining 

district. In the country beyond Merlin, on the left 

(northeast), an attempt is being made to establish 

orchards of apples, peaches, grapes, and other fruits 

without irrigation. 

A' low divide is crossed between Merlin and the town of Grants 

Pass, on Rogue River. Along the railroad may be seen cuts and

Merlin.

Elevation 932 feet. 

Population 787.* 

Seattle 474 miles.

1 This shrub (Arctostaphylos patula), 

growing from 3 to 5 feet high in Oregon 

but much taller in parts of California, is 

sure to attract the attention of one who 

has never seen it before. It has a smooth 

bark of rich chocolate color, small palegreen roundish leaves, and berries that 

resemble diminutive apples. It is this 

resemblance that gives the shrub its 

common name, Spanish for little apple, 

by which it is everywhere known on the 

Pacific coast. Bears are very fond of 

these berries. The manzanita covers 

many hills in California with a stiff and 

almost impenetrable growth, as will be 

seen near Mount Shasta. Its wood is 

hard, and the blaze from an old gnarled 

root cheers many a western fireside.

2 The geologist, who can with the microscope distinguish all the various minerals 

that compose rocks, has found that this 

rock is not strictly a granite but is intermediate in composition between true 

granite and a similar but darker rock 

containing less silica (quartz), known as 

diorite, so he would call it granodiorite. 

Like granite, granodiorite is an intrusive 

igneous rock. It was forced in molten 

condition, probably about the close of 

Jurassic time, into the slates and greenstones that now surround it, and then it 

slowly crystallized and solidified under a 

thick cover of rock that has since been 

worn away by erosion. Granodiorite is 

abundant in the Sierra Nevada and the 

Cascade Range.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

HYDRAULIC PLACER MINING IN GRANTS P
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE XV

A. TABLE ROCK, AT ENTRANCE TO ROGUE RIVER VALLEY, OREG. 

A lava flow from the Cascade Range caps the softer beds and protects them from erosion.

B. OREGON CAVES, SOUTHWEST OF GRANTS PASS, OREG.

Stalactites, like icicles, hang from the roof of the cave; stalagmites point upward from the floor. When they 

meet they form a column. These forms are composed of carbonate of lime deposited from solution in water.

Photograph copyrighted by Weister Co., Portland.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN. FRANCISCO. 49

quarries in the deeply disintegrated granodiorite, which is~ used by 

the railroad as a substitute for gravel about its stations.

Grants Pass, named after Gen. U. S. Grant, who as a captain quelled 

an Indian uprising on Rogue River in the early fifties, is the seat of 

Josephine County and the mining center of southGrants Pass, western Oregon. From 1903 to 1912 the placer 

Elevation963 feet. mines of this part of the State (PI. XIV) produced' 

SSSS: $2,014,715 in gold, and the vein or lode mines 

$1,523,226. A stage line runs from Grants Pass 

through Kerby and Waldo to the coast at Crescent City, and a railroad 

to the same place is now under construction.

Grants Pass is the point of departure for a visit to the Oregon 

Caves, the largest caves known on the Pacific coast. The caves are 

about 25 miles nearly south of Grants Pass and may be reached by. 

automobile and trail. They have been formed by the solution of 

limestone and are ornamented by a great variety of beautiful stalactites and stalagmites (PI. XV, B] composed,of carbonate of lime 

deposited by water. These caves have been set apart by the Federal 

Government for preservation as a national monument.

Two miles beyond Grants Pass, at the eastern edge of the granodiorite area, is obtained the first near view of Rogue River, the largest 

stream of southwestern Oregon. Its water, derived in part from the 

snows about Crater Lake, is usually clear. The railroad for 20 miles 

upstream follows its valley, which is in places a canyon, but is generally wide enough to contain some tillable bottom land: The rocks 

through which this narrow valley has been cut are Paleozoic in age 

much older than any rocks that have hitherto been seen along the 

route. They comprise slates, limestones, and greenstones and, like: 

the Dothan and Galice formations, already noted, have been so 

folded and faulted that the Paleozoic rocks are thrust over upon the' 

much younger Galice formation. These Paleozoic rocks resist erosion 

better than the granodiorite, and therefore the valley cut through 

them by Rogue River remains narrow.

=At 3'£ miles east of Grants Pass, on the left (north), behind a little 

hill of granodiorite on Bloody Run Creek, is the Golden Drift r placer 

mine, now idle. About 5 miles farther north is" another small 

intrusive mass of granodiorite, about which are some small mines on 

gold-bearing quartz veins.

From milepost 469.4 up the river the Savage Rapids are in view. 

Old Baldy and Fielder Mountain, peaks of greenstone, s,tand out 

prominently on the left (north) from the point where the railroad 

crosses the line between Josephine and Jackson counties (milepost 

469.1).

96286° Bull. 614 15 4
50 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

At Rogue River (formerly called Woodville) are fields of corn and

wheat and- young orchards. Nearly opposite milepost

Rogue River. 462j on fae rignt (south) side of the river, is the mouth

Elevation 1,025 feet. Of ]?00ts Creek, whose gravels have for years been

Seattle 492 miles. i T P i i

worked lor gold.

At milepost-458, in the outskirts of Gold Hill, there are a limestone quarry and a cement plant. The limestone is a lenslike mass

in a belt of slate more than a mile wide, which may 

Gold Hill. be traced to the southwest for a long distance and 

Elevation i.ios feet, contains numerous similar lenses of limestone. Foss^3 are rare m ^ms limes k°ne> but those found suggest 

Carboniferous age. Other limestone lenses, farther 

west in the area of Paleozoic rocks and not exposed on the railroad, 

contain fossils of Devonian age. Therefore the Paleozoic rocks of 

this region are in part Devonian and perhaps in part Carboniferous.

Rogue River is crossed just beyond Gold Hill, and the river bed 

affords a near view of some of the greenstone, which at this place is 

clearly made up of fragments of volcanic rock. The greenstones 

associated with the slates and limestones are in fact old lavas, partly 

poured out molten and partly blown out in fragments from volcanoes 

that were active in Paleozoic time. These lavas, originally black or 

gray, have become greenish through the slow changes of age. As 

will be seen later, these Paleozoic slates, limestones, and greenstones 

make up much of the Klamath Mountains.

After crossing the river the railroad turns northward opposite the 

hill from which the town of Gold Hill was named. This hill, which 

is 2,640 feet above sea level, consists of greenstone and serpentine, 

into which has been intruded some granodiorite that now forms the 

hilltop. Small "pockets" of rich gold ore were found here in early 

days.

Between mileposts 454 and 453 there is much of a coarse-grained 

dark rock composed chiefly- of the mineral pyroxene (an ironmagnesium silicate) and called pyroxenite. This is an igneous 

intrusive rock and was probably very closely related to the rock that 

in the course of time changed into the serpentine of Gold Hill.

Northeast of Gold Hill, just across the river from the railroad, is 

Table Rock (PL XV, A), named from the flat black capping of basalt, 

which is part of a flow of lava that long before historic tunes spread 

over this region from some volcano in the Cascade Range. The lava 

flowed over comparatively soft beds of shale, sandstone, and conglomerate of Cretaceous and Tertiary age. Afterward erosion cut 

through the lava in places and attacked the softer rocks underneath, 

but Table Rock, with its protective capping, remains and shows how 

much has been washed away around it.

Beyond Table Rock the country opens out into that part of the 

valley to which the name Rogue River valley is especially applied.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 51

The valley lies between the Klamath Mountains on the west and the 

Cascade Range on the east. The highest point in view in the Cascade 

Range is Mount McLoughlin (9,760 feet), named after Dr. John 

McLoughlin, of the Hudson's Bay Co. The mountains are composed 

of relatively hard rocks, but the granodiorite and the Cretaceous and 

Tertiary sedimentary rocks that underlie the fertile fields of the valley 

are comparatively soft. This difference in hardness has enabled the 

river and its tributaries to carve out a wide, flat-bottomed valley. 

The sedimentary rocks.of the valley lie in beds sloping eastward under 

the lavas of the Cascade Range, but they overlie the older rocks of the 

Klamath Mountains, including the granodiorite, and once extended 

much farther west. It will be noticed from the cross section (fig. 9) 

that the Cretaceous beds dip at a different angle from the slates of 

the Klamath Mountains and that, if they were restored to the west, 

they would lie across the upturned edges of the slates. This relation 

is known to geologists as an Klamath Foothills of

Unconformity. Mts Rogue Riyer Val|ey Cascade Range

The train turns up the southeast arm of the valley, drained 

by Bear Creek, which joins

-p -p. * FIGURE 9. Section of Rogue River valley near Phoenix,

IxOgUe JtilVer near lable rvOCK, Qreg. a, Slates, limestones, and lavas of Paleozoic

and passes through Tolo (ele- (Carboniferous?) age; 6, granodiorite; c, Cretaceous

. * ., conglomerate, sandstone, and shale (Chico formation);

VatlOn 1,190 leet, 452 miles <jj sandstones and shales containing Eocene leaves; e,

from San Francisco) and Cen- lava of cascade Range, 

tral Point (elevation 1,290 feet, 446.7 miles from San Francisco), where 

the traveler may see fine fruit orchards (PI. XVI) and grain fields, 

before arriving at Medford.

Medford, the chief town of the Rogue River valley, is rapidly growing in consequence of its relation to the fruit industry of the valley, 

the mining region of the Klamath Mountains on the 

Medford. west, and the forests and resorts of the Casca4e Range 

Elevation 1,398 feet, on the east. From Medford the traveler may continue 

LTttiesTrmiies on tne maul lme °r make a detour, partly by automobile stage, through Crater Lake National Park, returning to the main line at Weed, Cal. The beautiful scenery of this side 

trip will amply repay anyone for the additional time it requires. To 

those interested in geology or in the ways by which, mountains and 

valleys have come to their present forms the Crater Lake route will 

prove exceptionally interesting.

From Medford a short branch line (the Rogue River Valley Railroad) runs west to Jacksonville, and from Crater Lake Junction, a 

mile north of Medford, the Pacific & Eastern Railroad extends for 33 

miles toward Crater Lake.

[The itinerary southward from Medford is continued on p. 56.]
52 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 

MEDFORD TO WEED VIA CRATER LAKE.

The distance from Medford to Crater Lake by automobile stage is 

79 miles. The first 20 miles lies through orchards, mainly of apples 

and pears, over gravel plains spread out by the streams as they issue 

from the mountains, and through foothills where the sandstones and 

shales (Eocene to Miocene) of the valley dip eastward under the lava 

flows of the Cascade Range.

At 31 miles from Medford the road crosses Rogue River, and thence 

for 16 miles, to the mouth of Moll Creek, it follows .the north bank of 

the river through a deep canyon. From the roadway may be had 

good views both of the canyon and the uplands bordering the wider 

valley to the west. '

Near Prospect (elevation 2,780 feet) Rogue River is again crossed 

at the head of its canyon. Here the river in a quarter of a mile falls 

325 feet in a series of cascades, at the foot of which Mill Creek, in a 

fall of great beauty, 150 feet in height, joins Rogue River. Near 

Prospect the primeval forest begins, and for miles the smooth road 

built on terraces of lava affords fine forest views.

At Union Creek, 58 miles from Medford (elevation about 3,500 feet), 

there is a delightful camping place near Natural Bridge and Union 

Falls, The Union Falls are really cascades over some black lava 

(basalt), and there are similar cascades at Natural Bridge, a little 

farther downstream. These cascades came into existence in the 

following way. In late geologic time (Quaternary) a lava flow came 

down the bed of Rogue River with scant regard for previous water 

rights. When the lava had reached a point about a quarter of a mile 

below Natural Bridge it cooled and stiffened sufficiently to stop. 

The basalt still shows the ropy forms in which it congealed and the 

bubble cavities or vesicles formed by the steam that nearly all lava 

contains. Shortly afterward a second stream of lava came down on 

top of the first but did not run quite so far. The river now reoccupied 

its bed as well as it could and at first cascaded over the ends of the 

lava flows. In course of time it wore back gorges, 60 feet deep, in 

the basalt, and it is still busy at. the same task. At Natural Bridge 

the stream has discovered and doubtless enlarged an old tunnel such 

as is often formed in lava streams by the continued flowing of the 

deeper molten material after a solid crust has formed above it.

Ten miles beyond Union Falls is the entrance to Crater Lake National 

Park. The lake is deeply set in the crest of the Cascade Range, the 

surface of the water being at an altitude of 6,177 feet. It is encircled 

by a cliff from 500 to nearly 2,000'feet high. From the top of this 

cliff the ground slopes away gently on all sides, so that the lake partly 

fills a great cup or pit in the summit of a broad conical mountain. 

This comparatively low mountain is all that remains of a once mighty 

volcano, Mount Mazama (PI. XVII, A). In all probability no human
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

PEAR AND APPLE ORCHARDS IN ROGUE RIVE
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE XVII

A. MOUNT MAZAMA RESTORED.

As it appeared before it collapsed to make the great pit now half filled by Crater Lake, which is nearly 2,000

feet deep.

B. WIZARD ISLAND, CRATER LAKE, OREG.

A small volcano (cinder cone) that has grown up in the great pit formed by the collapse of Mount Mazama. 

Across the lake is Llao Rock, formed by a lava flow from Mount Mazama that now fills a little valley in the 

rim of the crater.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO.. 53

eye ever looked upon this peak, but geologists know that it existed 

and that glaciers crept down its flanks and gouged out its canyons. 

Through some cause unknown this mountain collapsed its top fell 

in, leaving the hole now occupied in part by the lake, 2,000 feet deep.

Wizard Island (PI. XVII, B} is a small volcanic cone built up from 

the bottom of the pit and now probably extinct. From it may be 

had superb views of the cliffs that surround the lake. The sky line 

of these cliffs shows U-shaped notches (PI. XVIII, p. 54), which are 

sections of the glaciated valleys that formerly headed high up on 

Mount Mazama.

From Crater Lake Lodge, situated on the rim 1,000 feet above the 

lake, excursions may be made to many places of interest, especially 

the glaciated valleys of Sun and Sand creeks, the great pumicer 

covered flow of Llao Rock, and the latest lava flow of all. at Rugged '___ / OO

Crest. A trip by boat to Wizard Island and around the lake gives 

the visitor an opportunity to fish and to see the materials of which 

the great volcanic cone was built and the way in which these have 

been piled up in successive layers.

From the lake to Chiloquin, a station on the Southern Pacific Co. ;s 

new line from Weed, Cal., via Klamath Falls, the distance is 35 miles. 

This new line is intended when complete to be the main line between 

Weed and Eugene, Oreg. From the lake to Klamath Falls by the 

automobile road the distance is 65 miles. From the point where the 

road leaves Crater Lake the view over the broad platform of the Cascade Range (PL XIX, p. 55) includes the great cones, of Shasta and 

Pitt, with many others, large and small, each once an active volcano.

The descent from the rim of Crater Lake is at first very steep over 

a moraine (the bowldery deposit left in front of a glacier) to the great 

spring at the head of Anna Creek. The road affords fine views of the 

canyon of Anna Creek, cut deep in volcanic ejecta. Near its head the 

rocks have been eroded into cigar-shaped pinnacles and farther down 

systems of parallel cracks in the rocks (jointing) give striking columnar 

effects. On the east, across Anna Canyon, stands Crater Peak (7,265 

feet), one of the outlying basalt cones built up on top of the flows of 

andesite that made the bulk of Mount Mazama. After flowing 

through some finely forested, gently sloping country Anna Creek 

enters upon the broad alluvial plain of upper Klamath Lake.

Fort Klamath, on the western border of the Klamath Indian Reservation, is now only a small'village but was an active Army post at the 

time when military force was necessary to keep the Indians in order. 

Several of the old fort buildings are still standing. Here it was that 

the notorious chief known as Captain Jack was tried and hanged for 

the part he played in the Modoc war, the scene of which was among 

the lava beds about 60 miles southeast of Fort Klamath. The Klamath Indian Reservation contains much fine pasture and farm land, 

as well as forest, and many of the Indians are engaged in agriculture.
54 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

A few miles from the fort are the well-kept buildings of the Klamath 

Indian Agency.

Wood River, the clear, cold stream that supplies the fort and 

agency with water, rises on a fault whose course is marked by a prominent bluff leading up toward' Crater Lake. The water of the river 

may possibly be derived in part from the lake by underground flow 

along the fault fissure.

Five miles beyond the agency is Chiloquin, a small village on Williamson River. The water of Williamson River, though clear, has 

the brown color characteristic of streams that drain swamps. This 

river is noted for its trout, but the Sprague, into which it empties 

half a mile below Chiloquin, is turbid and contributes to the muddiness of upper Klamath Lake.

At the crossing of Sprague River an excavation for a ditch reveals 

bright-colored lake beds, which evidently underlie the soil of the 

plain. Modoc Point, on the northeast side of Upper Klamath Lake? 

is part of a bold bluff of dark lava (basalt) lapped by the waters of the 

lake. The bluff marks the course of a northwesterly crack along 

which the rocks on the southwest side have sunk or those on the northeast side have risen in other words, the lavas are faulted. The 

bluff is part of the southwest edge of a block of the earth's crust that 

has been tilted toward the northeast. The effect of the fault has 

been to form the hollow, deepest on the northeast and shoaling to the 

southwest, in which the lake lies. There are other faults of the same 

kind and general direction in southeastern Oregon, and a number of 

these have produced lake basins.

From Modoc Point Mount Pitt (9,760 feet) may be seen by looking 

west across Pelican Bay. To the south, across the main lake, 

appears the snowy peak of Shasta (14,350 feet).

The Plum Hills, near Algoma station, have been carved by erosion 

from an uptilted fault block such as has just been described. The fault 

fissure runs along the west base of the hills. Dipping east under the 

lava which forms the upper part of the hills are some fine, thin-layered 

beds which were deposited in a lake that existed before the lava was 

erupted.

Klamath Falls (elevation 4,120 feet), at the outlet of Upper 

Klamath Lake, is a thriving town, to whose growth the new through 

line of the Southern Pacific, now under construction, and the great 

Klamath reclamation project of the Government have given added 

impetus. The Klamath Basin, which lies partly in California and 

partly in Oregon, embraces several thousand acres. Much of the 

land to be reclaimed and irrigated was covered by lakes and marshes, 

but the waters are being drained off and the land, divided into farms, 

is being irrigated by the Government canals. About 30,000 acres are 

now under irrigation, and when the system is completed it will 

include 72,000 acres of irrigable land. Practically all the uplands,
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

SOUTHEAST RIM OF CRATER LAKE, OREG., 

Shows U-shaped valleys cut by the glaciers of Mount Mazama. 
SUMMIT OF THE CASCADE RAN

Looking south from the rim of Crater Lake, Oreg. The summit of the range is a plateau studded with volcanic con

Photograph by Kiser Photograph C
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 55

which comprise the greater part of the area, are privately owned, a 

portion being in large holdings which, under the terms of the reclamation act, must be subdivided into tracts of not more than 160 

acres and sold to actual settlers. The public lands, including much 

of the lake areas, are at present withdrawn from entry but will later 

be opened to homestead entry.

Beyond Klamath Falls the railroad crosses a great area of tule 

(too'lay, the Spanish name for a species of rush (Scirpus lacustris) 

common on the swamp lands of the Pacific coast). The reclamation 

of this area is part of the Government project. On the right is 

Klamath River, and beyond is the gap in the Cascade Range through 

which the river makes its way. A flow of comparatively recent lava 

in the gap has formed a dam which by ponding back the river has 

contributed to the formation of the lakes and swamps of the country 

now being traversed.

At Midland, among the marshes, the traveler enters a national bird 

reserve, where ducks, geese, and many other waterfowl are abundant 

and are secure from molestation. Near Worden, which lies among 

low lava hills, apple orchards and fields of grain appear as if by magic, 

surrounded by sagebrush and cedars.

By several tunnels through ridges composed of bright-colored beds 

of tuff (lava particles thrown out by the explosive action of volcanoes) 

Dorris (elevation 4,238 feet) is reached. Beyond it are other small 

towns surrounded by hay and grain fields. The hills become better 

wooded as the Cascade Range is approached. The eastern front of the 

range, as seen from Macdoel (elevation 4,256 feet) and Mount Hebron 

(4,237 feet), is so abrupt as to suggest that this part of the range may 

have been uplifted above the country to the east by a fault. The 

region about Mount Hebron is a fine cattle country. Forests become 

more conspicuous at Jerome, where the railroad crosses a low divide 

between the drainage basins of Butte Creek and Little Shasta River.

At Kegg there is some well-stratified dark volcanic material that 

is widely used for railroad ballast. This material, somewhat resembling cinders, was blown out from some volcano. Such fragments of cindery lava are known as lapilli (little stones). The rich 

green pastures of the small valleys of this part of the route are bright 

with flowers and dotted with contented cattle. They are surrounded 

by dark forests of yellow pine (P.inus ponderosa), which is now being 

extensively cut for lumber.

From Bray (elevation 4,648 feet) may be seen Goose Nest Mountain (see sheet 8, p. 64), on the right (west), directly across the 

valley. Another low divide (5,078 feet) is crossed, and Grass Lake, 

surrounded by swampy pastures of green and yellow grass, comes 

into view. This country drains westward through Little Shasta 

River to Shasta Valley. From Pineland the road descends toward
56 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Mount Shasta, with the rugged cliffs of Sheep Rock on the right. 

These cliffs are composed of dark lavas and tuffs, which dip east.

Mount Shasta continues in sight for many miles. The most impressive view is obtained from the station called Mount Shasta. The 

mountain has two summits. The higher one, on the left (14,380 

feet), is that of Mount Shasta proper; the lower one (12,433 feet) is 

Shastina. Whitney Glacier lies between the two peaks and is over 

2 miles long. A prominent gray pile of bowlders and gravel, clearly 

in view at the lower end of the glacier, is its terminal moraine. 

Mount Shasta above a level of 4,000 feet is composed of lava, chiefly 

a kind containing less silica and generally lighter in color than basalt, 

known as andesite. There are a few basalt cones about the base of 

the mountain. Near milepost 364 are some light-gray hills known 

as the Haystacks, composed of sedimentary and intrusive rocks like 

those of the Klamath Mountains and forming, as it were, an island in 

the sea of lava.

About 5 miles beyond the Haystacks, on the right, is a steep little 

valley formed by a caved-in lava tunnel. When the supply of lava 

is cut off at the close of an eruption the molten interior of a flow 

continues to move down hill under its hardened crust, leaving tunnellike caves which may be a mile or more long.

Beyond this valley is a gravel deposit made by Whitney Creek, 

which is fed by Whitney Glacier. The creek has cut a deep canyon 

for several miles below the glacier, but before it reaches the point 

where the railroad crosses it the stream becomes overloaded with 

gravel and has to drop part of its load. In summer the creek disappears in the porous gravel deposit.

The flows of lava that once poured down the sides of Mount Shasta 

end in bluffs around which the railroad swings to Weed.

MAIN LINE FROM MEDFORD SOUTHWARD.

Southeast of Medford the valley narrows, and at Talent low foothills of Cretaceous rocks are close to the railroad. The gravels formerly

worked in the placer mines seen along here on the 

Phoenix. right (southwest) are for the most part of .Quaternary 

Elevation 1,066 feet. age. Some gold, however, has been obtained from 

seTtue siTm^ies. a Cretaceous conglomerate whose pebbles were derived

directly from the still older rocks on which the conglomerate rests. The best known of these placers are those of the 

Forty-nine group, near Phoenix, which have yielded not only much

gold but also a number of Cretaceous fossils. The 

Talent- older rocks on which the Cretaceous conglomerate 

population sea.* rests are possibly Paleozoic. Farther south, in the

Ssflrttls 521 miles

neighborhood of Ashland, these rocks are succeeded 

along the railroad by a granular igneous rock (quartz diorite) resembling granite.
SHASTA EOUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FEANCISCO. 57

Ashland.

Elevation 1,890 feet. 

Population 5,020. 

Seattle 527 miles.

By looking ahead from a point near Ashland the traveler may see 

a bold rock, Pilot Knob, in the Siskiyou Mountains (a part of the 

Klamath Mountains). In early days this knob, which stands more 

than 6,000 feet above the sea, guided immigrants to the pass to California now utilized by the railroad.

Ashland, which passengers generally remember as the fresh-fruit 

station, is the center of a great peach country and took the prize for 

peaches at the Chicago Exposition. Pears also are 

being increasingly grown in this region. Orchards 

are being rapidly extended southward and westward 

over the lower slopes of the mountains facing the 

morning sun. Behind them rise the forested spurs 

of the Siskiyou Mountains, culminating in Siskiyou Peak (7,662 feet) 

and Sterling Peak (7,377 feet), which carry snow as late as July.

Near Ashland the crumbling quartz diorite is well exposed, together 

with sandstones and shales of Cretaceous age. To the northeast rises 

Grizzly Peak (6,000 feet), a pile of lava flows, under which, as "may 

be seen on the gentle slopes near Bear Creek, are sedimentary rocks 

that contain some beds of coal and -fossil plants, probably of Eocene 

age. The Eocene plants of the Cascade Range are described below 

by F. H. Knowlton.1

On leaving Ashland the tram begins to climb the Siskiyou Mountains, which form the divide between the Rogue and Klamath river 

basins. The pass is 2,235 feet above Ashland and the ascent is made 

by a 3.3 per cent grade that is, at the rate of 174.2 feet to the 

mile. This average grade is maintained for nearly 30 miles. Shales, 

sandstones, and conglomerates of Cretaceous age are exposed along 

the railroad for more than 10 miles beyond Ashland, except a short

1 In the vicinity of Ashland and Medford, there has been found a fossil flora 

which is not only totally different from that 

of Jurassic time but is also different from 

the living flora of Oregon. That this flora 

is very unlike the Jurassic flora is not surprising in view of its much later age 

(probably upper Eocene, Tertiary), which 

makes it many millions of years younger 

in fact, a thing of yesterday as geologic 

time is measured.

The Ashland fossil flora is a small one, 

comprising only about 15 forms belonging 

to perhaps 10 types. Among them is a 

small fern with delicate, deeply cut 

fronds. There is also a Sequoia of the 

same type as the famous redwood of the 

Coast Range and probably a direct ancestor of it, together with a pine of the wellknown white pine type, with its leaves

in clusters of five. Among the dicotyledons or deciduous trees there is a wellmarked species of alder, a chestnut with 

the usual sharply toothed leaves, at least 

four kinds of oak, an elm, a epice bush 

(Benzoin), and a leaf that is doubtfully 

regarded as belonging to a fig.

A flora which is of the same type and 

hence presumably of about the earne age 

as this one is found in the rocks of northern California, especially about the big 

bend of Pit River and on* Little Cow 

Creek east of Redding. These floras are 

evidently closely related to the plants 

that lived during the period when certain 

of the gold-bearing gravels of the Sierra 

Nevada in California were being deposited. The geologic age of these gravels 

has been determined in part by the aid 

of the fossil plants.
58 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

distance beyond milepost 442, where some of the underlying older 

(Paleozoic) rocks appear. The Cretaceous rocks continue beyond the 

first great curve in the railroad line to a point near milepost 416, 

where an intrusive mass of granodiorite appears and continues to 

Siskiyou, the summit station. Beyond the second great curve, at 

milepost 415, there are good views of the valley left behind and of the 

Cascade Range.

At Siskiyou station the Pacific Highway, which crosses the summit 

farther east, near Pilot Knob, is near by on the left. Here on September 29, 1841, the Wilkes exploring party crossed 

Siskiyou. ^ mountain, which was then the boundary between 

Elevation 4,113 feet, the United States and Mexico. Pilot Knob was 

named Emmons Peak by Wilkes, after the officer in 

charge of the party. At Siskiyou the railroad enters a tunnel 3,108 

feet long, which passes about 500 feet below the summit. The rock 

near by is quartz diorite, and this is succeeded by a darker igneous 

rock (andesite) through which the tunnel has been driven and which, 

as will be seen farther south, is erupted through sediments of Cretaceous age. Soon after emerging from the tunnel into the -drainage 

basin of Klamath River the traveler obtains his first view of Mount 

Shasta, one of the finest and most imposing of the snow-capped 

peaks of the Pacific coast. At milepost 410 Pilot Knob appears on 

the left (east).

At Colestin, about a mile beyond the end of the tunnel, a modest

hostelry has been built near a good spring of effervescent chalybeate

water. With its mountain surroundings, a delightful

o es m, reg. summer climate, and good hunting, this place is likely

Sattts^S66*' to be more frequented as its attractions become

known.

In the descent from Colestin to Hilt (Cole) and thence to Hornbrook the tram passes almost continuous exposures of Cretaceous 

sedimentary beds cut at many places by intruded igneous rocks. 

Some at least of these igneous rocks are tilted and faulted as much 

as the sedimentary rocks and consequently may be older than most 

of the lavas of the Cascade Range, which, as a rule, lie in nearly horizontal attitudes.

Before reaching Cole station, at 403.2 miles from San Francisco, the

railroad crosses the line between Oregon and California.

California, known as the Golden State, is next to the largest State 

in the Union. It is 780 miles in length and about 250 miles in average 

width and has a total area of 156,092 square miles, 

California. being nearly equal in size to New England, New York, 

and Pennsylvania combined. The population of California in 1910 was 2,377,549, or about one-tenth that of the Eastern 

States named. The area covered by public-land surveys is 123,910
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 59

square miles, or nearly 80 per cent of the State, and 21 per cent of the 

State was unappropriated and unreserved July 1, 1914.

Along the State's 1,000 miles of bold coast line there are comparatively few indentations. The bays of San Diego and San Francisco 

are excellent harbors, but they are exceptional.

The climate of California varies greatly from place to place. Along 

the coast in northern California it is moist and equable. Around Sari 

Francisco Bay a moderate rainfall is confined almost wholly to the 

winter, and the range in temperature is comparatively small. In 

parts of southern California typical desert conditions prevail. The 

great interior valley is characterized by moderate to scant winter rainfall and hot, dry summers. Snow rarely falls except in the high mountains, where as, for example, in the Sierra Nevada so much of it 

may accumulate as to interfere with railway traffic.

Forests cover 22 per cent of the area of the State and have been estimated to contain 200,000 million feet of timber. They are notable for 

the large size of their trees, especially for the huge dimensions attained 

by two species of redwood Sequoia washingtoniana (or gigantea), the 

well-known "big tree" of the Sierra Nevada, and Sequoia sempervirens, the "big tree" of the Coast Range. Some of these giant trees 

fortunately have been preserved by the Government or through 

private generosity against the attacks of the lumberman. The 21 

national forests in California have a total net area of 40,600 square 

miles, or about one-fourth of the State's area. The national parks in 

the State are Yosemite (1,124 square miles). Sequoia (252 square 

miles), and General Grant (4 square miles). The national monuments 

in the State are the Cabrillo, Cinder Cone, Devil Postpile, Lassen 

Peak, Muir Woods, and Pinnacles, and there are bird reserves at 

Klamath Lake, East Park, Farallon, and Clear Lake.

Agriculture is a large industry in California, and with the introduction of more intensive cultivation its importance is increasing rapidly. 

In the variety and value of its fruit crops California has no rival in the 

 United States, if indeed in the world. Its products range from pineapples and other semitropical fruits in the south to pears, peaches, and 

plums in the north, but it is to oranges and other citrus fruits and to 

wine grapes that California owes its agricultural supremacy.

During the season from November 1, 1913, to October 31, 1914, 

California produced 48,548 carloads of citrus fruit, 42,473,000 gallons 

of wine, and 12,450 tons of walnuts and almonds.

Of its mineral products, petroleum ranks first in total value and 

gold next. California's output of petroleum in 1914 was valued at 

$48,466,096, about 25 per cent of the world's yield, and its output of 

gold in that year at about $21,000,000. In the production of both 

petroleum and gold California leads all other States in the Union.
60 GUIDEBOOK OP THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

' '

Klamathon.

Seattle 564 miles.

California was formerly a part of Mexico but in 1848 was ceded to 

the United States, and on September 7, 1850, was admitted to the 

Union as a State. Its history is full of stirring and romantic episodes 

and should not be neglected by the visitor desirous of understanding 

the spirit of the land.

The same Cretaceous conglomerate seen at Ashland continues

through the mountain and reappears near Hornbrook (see sheet 8, 

p. 64), where it has been washed to some extent for 

gold. Directly ahead from Hornbrook may be seen 

Black Mountain, whose summit is a mass of lava 

resting on Cretaceous strata that dip toward the east. 

A few miles south of Hornbrook, at Klamathon, the railroad crosses

Klamath River, which rises in the lake region east of the main ridge 

of the Cascade Range and is extensively utilized near 

its head for irrigation. Along the course of the Klamath through the Cascade and Coast ranges there are

numerous power sites, and at some of these about 5,130 horsepower

has already been developed. Klamath River has not the beautiful

clearness of the Rogue and the Umpqua.

Passing Thrall, Ager, and Snowdon in succession the railroad

climbs to a divide overlooking Shasta Valley and affording an excellent view of Mount Shasta. In making this ascent it 

passes over a series of shales, tuffs, and lavas of 

Miocene age in the order in which they were deposited. 

From Ager a stage line runs up Klamath River to

Klamath Hot Springs, formerly known as Shovel Creek Springs, a

resort noted for its fishing and mud baths.1 

From Montague a short branch line runs to Yreka, near which in

early days a number of placer mines and later a number of lode 

mines were successfully worked for gold. A short

Montague. distance south of Montague, near Shasta River, a

Elevation 2,541 feet. sajt wej} was once operated but is now abandoned. 

The brine was obtained from the Cretaceous sandstone which underlies much of Shasta Valley.

Ager.

Elevation 2,335 feet. 

Seattle 570 miles.

1 The trip through the canyon affords a 

cross section of the greater portion of the 

Cascade Range, but, as in the Columbia 

River section, only lavas are to be seen. 

A small volcano which at some unknown 

date broke out in the canyon dammed the 

river with its lava. In the lake so formed 

there lived and died countless numbers 

of the microscopic plants known as diatoms little organisms possessing siliceous

shells, or more properly skeletal parts, 

that fit together much like a pill box and 

its cover. The white or very light earth 

that may be seen along the stage road is 

composed almost entirely of these delicate 

siliceous skeletons, which when examined 

with a strong microscope are found to be 

of marvelous delicacy and beauty. This 

material, diatomaceous or infusorial earth, 

is used as a polishing or scouring agent.
Bl

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SHASTA ROUTE

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. E. Marshal], Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.

OREGON - CALIFORNIA

Scale 500,000 

Approximately 8 mifes to 1 inch

20M,les 

30Ki1ometet~!

Contour interval 200 feet

The distances from Seattle, Washington, are shown every 10 miles 

The orossties on the railroads are spaced 1 rr.ile apart

A Stream deposit

B Lava flows of th 

some basalt 

eanic mater

D Sandstones and shales 

(Miocene-Eocene)

F Conglomerates, 

tion, Upper C

G Intrusive igneous rocks 

granodiorite, and gree

I Sandstones and shales, with some chert (Dothan for-"] 

mation)

J Slates (Galice formation) containing fossils like those of 

the Mariposa slate of California OREGON, N BOUNDARY

K Slates and limestone (Devonian and Carboniferous)

L Lava flows and tuffs (Devonian and Carboniferous)

N Mica schist

CALIFORNIA I
v 

SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 61

Scattered over Shasta Valley are many small knolls of lava and 

tuff, which, appear to be, in part at least, the products of minor 

and local eruptions that broke through the Cretaceous beds, each 

vent contributing its little pile of material. Such feeble and diffuse 

volcanic activity is in marked contrast with the vigorous outbursts 

that built up the great cone of Shasta. On the right (west) as Gazelle 

is approached the traveler may trace along the hills the nearly horizontal line of the Yreka ditch, completed in 1856 to bring water to 

the rich placer mines near Yreka, but now used for irrigation near 

Gazelle.

Shasta Valley is devoted chiefly to stock raising, and about 700

carloads of cattle are shipped annually from Gazelle station. In

a valley on the right (west), half a mile beyond Gazelle,

Gazelle. is exposed some gray limestone containing fossil

Elevation 2,758 feet. snells Of Devonian age. This and other fossilSeattle 595 miles. ... .-, . « i !

bearing limestones in the region aitord evidence 

that strata of Paleozoic age lie under the Cretaceous rocks of Shasta 

Valley and form the mountains to the west. These strata are cut 

by many bodies of intrusive rock.

Crossing Shasta River the railroad leaves the dry plains and near 

Edgewood enters the wooded foothills northwest of 

Edgewood. Mount Shasta. These hills are apparently composed 

Elevation 2,953 feet, in large part of morainal material left by some vanisned glacier- The road ascends Boles Creek to

Weed, where the main line is joined by the branch 

that extends through Klamath Falls to Kirk, Oreg. 

Weed is within the forest belt of Mount Shasta. Here are large

sawmills which each day cut up about 125 carloads 

Weed- of logs, chiefly yellow and sugar pine, making 87,500 

Elevation 3,4«> feet. feet of mmber. Much of this is manufactured at

Weed into doors, window sashes, and box shooks 

(boards cut to size, ready to be nailed).

On the left near the summit is Sugar Loaf (PI. XX, A, p. 62), a 

remarkable conical peak of solid lava (andesite) without any fragmental material whatever in its make-up. The 

Summit. thick pasty lava of which it is composed bulged up 

Elevation 3,905 feet, directly over the volcanic vent without explosive

Seattle 611 miles. ' J , , ., . . r ,

eruption. The andesite of Sugar Loat is remarkable 

for its prominent black crystals of the mineral hornblende.

On the divide between Edgewood and Sisson is much loose stony 

material that consists largely of fragments of lava known to have 

come from the west slope of Mount Shasta. This deposit appears 

to be a moraine, left by a glacier that no longer exists. Its surface, 

like that of moraines in general, is hummocky and contains small 

basin-like hollows occupied by ponds or swamps. The western
62 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

extension of this moraine abuts against the foothills of the Klamath 

Mountains. The meadows seen on the right (west) on the way 

down to Sisson probably represent a lake whose waters were held 

against the natural dam of the moraine. In course of time the lake 

was silted up and became a meadow. The morainal material, which 

is well exposed at Up ton, is used for track ballast.

About 1J miles north of Sisson (338 miles from San Francisco) a 

large spring may be seen to the west of the railroad. This is sometimes referred to as the source of Sacramento River, but the real 

head of the Sacramento is in the mountains about 7 miles southwest 

of this spring.

Mount Shasta (PI. XXI) stands out majestically from Sisson and

may be ascended from this point. A good trail, about

Sisson. g miles in length, leads to Timberline camp, and from

Elevation3,594 feet. ^his camp the summit, 6,000 feet higher, may be

Seattle 619 miles. 1,1,1 , i,'o- ., reached and the return made to Sisson in a day. 

That temperature and moisture control the distribution of plants 

and animals-is well illustrated by the strong contrast between the

flora of Mount Sbasta 

and that of Shasta 

Valley. The summit 

of Shasta is bare of 

vegetation because of 

cold, and Shasta ValFIGUEE 10. Tree zones of Mount Shasta, Cal. a, Transition zone, Ie7> 10 milCS away, IS

yellow pine (Pinusponderosa), sugar pine (Pinuslambertiana), and treeleSS for lack of

many others; 6, Canadian zone, Shasta&t (Abiesshastensisy,c, Hud- , -p ,

sonian zone, white-barked pine (Pinus albicaulis); d, alpine zone, UlOlSLUre. .Between

fiwisea7uzno,extendinguptoll,300feet;e,zoneaboveplantgrowth. theS6 extremes lies the

The highest plants found are the Sierra alpine faeiba(Drdbabreweri) , * t K It f

and Polemonium pulchellum, which occur at 13,000 feet. great lOreSt Delt OI

Mount Shasta, the

trees of which are arranged in zones according to the requirements 

of each species for temperature and moisture. The tree zones as 

worked out by Dr. C. Hart Merriam are shown in simplified diagrammatic form in figure 10.

The extreme upper limit of plant growth is reached at an elevation 

of 13,000 feet. Among the animals that frequent the summit may 

be mentioned butterflies, hawks, and mice. Buck brush and manzanita make the undergrowth of the lumbered region, but the.trees 

appear to be gaining on the underbrush in the struggle for existence.

The glaciers of Mount Shasta are smaller than those of Mount 

Rainier, and the charming upland meadows of the northern mountain 

are entirely lacking here. The view from the summit, however, is 

unsurpassed by that from any cone in the Cascade Range. Although 

considered extinct, Mount Shasta still shows vestiges of volcanic 

activity. There is a sulphurous fumarole (an opening from which
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE XX

A. SUGAR LOAF, NEAR WEST BASE OF MOUNT SHASTA, CAL. 

A lava cone without cinders in its rnake-up or a crater on its summit. Photograph by Weister Co., Portland.

B. MOSS BRAE FALLS, NEAR SHASTA SPRINGS, CAL.
MOUNT SHASTA, FROM SISS

View afterthe first snowfall of autumn. Mount Shasta Is a double volcano, consisting of Shastina, on th
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 63

hot gases issue) on its summit and another on its northern slope. 

During one of the later eruptions of Shasta a stream of lava (andesite) 

poured down its southern slope, entered the channel of the Sacramento, and followed that stream for 50 miles.

Below Mott the railroad makes a sharp bend, and descends into 

the canyon of the Sacramento. For 75 miles this canyon traverses 

a spur of the Klamath Mountains that projects toward the Sierra 

Nevada. In the descent into the canyon there may be seen on* the 

right (north) a continuous section of more than 300 feet of lavas and 

tuffs. At milepost 328 the railroad doubles on itself again and 

crosses the Sacramento, the first of 17 crossings between Sisson and

- Redding. The older rocks (Paleozoic and Mesozoic) of the Klamath 

Mountains appear here, and those most noticeable along this part of

'the route are serpentine and some related coarse-grained dark eruptive rocks.

: The Shasta Springs yield a celebrated carbonated water containing

a large percentage of iron and magnesia, which is bottled for market.

The town and hotels are on a terrace 300 feet above the

Shasta Springs, springs, which issue near the contact of the horizontal

Elevation 2,538 feet; lavas with the underlying older rocks. Near the

Seattle 630.6 miles. . . o i >' P main spring is Oxone Spring, whose water is 01 an 

entirely different character and has a pungent odor.

A few hundred yards below Shasta Springs the train again crosses 

Sacramento River and passes the beautiful Moss Brae Falls (PI. XX, 

B] on the left. Summer resorts are numerous in this vicinity. A 

short distance below Shasta Springs the lava, which, as previously 

described, at one time took possession of the channel of the river, 

forms both sides of the canyon cut by the Sacramento since it was so 

rudely ejected. A good example of columnar jointing may be seen 

in this lava on the right (west) side of the track, as the train nears 

Dunsmuir.

Dunsmuir is chiefly a railroad town. Good hunting and fishing

are to be had near by, and in front of the station are two aquariums

in which may be seen the varieties of trout found in

Dunsmuir. ^he region. Three miles south of Dunsmuir, on LitEievation 2,284 feet, tie Castle Creek, is a chromite mine, which in 1913

Population 1,719. , , . J.T.TT-J.JOJ.J. j Seattle634 miles. was the only mine in the United States producing 

chromic iron ore. In 1914 there were several other 

but much smaller producers. At the crossing of Little Castle Creek, 

near milepost 319, the rugged pinnacles of Castle Rock appear on the 

right. Castle Crag, Castle Rock, and Castella are all neighboring 

summer resorts near the rugged peaks that suggested their names. 

At Castle Rock there are effervescent (carbonic acid) springs, the 

water from which is bottled near the mouth of Soda Creek. This 

place was a noted station on the old Oregon-California stage line.
X

64 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Soda Creek drains an area of Paleozoic slates and limestones east of 

Sacramento River.

From Castella a trail runs west across the Trinity Mountains to 

Cinnabar, where quicksilver ore has been found. Serpentine and

related dark igneous rocks (pyroxenite and gabbro) 

Castella. are fae prmcipal rocks along the railroad near CasEievation 1,904 feet, tella and in the mountains to the west. In places

these rocks have been rendered slaty by enormous 

pressure. The narrow mass of Shasta lava through which Sacramento River is cutting forms low benches at many places along the 

sides of the canyon. Between Castella and milepost 311, 2 miles 

north of Sims, the river has not yet worn clown into the older rocks, 

and consequently the lava appears in the bed of the stream.

Sims, near the mouth of Hazel Creek, which enters the Sacramento 

from the east, is frequented by trout fishermen, the upper Sacramento affording excellent sport with the fly. Some 

Sims> asbestos occurs in the serpentine west of the station. 

Elevation 1,679 feet. Near milepost 307 the railroad crosses Shotgun Creek,

Seattle «47 miles. i-ii -IP

on wmcli cnromite was mined a lew years ago.

The scenery along the Sacramento Canyon from Shasta Springs to 

Redding is varied and charming. In places the river is narrowly 

confined between steep slopes 2,000 feet in height. Elsewhere the 

valley opens and little farms are perched on the hillside benches. All 

the slopes are well wooded, for although lumbermen have come and 

gone the country is rapidly being reforested and daily grows more 

attractive. The clear rushing Sacramento, here foaming over bowlders, there flashing more quietly under the large leaves of the water 

saxifrage (PeMpJiyllum peltatwri), which grows in beautiful masses 

along the water's edge, is a stream to delight the heart of a fisherman. 

Along it may be seen the expert with the fly wielding his delicate 

tackle, in contrast with the Indian under his tentlike shelter, waiting, 

spear in hand, for the unsuspecting salmon. '

A mile below Gibson (see sheet 9, p. 70), at milepost 303, igneous 

rocks are succeeded by slates and sandstones (the Bragdon formation) 

of Carboniferous age. These continue with few interruptions for 

nearly 20 miles.

Good exposures of slate appear as Lamoine station is approached,

and terraces, remnants of the lava flow from Shasta,

Lamoine. mav j^ seen on k0th sides of the river. About 75,000

Elevation 1,300 feet, f eefc Of lumber, of which one- third is obtained from

Seattle 656 miles. ,. ' AT ,1-1 the adj acent ohasta JN ational I1 orest, is cut daily at 

Lamoine. About half of this lumber is manufactured locally into 

boxes.
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 8

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SHASTA ROUTE

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall. Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic 

Sheet of (hat name.

EXPLANATION

B Lava flows of the Cascade Range, chiefly andesite. 1 

including Sacramento River flow, with some basalt 

and rhyolite and beds of f ragmen tal volcanic material

* tuffs)'

D Sandstones and shales containing some coal: lava flows j 

and much tuff (Mibce"he-Eb'cerje"t"

F Conglomerates, sandstones, and shales containing fossils 

(Chico formation, Upper Cretaceous)

G Chiefly altered intrusive rocks (serpentine and gabbro) 

and some'altered lavas (greenstones)

1 Shale (Brock shale) and limestone (Hosselkus limestone) j 

underlain by thin-bedded sandstones, shales, and tuffs f 

(Pit formation) J

K Tuffs (Nosoni) and limestone (McCloud) of Pennsylva-1 

nian age. underlain by tuffs, sandstone, and shale | 

(Baird) of Mississippian age

L_ Thin-bedded sandstones, shales, and conglomerates, with 

pebbles containing Devonian fossils (Bragdori formation, of Mississippian age)

Tertiary

Cretaceous 

Jurassic (?)

Triassic 

Carboniferous

M 

N

Sandstones, slates, and limestones, in part at least 

Devonian

Mica schists with ancient lavas and intrusive igneous 

rocks

Mineral deposits: /Limestone

Devonian

Pre-Paleozoic (?) 

 Gold O Quicksilver AChromite xCoal

Ager Bogus

EL 2335 M t n \ 

HS,

Scale 500,00 

Approximately 8 miles to 1 inch

J-.9 .... ^ .... 'P .... 's

The distances from Seattle, Washington, are shown every 10 miles 

The crossties on the railroads are spaced J mile apart 3hasta5prs/

ft 2S33 / 0

CastleCrag j

EL 20SS " k.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAF FRANCISCO. 65

Delta.

Elevation 1,137 feet. 

Population 2,786. 

Seattle 659 miles.

Near Delta the Bragdon slates make rugged slopes and the forest 

growth becomes scanty. The light-colored digger pine (Pinus sabiniana), with its strangely thin foliage and unpinelike 

habit of branching, becomes prominent. Associated 

with it are live oaks, buckeyes, and shrubs characteristic of lower altitudes and drier climate than those 

of the country about Mount Shasta. From Delta 

stages run west over the mountain to Trinity Center and Carrville, 

where gold is won from both placer and lode mines.

Half a mile below Delta, on the right (southwest), is a bluff of slate 

overlain by 10 feet of gold-bearing gravel deposited by the river when 

its bed was about 70 feet higher than now. The gravel is covered by 

the lava from Mount Shasta, as illustrated in figure 11. Since the 

lava flowed down the canyon the river has cut not only through the 

lava and gravel but 60 feet into the slates.

FIGURE 11. Section of canyon of Sacramento River just below Delta, Cal. a, Terrace formed by remnant of lava stream that flowed down the canyon of the Sacramento from Mount Shasta to a point 10 

miles south of Delta; 6, ancient gravel bed of the Sacramento covered by the lava flow from Mount 

Shasta (gravel is auriferous); c, slates of Carboniferous age in which the canyon is cut; A, portion of 

the canyon (70 feet) cut by the river since the.lava flowed from Mount Shasta.

The old California-Oregon wagon road crosses the river and railroad 

at Antler (Smithson), and the Pacific Highway crosses about 2 miles 

farther south. Near milepost 287 the lava flow 

from Mount Shasta ends. Its entire length is about 

50 miles. Here the railroad crosses the river and 

goes through a tunnel. 

Between some of the beds of slate and sandstone, which are well exposed along this part of the route, are beds of lighter-colored gray conglomerate, generally less than 10 feet thick. Most of 

the pebbles are flinty, but many, of them consist of f ossiliferous limestone. These limestone pebbles, after 

long exposure to the weather, dissolve away, leaving 

holes that can be seen from the train. The coarsest conglomerates of 

the Bragdon formation, to which all these rocks belong, occur near 

Elmore, where the limestone pebbles contain Devonian fossils. The 

occurrence of these pebbles shows that the Devonian rocks (Kennett

96286° Bull. 614 15 5

Antler.

Elevation 974 feet. 

Seattle 665 miles.

Elmore.

Elevation 804 feet. 

Seattle 672 miles.
66 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

formation) were subjected to erosion and that fragments of them 

were rounded into pebbles by waves or streams before the overlying 

Carboniferous (Bragdon) formation was deposited. In geologic 

language the Bragdon formation rests unconformably on the slates, 

cherts, and limestones which make up the Kennett formation. The 

passage from the Bragdon formation to the Kennett formation is 

near a point 280.7 miles from San Francisco, but the unconformity 

can not be seen from the train. The Kennett formation is succeeded 

on the south by igneous rocks a light-colored quartz porphyry and 

a greenish lava (meta-andesite that is, altered andesite). These 

two rocks are closely connected with the occurrence of the large copper 

deposits of Shasta County. The altered andesite is older than the 

Kennett formation and represents volcanic action in early Paleozoic 

time. The porphyry is intrusive and was probably injected into the 

rocks with which it is associated in late Jurassic time. From this 

locality to Redding, a distance of about 20 miles, these are almost 

the only rocks visible along the railroad.

Pitt station is near the mouth of Pit River, where that stream joins

the much smaller Sacramento. A branch railroad on the left (east)

leads to Heroult, where there is an extensive deposit

pitt- of iron ore and an electric smelter, and to Copper

Elevation ess feet. Q^y and Bully Hill, where there are large copper

Seattle 678 miles. . J J ' & rr mines.

A mile beyond Pitt is tunnel No. 2, at the farther end of which, on 

the right (west), there is exposed a narrow north-south belt of Devonian slates (Kennett formation). This belt lies in a large area of 

meta-andesite. It probably represents material which once lay 

horizontally on top of the andesite but which, when the rocks were

bent into sags and arches by regional pressure folded, as geologists 

say was caught in a sag (synclme) and finally squeezed together 

as a narrow slate belt between two masses of meta-andesite.

Kennett is the northernmost of the three active centers of .copper

mining in Shasta County, and the Mammoth mine is about 3 miles

northwest of the town. The ore of this region is

Kennett. pyritic and occurs as large bodies of irregular shape

Elevation 670 feet. m ' the quartz porphyry referred to above. The

Seattle 680 miles. PI r r J J

iumes trom the smelter are treated by the bag process 

before they are allowed to escape into the open air. By this means 

some of the zinc in the ore is saved in the form of zinc sulphate, a 

white pigment.

Fossil-bearing limestone belonging to the Kennett formation 

(Devonian) caps the ridges on both sides of Backbone Creek. Lime 

and ground limestone, used as a fertilizer, are both made here.
SHASTA BOTJTE SEATTLE TO SAN FEANCISCO. 67

A belt of country in Shasta County, extending 25 miles northeastward from Kennett, is especially noted for its Devonian, Carboniferous, Triassic, and Jurassic fossils.1

On leaving Kennett the train crosses Backbone Creek. Here limekilns may be seen on the right (north), and a copper smelter is farther 

up the creek, behind them. From Kennett southward for many miles 

the railroad traverses a region of desolation. The fumes from the 

copper smelters at Coram, Kennett, and Keswick have killed all 

vegetation and left bare slopes whose coloring suggests the sun-baked 

hills of the desert. The principal copper mines are in the hills of 

porphyry to the right (west). To the left, across the river, is the 

meta-andesite, which contains numerous gold quartz veins.

The Balaklala copper mine is 3 miles northwest of Coram, west of 

the hills, and the smelter is at South Coram, a mile from the station. 

Across the Sacramento, opposite Motion, formerly 

called Copley, a bench or terrace may be discerned 

about 200 feet above the river. This is cut in rock 

and is the work of the river at a former period of its 

history. It may be traced from this place into the

Coram.

Elevation 630 feet. 

Population 666. 

Seattle 684 miles.

1 On McCloud River, which flows into 

the Pit about 6 miles east of Kennett, 

there are in the McCloud limestone a 

number of Pleistocene caverns which 

contain animal remains of considerable 

scientific interest, described by J. G. 

Merriam. In Potter Creek Cave, about 

2 miles above the mouth of the McCloud, 

fossil remains of more than 50 species of 

animals were found in deposits on the 

floor. Approximately half of the total 

number of species were extinct. Among 

the animals represented in this cave 

were the great extinct cave bear, another 

bear more nearly related to the living 

black bear, a large extinct lion, a puma, 

an extinct wolf, and fragmentary specimens representing the' mountain goat, 

deer, bison, camel, ground sloth, elephant, mastodon, an extinct horse, and 

a peculiar goatlike animal known as 

Euceratherium.

Samwel Cave, which is about 18 miles 

from the mouth of the McCloud, ia a large 

cavern with many galleries, in several of 

which the cave earth contains remains of 

extinct animals. Among these is another 

peculiar extinct goatlike animal, known 

as Preptoceras.

The beautifully coiled and intricately 

marked fossil shells known as ammonites 

are especially abundant in the Triassic 

rocks of this region, and the Upper 

Triassic Hosselkus limestone of the region 

contains numerous remains of marine 

reptiles. Bones have been found representing the ichthyosaurs (fish lizards) 

and another peculiar marine group, the 

thalattosaurs (sea lizards). Numerous 

fragments have been obtained from these 

deposits, but the skeletons are nearly all 

imperfect and do not show the wonderful 

preservation of the Middle Triassic specimens from Nevada.

The history of the ichthyosaurs found 

in the Middle and Upper Triassic of the 

western region presents one of the most 

interesting studies of evolution thus 

far known in the story of this group. 

The Middle Triassic forms are much more 

primitive in every respect than those oi 

the following Jurassic period and show 

less advanced specialization of the limbs, 

tail, eyes, and teeth for life on the high 

seas. The Upper Triaesic types also are 

relatively primitive but are intermediate 

between the Middle Triassic and the 

Jurassic stages of evolution.
68 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Keswick.

Elevation 567 feet. 

Population 1,437.* 

Seattle 692 miles.

north end of the Sacramento Valley. At Buckeye, 4 miles north of 

Redding and about 3 miles east of the railroad, rich gold-bearing 

gravels, left by the river on this bench, were formerly worked. .

Gold-bearing quartz veins are worked at the Reed 

Central Mine. mine, on the left (east) across the river from Central 

Seattle ego miles. Mine station. The ore is brought to the railroad by a

bucket tramway.

The Iron Mountain mine, which has produced copper to the value 

of over $33,000,000, is 5 miles northwest of Keswick, with which it is 

connected by a very crooked narrow-gage railway. 

The ore of this mine is pyritic and, although of low 

grade, contains considerable gold and silver. It is 

smelted near Martinez, on San Francisco Bay, where 

part of the sulphur from the pyrite is manufactured 

into sulphuric acid. The acid in turn is used for converting rock 

phosphate into fertilizer.

At Keswick the rock terrace 200 feet above Sacramento River, first 

noted at Motion, is visible along both banks of the river. On the west 

side some patches of gravel lie on the terrace.

Middle Creek, which is crossed near the station of the same name, 

was at one time rich in placer gold, and dredges may be seen in Sacramento River below, recovering from the river 

Middle Creek. gravels gold that probably came in large part from 

this creek. The rocky ledges along the river here are 

meta-andesite. In this vicinity the canyon of the 

Sacramento opens out into the wider valley that forms a part of the 

Great Valley of California. This wider portion is the area generally 

called the Sacramento Valley and is described below from data furnished by Kirk Bryan. 2 A mile and a quarter beyond Middle Creek

Elevation 526 feet. 

Seattle 695 miles.

1 Including Coram and other places.

2 The Sacramento Valley extends from 

the vicinity of Redding on the north to 

Carquinez Straits on the south. It is a 

broad, flat plain 160 miles long, 50 miles 

wide at the south, and tapering gradually 

to about 20 miles in width near Bedding. 

The valley is 557 feet above the sea at 

Bedding and slopes down to sea level at 

Suisun Bay.

The area of the valley is about 6,500 

square miles, of which 2,633,000 acres, 

nearly two-thirds is bottom land. On 

the east side of Sacramento Biver 535,000 

acres and on the west side 424,500 acres, 

or 959,000 acres in all, is now subject to 

occasional overflow. Of this land more 

than 300,000 acres is protected by dikes.

The total irrigable area, including the 

rolling land lying north of Bed Bluff, is 

2,500,000 acres, of which 123,500 acres was 

irrigated in 1912.

The principal tributaries of the Sacramento are Feather, American, and Mokelumne rivers, which rise in the Sierra 

Nevada. In the flatter parts of the valley 

overflow at some point is a yearly occurrence. The overflowed lands, which in 

many places support a luxuriant swamp 

vegetation, are among the most fertile in 

the valley, and levees have been built to 

reclaim them.

For five months, October to March, the 

weather is cool and rainy, but the rest of 

the year is practically rainless. Summer 

temperatures are high, reaching 115° F.,
SSASTA ROUTE- SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 69

the river cuts through fossiliferous Upper Cretaceous (Chico) sandstone and conglomerate. These rocks unconformably overlap the 

older rocks of the Klamath Mountains, including the meta-andesite. 

On the right the bluff affords a section of the sands and gravels of the 

Red Bluff formation, which occupies a large area in the Sacramento 

Valley.

but the nights are cool and the air dry. 

The winter temperature seldom falls 

below freezing, and 18° above zero is the 

lowest temperature recorded in 60 years. 

Snow is almost unknown.*

The character of the climate is reflected 

in the life of the people. With the beginning of the rains in the fall grass springs up 

and cattle and sheep are brought down

from the mountains where' they have 

passed the summer. The overflowed tule 

lands in the center of the valley are grazed 

in the long dry summer, but with the 

coming of the rains the cattle are taken to 

the higher plains. The grain farmer sows 

his wheat and barley in the fall and harvests them early in the summer. He lets 

his land lie fallow.after the rains, to be 

planted dry in the fall. All the deciduous fruits bear heavily and are rarely 

damaged by frost. The more delicate 

fruits and nuts apricots, almonds, walnuts, olives, lemons, and oranges grow 

well when assisted by irrigation. There 

are large areas of vineyards and the long 

dry season is favorable to the concentration of sugar in the grape and to the drying of the grapes to make raisins.

The agricultural character of the valley 

is closely related to its geologic history. 

With the uplift of the Sierra Nevada and 

Coast Range in Pliocene time the valley 

became land, and deposition of alluvial 

materials began under conditions similar 

to those of the present time.

The alluvium is of two kinds an older 

and a younger. The older alluvium is of 

Pleistocene or possibly of late Pliocene 

age and rests on the eroded edges of Miocene and older rocks. It is composed of 

clay, sand, and gravel and varies much in 

appearance and composition. It is distinguished from the younger alluvium by 

the fact that it is now undergoing dissection by streams and by the greater 

oxidation and dehydration of its iron content. Because of this oxidation it is 

characteristically red.

The deposition of the older alluvium 

was followed by uplift in both the Sierra 

Nevada and the Coast Range. The 

edges of the valley were bent up and the 

middle gently bowed down. In consequence of this movement the older alluvium was uplifted along the borders of

the valley, and streams began to cut into 

it. At this time began the deposition 

of the younger alluvium, which has continued to the present day. This material 

floors by far the larger part of the valley 

and is as varied in character as the older 

alluvium. The deposits are comparatively thin, probably nowhere in the 

valley over 300 to 400 feet thick. Every 

high water adds to them, and this is so 

well understood that farmers have been 

known to deliberately turn flood waters 

on their land for the benefit derived from 

the sediment left behind.

The recent alluvium is the most productive water bearer of the valley formations, largely because its gravels and 

sands are uncemented and porous. The 

water usually lies within 25 feet of the 

surface, but its level fluctuates with the 

seasons. This fluctuation is seldom more 

than 10 to 15 feet, a fact which indicates 

that a much larger volume of water is 

available than is at present utilized.

The Sacramento Valley is now in a 

state of rapid change. The overflowed 

lands are being divided into large districts 

for reclamation by levees and drainage. 

After reclamation they are cut up into 

small lots and colonized. Grain ranches 

are being subdivided and sold in small irrigated tracts. In consequence the population is increasing and its character is 

changing. The keen, intelligentirrigator, 

raising special crops, living a community 

life, and keeping abreast of the times, is 

replacing the old-time rancher.
70 C4UIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Redding, the seat of Shasta County, is the supply point for much 

of the southern part of the Klamath Mountains, especially the region 

drained by Trinity River and about Weaverville, a 

Redding. town 50 miles from Redding, reached by a daily autoEievation 557 feet. mobile stage. The basin in which Weaverville stands 

nas. been tne "chest and most persistently productive gold-placer region of northern California. At 

the La Grange mine, reported to be the largest hydraulic name in the 

world, about 1,000 cubic yards of gravel is washed each hour. A 

stage line runs eastward from Redding across the low Cascade Range 

north of Lassen Peak to Alturas, which is witKin the Great Basin, 

east of the Pacific coast mountain belt.

Redding is built on the division of the older alluvium of Sacramento Valley that has been named the Red Bluff formation. The 

railroad cuts in the plain south of the town show much coarse gravel 

belonging to this formation. To the west the gravel laps up over a 

terrace that is traceable around the northwest border of the Sacramento Valley and is continuous with the terrace along the river 

above Redding, already noted. Beyond the terrace may be seen to 

the northwest the rounded form of Bally Mountain (6,246 feet), composed of granodiorite, and in the west the sharper form of Bully 

Choop (7,073 feet), composed of peridotite. . At milepost 253 the railroad crosses Clear Creek, which drains the 

French Gulch mining district and on which is Horsetown, noted for 

its formerly active placer mines and for its Lower Cretaceous fossils. 

To the northeast the horizon shows the outlines of the numerous 

conical volcanic hills characteristic of this part of the Cascade Range. 

The highest of them is Lassen Peak (10,437 feet), an active volcano 

recently in eruption. To the left, farther north, is Crater Peak (8,724 

feet), on which snow remains into July. The Lassen Peak volcanic 

ridge fills the 50-mile gap between the Klamath Mountains and the 

Sierra Nevada.

From Anderson a short railroad line runs northward to Bellavista. Directly east of Anderson is Shingletown 

Butte, a perfect little extinct volcanic cone. From 

Panorama Point may be obtained the best view of

Seattle 709 miles. Lassen Peak to be had from the railroad. Shingle- 

_ . town Butte is in the foreground, and Inskip Hill, a

Panorama Point. ° ' . f! ' 

group 01 recent craters, lies to the right (south) of it.

Seattle 713 miles. . , p ., ,, ~ , . A quarter 01 a mile south 01 Cottonwood station 

Cottonwood. the railroad crosses Cottonwood Creek, on which, 14 

Elevation 423 feet. miles to the west, are some peculiar sandstone dikes. 

population 439.* Here cracks in the rocks that were formed by an 

mies. ancient earthquake have been filled with sand, and 

the sand filling has hardened into rock, so that the dikes resemble true 

igneous dikes.
BULLETIN 614 SHEET

Scale 500000 

Approximately 8 miles to I inch
J

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SHASTA ROUTE

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional informa- .

tion collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.

EXPLANATION 

A Stream deposits (alluvium and Red Bluff formation) 

B Lava flows (chiefly basalt) east of the Sacramento"] 

Valley and andesite in the upper Sacramento Canyon, r 

flow from Mount Shasta I

C Tuffs (Tuscan tuff, Pliocene); gravels, sands, and clays 

(lone formation, Eocene) (stippled pattern) J

F Conglomerates, sandstones, and shales; CChico. Horsetown, and Knoxville formations) containing Creta- 

 ceous fossils

G Sandstones and 'shales composed largely of volcanic 

material (Potem and Modin formations), containing 

Jurassic fossils

I Shale (Brock shale) and limestone (Hosselkus limestone) 

underlain by thin-bedded sandstones, shales, and tuffs 

(Pit formation)

J Lavas, tuffs, and granular intrusive rocks of Triassic 

to Cretaceous age

K Tuffs (Nosoni) and limestone (McCloud) of Pennsylva-1 

nian age, underlain, by tuffs, sandstone, and shale 

(Baird) of Mississippian age

L Thin-bedded sandstones, shales, and conglomerate: f 

pebbles contain Devonian fossils (Bragdon formation, 

of Mississippian age) J

M Sandstone, shales, and limestone (Kennett formation) 

N Altered lavas and tuffs (meta-andesite)

Quaternary'

Tertiary

Jurassic

Triassic

Carboniferous

Devonian 

Pre-Devonian

Mineral deposits: o Gold predominant A Copper predominant 

A Chromium and iron predominant Limestone; represented by solid red color
SHASTA BOUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FBANOISCO. I

At milepost 236 may be had a view of the North and South Yolla 

Bolly Mountains, on the right (west), with snowbanks lasting into 

July. Toms Head is between them. These peaks are at the south 

end of the Klamath Mountains. Beyond and to the left of them is 

the Coast Range of California.

A low, broad uplift of the Quaternary formations, the Red Bluff

arch, runs in an easterly direction across the northern portion of the

Sacramento Valley. The railroad crosses this arch

TT 1

Hooker. through cuts in gravel near Hooker, and Sacramento 

Elevation 543feet. Ri crosses it farther east, in Iron Canyon. The

Seattle 722 miles. . ' . J

possibility of damming the river here affords the 

basis of an extensive project for irrigating 400,000 acres in Tehama 

County. Beyond Hooker the train passes Ivrea and Blunt.

Red Bluff (see sheet 10, p. 74), a thriving town, is the seat of 

Tehama County. It takes its name from the adjacent river bluff,

about 50 feet high, in which is exposed a fine section 

Red Bluff. of the sands and gravels of the older alluvium (Red 

Elevation308feet. Bluff formation), bowed up by the Red Bluff arch. 

Seattle m miles. The town is the head of navigation on Sacramento

River and a supply point for a large area of farming 

and stock country. It is at the northern limit of the citrus belt, and 

oranges, lemons, almonds, and figs are raised here, but more attention is paid to peaches, pears, and prunes.

The Lassen Peak region and the great volcanic plain west of it 

may be most easily reached from Red Bluff during the summer by

automobile or stage to Mineral, Morgan Springs, or

Side trip to Las- Drakesbad, by way of the Red Bluff-Susanville stage

Cinder Cone. road. From these places trails lead to the mountain.

The trail from Mineral passes Soupan Hot Springs 

and the boiling rnud pots and sulphur-lined fumaroles at the head of 

Mill Creek. At Morgan Springs there are hot-spring baths, and the 

trail from this place passes Bumpass Hell, a vigorous solfatara. Near 

Drakesbad are the Geyser, a large boiling spring; Tartarus Lake, a 

boiling mud lake of 3 acres, encircled by fumaroles and boiling springs; 

and the Devil's Kitchen, an area of solfataras. Warner Creek runs 

directly through the Devil's Kitchen, so that a fisherman may catch 

and cook his fish from the same stand. Cinder Cone, the work of a 

recent volcanic eruption, is within a day's reach. It has been made 

a national monument.

Lassen Peak, from which since May 30, 1914, there haye been 

many. eruptions, may be easily reached by trail from Drakesbad. 

The character, of its outbursts is shown in Plate XXII (p. 72), and 

its new crater in Plate XXIII. The enormous rolling cloud which 

rises above the crater during an eruption and which is plainly visible 

from the railroad is composed of rock fragments, rock dust, and steam,
72 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

with perhaps other gases. No fresh lava has issued from the crater. 

The dust and fragments blown out by the explosive action of the hot 

gases are derived from the older solid lava through which these gases 

have burst their way. The opportunity to observe a vigorous volcanic eruption in safety from a railroad train is itself a rare one, and 

the obstacles to a nearer approach need daunt no one who is willing 

to travel by stage and put up with simple accommodations. Drakesbad may be reached by automobile not only from the west by way 

of Red Bluff but also from the east by way of Westwood, on the 

Southern Pacific, or Keddie, on the Western Pacific.

Tuscan Springs, a health resort 9 miles northeast of Red Bluff, 

may be reached by daily stage. The springs, which are hot, rise in a 

small area of Upper Cretaceous shales (Chico) surrounded by a large 

mass of volcanic tuff thrown out from the .volcanoes of the Lassen 

Peak region.

At Proberta the railroad approaches the top of the bluff which 

limits the flood plain of the Sacramento on the west. The route 

continues along the bluff to Gerber. The Kimball 

ro era. Plains, about 12 miles wide, lie to the right (west). 

Seattle 740 miles. Below, to the left, in the fertile river bottoms, may 

be seen hop and alfalfa fields irrigated by water pumped from wells. 

Gerber will soon succeed Red Bluff as the division point for this 

portion of the route. Here the train descends into the river bottoms and, passing through green alfalfa fields, crosses 

Elder Creek before entering Tehama. On Elder 

Seattle 741 miles. 0,.^ aDOut 2Q miles west of this point, is exposed 

a famous section of Cretaceous rocks 29,000 feet in thickness. This 

great body of Cretaceous strata is inclined eastward, extending 

beneath the later formations that fill the Sacramento Valley on 

the east and lapping up against the Coast Range, which is made up 

mainly of older rocks on the west. The tilted Cretaceous rocks are 

beveled by erosion, and their edges form a broad terrace or plain 

along the western border of the Sacramento Valley at the foot of the 

Coast Range.

The town of Tehama is about half a mile east of the railroad station 

and is the oldest settlement in the county. The soil hereabouts is 

rich, but the country is occasionally overflowed. A 

Tehama. wagon bridge crosses the river to the green irrigated 

Elevation 223 feet. alfalfa fields of the new colony of Los Molinos 

(mo-lee'nos). Here may be seen good examples of 

the beautiful oaks characteristic of valley scenery 

in California. Tehama is on the later alluvium, but beyond it the 

line ascends again to the gravel plain of the reddish older alluvium. 

From Tehftma the Marysville line turns off to the left, crosses the
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE XXII

'-,.- ERUPTION OF LASSEN PEAK, CAL,, AT 12.30 P. M. AUGUST 22, 1914.

As seen from Lee's ranch, in Warner Valley, 5 miles southeast of Drakesbad and 12 miles southeast of Lassen 

Peak. The column of smoke is about 6,000 feet In height. Photograph copyrighted by Thompson, Susanville, 

Cal.
NEW CRATER OF LASSEN PEAK, CAL., AFTER 25 ERUPTIONS WI

Tho banded material on the farther rim of the new crater has been thrown out by the recent eruptio

snowbank covered by 3 inches of wet dust. Some of the falling stones sank into the sn
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. *73

V.

Sacramento, and goes south on the east side of the valley. The 

main line continues down the west side of the valley. The distances 

given for the stations as far as Davis (p. 77) are measured by way of 

the main line. The distances given for stations south of Davis are 

measured by way of the Marysville line, which is 27 miles longer.

Surrounded by grain fields and groves of oranges and olives, Richfield lies to the left (east) of the railroad, in the valley of Thomas 

Creek. On this newly colonized tract wells have 

Richfield. been sunk and electric pumps installed. About 800 

Elevation 256feet. acres were irrigated in 1913. An electric pump and

Seattle 749 miles. , . . & . . if * water flowing irom an 8-inch pipe can be seen at 

milepost 181, on the left. In the 3 miles from Richfield to Corning 

the track follows a swale of recent alluvium, in which the soil is finer 

and darker than that of the gravel plains.

Corning is the center of the Maywood colony and has probably 

doubled its population since the last census. It is the shipping point

for large numbers cf turkeys raised on the neighboring 

Corning. plains, and for much dried fruit and olives. The 

Elevation 271 feet. locality has long been famous for peaches and prunes, 

Population972. \^ present interest centers in olive culture. The

white building of mission architecture on the left of 

the track south of the station is an olive-pickling factory. Eucalyptus 

trees are abundant here, and palms line the streets.

Three miles south of Corning the railroad swings toward the east, 

passing through Kirkwood and over the plains to Malton station, 

where it crosses the line between Tehama and Glenn counties. The 

road here runs over a gravelly deposit (alluvial fan) built up, during 

comparatively recent time, by Stony Creek, which has its source in the 

Coast Range. This deposit extends eastward from Black Butte, a 

basaltic crater 6 miles west of the railroad, to the river. Gravel from 

pits along Stony Creek is shipped, to many parts of the valley for 

high-class concrete work and for railroad use.

Near Orland appear the well-made ditches of the Orland project of 

the United States Reclamation Service. Storage reservoirs have been

constructed in the mountains to conserve the water 

Orland. of Stony Creek. The substantial concrete buildings of 

Elevation 255 feet. Orland attest the faith of its people in the permanence 

LTttLleTmnes. - of prosperity under a Government irrigation project.

The project is one of the smallest yet undertaken by 

the Government, the land to be irrigated including only about 14,000 

acres, but it is the first unit in a vast scheme to reclaim a large portion 

of the Sacramento Valley. The soil and climate of this locality are 

adapted to a great variety of agricultural and horticultural products. 

The general elevation is 190 to 300 feet above sea level, the temperature from 26° to 114°, and the annual rainfall 17 inches. The tract
74 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

is in a citrus belt, and its oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and almonds 

ripen early. Grain has been grown upon this land for years. Under 

irrigation the staple crop has been alfalfa, and dairying is an important industry. Practically all the lands have been filed upon and can 

be acquired only by purchase from the present owners, who have 

subdivided their holdings into farms of 40 acres or less.

From Oiiand a branch line goes east 9 miles to Hamilton, a sugarbeet town on the river.

As Orland is left behind the Coast Range is in full view on the right. 

The foothills of this range show a certain evenness of crest which suggests that the tops of the hills are remnants of a surface that was once 

almost level (a peneplain). This old surface was possibly at one time 

continuous with the bench at the head of Sacramento Valley, previously noted. West of Orland it cuts across the beveled edges of 

upturned Cretaceous strata. The crest line of the Coast Range, 

while less even than that of the foothills, is suggestive of the former existence of a much older peneplain which probably extended 

over what are now the Klamath Mountains. In other words, both 

ranges simply represent what is left after an old, gently rolling surface has been uplifted and valleys have been eroded in it.

To the southeast appear the tops of the Marysville Buttes, a rough 

mass of mountains standing isolated in the middle of the flat valley, 

above which they rise about 2,000 feet. These buttes are the eroded 

remnants of an extinct volcano.

From Greenwood, 3 miles beyond Orland, nearly to Colusa Junction, 

a distance of 32 miles, is another straight stretch of north-south track.

Germantown is a typical village of the older type in the valley, 

now being quickened through the subdivision of some of the adjacent grain ranches and the development of the land 

Germantown. by irrigation. On the right (west) as the train 

Elevation 158 feet. leaves the town may be seen the numerous pumping

Plants of the Shaw ranch- ^tesian water was 

struck here at a depth of 800 feet and flows at the 

rate of 200 gallons a minute.

Willows, the seat of Glenn County, is the headquarters of the

Sacramento Valley Irrigation Co., whose operations are known as the

Kuhn project. Water is pumped from Sacramento

Willows. River above Hamilton and brought down in a great

Elevation 134 feet. ditch which is crossed by the railroad just below

Population 1,139. Willows. The project covers 60,000 acres, and as

mi ' the land is sold it is being gradually brought under

irrigation. Development by means of the ditch has stimulated well

boring west and north of the town.

From Willows a branch line goes to Fruto, in the Coast Range.
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 1O

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SHASTA ROUTE

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower /eft corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.

EXPLANATION

A Stream deposits (alluvium and Red Bluff formation) Quaternary 

B Lava flows (basalt) 

C Auriferous river gravels and fine tuff

D Tuffs (Tuscan tuff. Pliocene); gravels, sands, and clays | 

(lone formation, Eocene)

F Conglomerates, sandstones, and shales (Chico. Horsetown, and Knoxville formations)

G Sandstones and shales, with flinty beds (cherts) made j 

up of microscopic siliceous skeletons of radiolarians I 

and limestones made up of microscopic calcareous f 

foraminifers (Franciscan group) J

H Altered sedimentary and igneous rocks underlying 

auriferous gravels of Sierra Nevada

Tertiary

Cretaceous

Jurassic (?)

Mesozoic

and 

Paleozoic

Scale 500.000 

Approximately 8 miles to 1 inch

|O IS 20 25

_L

Contour interval 200 feet

" The distances from Seattle. Washington, are she

<The crossr/es on the railroads are spaced 1 mile apar

I
.SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 75

Maxwell.

Elevation 93 feet. 

Population 864.* 

Seattle 798 miles.

Francisco, 

ing region,

The stations of Logandale and Norman are passed in turn, and 1£ 

miles south of Norman station the railroad crosses from Glenn County 

into Colusa County. Near Delevan, the next station, as at many 

other places along the Shasta Route in California, the bright-yellow 

to orange-colored poppies (Eschscholtzia californica) form glowing 

clumps in spring and early in the summer. Beyond Maxwell (see 

sheet 11, p. 76), an old village of the grain-farming days, is Colusa 

Junction, where the Shasta Route crosses the Colusa 

& Lake Railroad. This line runs from Colusa, on 

Sacramento River, westward to Lakeport, in Lake 

County. It passes at Sites the sandstone quarry that 

furnished the material for the Ferry Building in San 

Lakeport, on Clear Lake, in the Coast Range, is in a farmEvidence of recent volcanic activity and the occurrence 

of deposits of quicksilver ore and sulphur give additional interest to 

the pretty country about Clear Lake.

Twenty miles east of Maxwell the rugged Marysville Buttes rise 

abruptly from the plain, forming a landmark that can be seen for 

many miles in all directions.1

The land near Williams is outside of the area served by the Sacramento Valley Irrigation Co.'s ditch, and the local 

farmers pump their own water. Several pumping 

plants may be seen south of the town. To the east 

is the Colusa Basin, a shallow trough which parallels 

the river as far south as Knights Landing, east of 

Zamora station. When the levees along the river break this basin 

is flooded and forms a veritable inland sea from Colusa to Knights 

Landing Ridge.

West of Williams the bench of older alluvium becomes wider and 

more prominent and extends in a southeasterly direction to Yolo. 

North of the village this little plateau is about 400 feet above sea level

Williams.

Elevation 79 feet. 

Population 1,463.* 

Seattle 806 miles.

1 The Marysville Buttes are a cluster of 

hills about 10 miles in diameter, culminating in South Butte, 2,132 feet above 

sea level. North Butte has an elevation 

of 1,863 feet. The central area, about 4 

miles in diameter, is composed of andesite, 

a lava that was pushed up from the interior of the earth in a molten but stiff 

condition. Around the andesite is an 

irregular belt of sandstone and shales of 

Tertiary age, bent upward by the force of 

intrusion of the andesite so that they dip. 

awayfromthecenteratanglesofl8°to90°. 

An outer belt, about 2 miles wide, of 

tuffaceous breccias, consisting of angular

fragments of lava of various sizes with 

some pebbles of other rocks, surrounds the 

sandstone and shales. The material of 

these breccia beds probably once flowed 

from the crater of the volcano as a thick 

stony mud. The streams flowing down 

from the buttes have broad valleys which 

are filled with alluvium in their lower 

courses. The hills have an outer slope of 

250 feet to the inile and a steeper in-facing 

scarp or bluff. A projection of the outer 

slope to the center would restore the 

outline of the oM volcano, making it about 

5,000 feet high, or over twice the present 

height.
76 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN' UNITED STATES.

and covered with a scanty growth of oaks. The streams flow across 

the plateau or bench at right angles to the trend of the bluff that 

separates it from the present flood plain of the river and have cut 

through the alluvium into Cretaceous sandstone and shales that 

dip toward the valley. The older alluvium rests on the eroded edges 

of these beds. The bluff in this locality is a fault scarp; that is, it 

marks a line of faulting. This fault extends from Williams southeastward to Cache Creek and there turns south to Putah Creek.

The Coast Range west of Williams is a greatly crushed and faulted 

mass of Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks.

From Williams the road rises about 63 feet to

Arbuckle. Arbuckle, situated on a fan-shaped deposit of recent

Elevation 42 feet. alluvium supplied by the dissection of the earlier

St^mue!.'* Pleistocene plateau. The principal industry here

is almond growing.

At Harrington a branch road, called the Beet Line, turns off

to Grimes and Colusa. The line between Colusa and Yolo counties

is crossed at Hershey station. Dunnigan, the next

Dunnigan. village, lies close under the escarpment of the plateau,

Elevation 67 feet. which is here dissected by streams into rounded

hills- On this land ar3 gr°Wn wheafc and barle7>

and the skill of the farmers in taking traction engines 

and combined harvesters over these hills is remarkable. Notwithstanding the recent changes in agriculture previously noted, the 

great staple product of the Sacramento Valley is still wheat. There 

are grain warehouses at nearly every station, and the traveler can 

not fail to realize that he is passing through one of the greatest 

wheat regions of the world. Near Dunnigan a newer industry 

is seen in thousands of acres planted with eucalyptus trees.

At the village of Zamora (Blacks Station post 

Zamora. office), the plain between the hills and Colusa Basin 

Elevation so feet. is very narrow and backwater from the tule land has 

se^essTmiL been known to come within 1£ miles of the village.

This is a country of fine oaks.

From Zamora the railroad rises about 30 feet to the village of 

Yolo on Cache Creek. This stream leaves the Coast Range through

Capay Valley at Esparto and, crossing the plateau 

Yol°- of older alluvium, here 10 miles wide, cuts through 

Elevation 73 feet. the escarpment in a terraced canyon 3 miles west of

Seattle 840 miles. ,r 1 L , . . . , . , . ,. Yolo. " From this point it begins to deposit sediment brought from ,the mountains. In past time Cache Creek 

has built up a considerable area of country around Yolo and Woodland by means of a number of branches. One of these old branches, 

called Cache Creek Slough, extends northeastward from Yolo to 

Knights Landing on Sacramento River. The sediment deposited
BULLETIN 614

EXPLANATION

A Stream deposits (alluvium and Red Bluff formation ) 

B Lava flows and tuffs fandesites and some rhyolites) 

C River gravels (auriferous) and fine tuffs

D Gravels, in part marine, locally auriferous, with marine 

sandstones and clays (lone and Tejon formations)

F Conglomerate, sandstones, and shales (Chico, Horsetown, and Knoxville formations)

Quaternary

Tertiary

Cretaceous

H Altered sedimentary and igneous rocks underlying JMesozoic 

auriferous gravels of Sierra Nevada ..

Scale 500,000

Approximately 8 miles to 1 inch 

5 10 _ 15 2OMiles

10 5 1O 15 2O 25 SOKilometers 

Contour interval 200 feet

TVie distances from Seattle. Washington, are shown every 10 mites 

The crosst/es on the railroads are spaced J mile apart
GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC . MAP

OF THE

SHASTA ROUTE

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional informatipn collected- with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. C. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAF FRANCISCO. 77

by it has formed the Knights Landing Ridge, an elevation hardly 

discernible to the eye, which separates the Colusa Basin from a 

similar depression to the south known as the Yolo Basin. The 

fertile soil of the Yolo Basin is underlain by coarse gravel from which 

large supplies of ground water are obtained.

The largest pumping plant in the valley, the St. Louis plant of 

the Sacramento Valley Sugar Co., is near Yolo. It consists of 12 

wells connected with an electrically driven 15-inch centrifugal pump 

having a capacity of 7,000 gallons a minute. From this plant 1,200 

acres were irrigated in 1913. 

Woodland (see sheet 12, p. 80) is the seat of Yolo County and one

of the oldest and richest towns in the valley. IrriWoodland. gation was begun here in 1856 by diversion from 

Elevation 60 feet. Cache Creek through the Moore ditch. The system

is now controlled'by the Yolo Water, Light & Power

Co., which irrigated 23,000 acres in 1913. In that 

year about 7,000 acres east and north of Woodland were planted 

to sugar beets.

From Woodland the railroad passes through a rich farming region 

to Davis, where the Shasta Route joins the route from Omaha by

way of Ogden and Sacramento to San Francisco. 

Davis. To the east is' the level expanse of Yolo Basin, 

Elevation 42 feet. where yearly flooding prevents the growth of all 

seStiessrnrne*i except tule (Scirpus lacustris) and coarse grasses.

To the west may be seen the low, reddish hills of 

older alluvium. Near Davis is the large farm of the University 

of California used for experimental and educational purposes. The 

country in this vicinity is an almost flat plain near sea level, but 

nevertheless high enough to provide drainage. With its rich fields 

of grain and orchard patches it has a decidedly prosperous look. 

Beyond Davis the Coast Range becomes more prominent, especially 

to the right, ahead of the train, showing as a low, dark ridge broken 

by one or more gaps. Valley and live oaks are again a common 

feature through the fields.

Along the Pacific coast, from the vicinity of Santa Barbara on the 

south to Humboldt County on the north, the Coast Ranges divide 

the Great Valley of California from the ocean. They are broken by the 

one great gap by which the combined Sacramento and San Joaquin 

rivers find outlet into the Bay of San Francisco. The Coast Ranges 

are geologically the most recent of the great structural features of the 

State. They are largely built up of folded and crushed Cretaceous, 

Jurassic, and Tertiary sedimentary rocks, which are in places broken 

through by andesitic and basaltic lavas and by older igneous rocks 

(diabase and other dark, heavy rocks, in part altered to serpentine).

1 By way of main line; 881 miles by way of Marysville branch.
78 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Dixon.

Elevation 61 feet. 

Seattle 889 miles. 1

Dixon is an agricultural town in Solano County. Beyond it the 

Coast Range now looms larger as the traveler proceeds westward. 

Elmira (elevation 79 feet), a junction whence a 

branch road goes to Vacaville, Winters, and Rumsey, 

is next passed. Beyond Elmira the road approaches 

low foothills of the Coast Range first a bare ridge, 

with gaps, through one of which the railroad passes over a slight rise. 

The factory of the Pacific Portland Cement Co. and adjacent shale 

quarries can be seen to the north. The limestone used here to mix 

with the shale is brought from a point near Auburn.

The traveler coming across the Sacramento Valley in the day during 

midsummer is likely to find the trip warm, but on reaching this gap 

in the Coast Range he almost invariably notices a change. .The cool 

breezes sweeping in from the west and carrying the smell of the salt 

marshes become fresher as the train proceeds, and it is a reasonable 

precaution to have wraps handy from this point on.

Beyond the first spur of the Coast Range the valley again broadens. 

Higher mountains, more or less darkened by scrubby timber on their 

upper slopes, border the valley to the north and far to the south. 

If the air is moderately clear, Mount Diablo 2 and the southern continuation of the Coast Range may be seen. A group of low, round, 

and grassy hills afew miles to the south are known as the Potrero Hills. 

(Potrero, pronounced po-tray'ro, is Spanish for horse pasture.)

Suisun (suey-soon', locally soo-soon', the name of an Indian tribe, 

said to mean great expanse) and the adjoining town of Fairfield (the 

seat of Solano County, population 834) are at the 

edge of another swampy district green with tule. 

From this point the railroad is graded across the 

Suisun Flats, which are so near tidewater level in 

Suisun Bay, to the south, that no cultivation is

Suisun.

Elevation 15 feet. 

Population 641. 

Seattle 909 miles.

1 Distances for stations from Dixon to 

San Francisco given by way of Marysville line; to get distance actually traveled by main line through Woodland 

deduct 27 miles.

2 The general outline and isolated position of Mount Diablo have given the impression that this mountain is an old volcano. It represents, however, the higher 

portions of an overturned arch or anticline 

of sedimentary rocks thrust from the 

northeast toward the southwest. From 

its summit to the sea level at Carquinez 

(car-kee/ness) Strait is displayed a remarkably complete series of typical Coast 

Range formations, including Franciscan, 

Krioxville, Chico, Martinez, Tejon, Monterey, San Pablo, late Tertiary freshwater beds, Pleistocene, and Recent.

Although Mount Diablo is of moderate 

height (3,849 feet), its isolation and its 

situation on the edge of the Great Valley 

make it one of the finest viewpoints in 

the State. From its top, on a clear morning, the summits of the Sierra Nevada can 

be traced for over 200 miles. Lassen Peak 

is often visible and sometimes Mount 

Shasta. The Great Valley appears divided into squares like a checkerboard 

by the section-line roads and fences. The 

San Francisco Bay region is sometimes 

hidden by a snowy sea of fog. The 

mountain is easily reached from San 

Francisco, though at present the ascent 

must be made on foot or by driving. The 

road, which goes practically to the summit, will probably be fitted for automobile travel.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614- PLATE XXIV

. *".-' ' A. SINKS OF SUISUN FLATS, CAL. . , " 

Railroad crew at work raising and regrading a recent sink. Note upward-bulging mud ridge on each side 

and tilted telegraph poles on the left.

J3. VIEW ALONG THE SHORE OF SAN PABLO BAY NEAR OLEUM, CAL. 

Terrace in middle represents raised beach that can be seen at several points around San Ftancisco Bay.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 79

possible under present conditions, though the camps of several 

duck-shooting clubs are situated among the sloughs. The railroad 

has encountered much difficulty in maintaining its grade across this 

soft ground. Certain spots have been continually sinking ever since 

the first construction of the road, and it is seldom, even now, that 

in going over this part of the route the traveler does not see work 

trains and grading crews busily engaged in filling and raising some 

sunken portion of the track. (See PI. XXIV, A.} Mud ridges have 

risen along the tracks on both sides, and their broken and lumpy surfaces indicate a slow flowing mass of mud squeezed out by the weight 

and vibration of passing trains. It is said that as much as 30,000 carloads of coarse gravel ballast have been dumped into one of these spots. 

Beyond the marshes the railroad meets the rocky headlands that 

here close in upon Carquinez Strait. Some fine exposures of Cretaceous and Tertiary sandstones and shales may be seen in the cliffs 

and road cuts around Army Point.

Near Benicia, on the left, is a United States arsenal and signal 

station. Benicia (named by Gen. Vallejo after his wife) is a manufacturing town with deep-water frontage. It contains, besides the arsenal, tanneries and other commercial establishments. Southeast of Benicia, across 

the strait, is the town of Martinez, near which John 

Muir, California's great naturalist, lived for many 

years. The tall smokestack east of the town belongs to the smelter of 

the Mountain Copper Co., which mines its ore near Kennett, in Shasta 

County. At this smelter sulphur fumes are utilized in making sulphuric 

acid, which in turn is used in,treating rock phosphate brought from 

the company's mine near Montpelier, Idaho, and here turned into fertilizer. Just beyond Benicia the train is run onto a ferryboat and is 

carried across Carquinez Strait to Port Costa, a distance of a mile.

The geologic section from Benicia and Port Costa to the vicinity 

of Berkeley and Oakland is particularly interesting, as in it are 

represented many of the characteristic sedimentary formations of 

the Coast Range. The stratigraphic section is.quite different from 

that of corresponding age in the Sierra foothills.

Port Costa (see sheet 13, p. 90), the western ferry terminus, is a 

shipping point, particularly for gram, which comes 

from the interior valley 1 and is here loaded into oceanEievation 11 feet. going vessels. A long line of galvanized-iron grain 

warehouses may be seen on the water front.

Benicia.

Elevation 6 feet. 

Population 2,360. 

Seattle 921 miles.

Port Costa.

Seattle 926 miles.

1 Agriculture in California had its beginning in wheat raising, and wheat was 

long the State's greatest crop. Its production steadily increased, until about 

1884, to over 54,000,000 bushels annually. 

The levelneas of the great grain fields 

of the valley led to the utilization pf

combined harvesters, steam gang plows, 

and other farm machinery of extraordinary size and efficiency. Recently, however, fruit growing has become a more 

important industry than grain farming. 

In the value of its fruit crop California, 

leads all the other States.
80 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

On leaving Port Costa the train skirts the south shore of Carquinez 

Strait, where the steep bluffs offer many good exposures of folded 

sedimentary rocks. The first rocks seen are Upper Cretaceous 

(Chico) sandstone and shale. The rocks have a moderately steep 

westward dip and trend almost directly across the course of the 

railroad, so that as the tram proceeds successively younger formations are crossed. At Eckley, a short distance beyond Port Costa, 

brick is manufactured from the Cretaceous shale. At Crocket is a 

large sugar refinery. Mare Island, across Carquinez Strait, is the 

site of the United States navy yard, which, however, is not readily 

discerned from this point. The Cretaceous shales and sandstones 

continue to Vallejo Junction and a little beyond.

On the southeast side of San Pablo Bay, near the west end of 

Carquinez Strait, there are wave-cut terraces and elevated deposits 

of marine shells of species that are still living. These terraces and 

deposits do not show south of San Pablo Bay, and therefore seem to 

indicate the recent elevation of a block including only a portion of 

the shore around the bay. This block probably includes the Berkeley 

Hills and a considerable territory to the east, perhaps even extending 

to Suisun Bay.

From Vallejo Junction a ferry plies to Vallejo (val-yay'ho), which

is on the mainland opposite the navy yard and from which railroad

lines extend into the rich Napa and Sonoma valleys.

a ejo unc ion. gan^a Rosaj the home of the famous Luther Burbank,

^ItSmnet: is m the Sonoma Valley. Vallejo was named from

Gen. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, who played a

prominent part in the early history of California. It was the capital

of the State from 1851 to 1853. Beyond Vallejo Junction Carquinez

Strait begins to open out into San Pablo Bay. 1 (See PI. XXIV, B,

p. 78.)

The dark Cretaceous shales near the railroad station at Vallejo 

Junction are soon succeeded by brown shales and massive sandstones 

belonging higher in the Cretaceous system. The contact between 

the Chico and the Martinez (Eocene) beds is in a fault zone cut by

1 The section along the shore of San 

Pablo Bay between Vallejo Junction and 

Pinole (see map and section on stub of 

sheet 13, p. 90) includes six of the most 

widespread divisions of the sedimentary 

series in the Coast Range region of California. The formations or groups represented 

are the Chico (Upper Cretaceous), Martinez 

(Eocene), Monterey (earlier Miocene), 

San Pablo (later Miocene), Pinole tuff 

(Pliocene), and Pleistocene. The only 

large divisions of the middle Coast Range 

sequence not represented are the Franciscan (Jurassic?), Tejon (Eocene), and 

Oligocene, all of which are found within 

a few miles to the east and south.

In the San Pablo Bay section all the 

formations below the Pleistocene are inluded in a syncline, on the northeastc 

side of which the strata are nearly vertical, but on the southeast side the dip of 

the beds is lower. The Pleistocene beds 

rest horizontally across the truncated 

edges of the Miocene and Pliocene. The 

aggregate thickness of the sediments in 

the San Pablo Bay section is not less than
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 12

SheetA/o// I 2-1 30' CALIFORNIA

Scale 500,000

Approximately 8 miles to I inch 

5 10 is

Contour interval 200 feet

The distances from Seattle. Washington, are shown every 10 miles 

The crossties on the railroads are spaced l mite apart

EXPLANATION

Sierra Nevada 

Modern stream deposits (alluvium) 

Gold-bearing gravels ; Pleistocene 

Fragmental lavas (chiefly andesite); Neocene

Clays, sands, and gravel with some coal beds (Ion 

mation); Eocene

Granite and diabase or amphibolite and related intrusive 

rocks; late Jurassic or early Cretaceous

Slates, sandstone, and conglomerate (Mariposa slate); 

Jurassic

Coast Ranges 

Modern stream deposits (alluvium)

Fresh-water conglomerate, sandstone, clay, and limestone (Orinda formation); stratified light-colored 

pumice (Pinole tuff); Pliocene

Sandstones and shales, mostly light colored, (Monterej

group and San Pablo formation at top); Miocene

Sandstone with some shale and conglomerate (Tejon formation above and Martinez formation below); Eocene

Lava flows (basalt, rhyolite , and rhyohtic turf!

Massive yellowish sandstone and clay shale with conglomerate at bottom fChico formation, Upper Cretaceous) underlain by dark shale'Knoxville shale, Lower 

Cretaceous)

I

12130'
GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

SHASTA ROUTE

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United 'States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. C. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN" FRANCISCO. 81

the railroad tunnel a short distance west of Vallejo Junction. Just 

beyond the tunnel the contact between the Martinez and the Monterey 

(Miocene) is clearly shown in a high cliff to the left, opposite the 

Selby Smelting Works, where the buff-colored Monterey sandstones 

and shales rest with marked unconformity upon the black Eocene 

shales. Near the contact the Eocene shale is filled with innumerable 

fossil shells of boring Miocene mollusks. The Monterey beds are 

extraordinarily well exposed in the cliffs to the left, and immediately 

beyond the contact, where they consist of fine buff shales with shaly 

sandstones and thin bands of yellow limestone.

After leaving these cliff exposures the train passes Tormey station, 

crosses a little swamp, and approaches a tunnel cut into vertical 

cliffs of massive gray sandstone; this is the type locality of the San 

Pablo formation (upper Miocene). The refining plant of the Union 

Oil Co., at the east end of this tunnel, is located on the upper part 

of the San Pablo beds. Vertical beds of massive tuff immediately 

west of the oil refinery represent the lower part of the Pinole tuff. 

Beyond these beds the train crosses another swamp and enters a 

cut in which white volcanic ash beds of the Pinole tuff dip at a 

relatively low angle to the northeast. This change in dip shows 

that these beds are on the southwest side of the San Pablo Bay 

syncline, the axis of which passes through the swamp area. Resting 

upon the tilted ash deposits in this part of the section are horizontal 

beds of Pleistocene shale.

The name Rodeo (ro-day'o), meaning around-up," indicates that 

the station so called was formerly a cattle-shipping point. Beyond 

Rodeo the train enters a series of cuts. Near the station are exposures of massive tuffs close to the base of 

the Pinole tuff. Beyond this point the San Pablo 

(Miocene) appears, with low dips to the northeast. 

In the sea cliffs on San Pablo Bay a few yards from the railroad 

are excellent exposures of the Miocene capped by Pleistocene shale. 

At Hercules, where there are large powder works, the railroad cut

Rodeo.

Elevation 12 feet. 

Seattle 932 miles.

8,000 feet. With the exception of the 

Pliocene and a portion of the Pleistocene, 

all the formations are of marine origin. 

A portion of the Pinole tuff was certainly 

deposited in fresh water. The Pleistocene beds were deposited under varying 

marine, estuarine, and fluvial conditions. 

Fossil remains are foiind in all the formations of the San Pablo Bay section, 

and at least six distinct faunas are represented. Very few specimens have been 

procured in the Chico near the line of the 

railroad, but abundant fossils are found 

96286° Bull. 614 15 6

in the same formation a few miles to the 

east. The Martinez fauna is represented 

in the cliff opposite the Selby smelter. 

The Monterey and the San Pablo contain abundant remains. The fresh-water 

fauna of the Pinole tuff is represented by 

molluscan species. Leaves and remains 

of vertebrates are also present. The 

Pleistocene shale contains abundant 

marine shells of a few species, with mammal bones representing the elephant, 

horse, camel, bison, ground sloth, antelope, lion, wolf, and other forms.
82 GUIDEBOOK, OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Pinole.

Population 798. 

Seattle 935 miles.

is in broken shale of the Monterey group, the same beds that were 

seen near the Selby smelter, on the northeast side of the syncline. 

Beyond Hercules the railroad passes over Monterey shale to the 

town of Pinole (pee-no'lay, a Spanish term used by the Indians for 

parched grain or seeds), where the Pinole tuff is in contact with the 

Monterey and is covered by a thick mantle of the 

Pleistocene shale. In the cuts southwest of Pinole 

the rocks exposed are all either steeply inclined 

Pliocene tuffs or horizontal Pleistocene beds. 

At Krieger, where the tracks of the Santa Fe Route may be seen 

approaching the bay front from the south, is a so-called "tank farm." 

The oil-storage tanks, which belong to the Standard Oil Co., are 

beyond the Santa Fe line. Beyond Sobrante station is Giant, another 

powder factory, and beyond that are pottery works which obtain clay 

from lone, in the Sierra Nevada. The bay shore near Oakland is 

largely given over to industrial uses, on account of its facilities for

o J O '

rail and water transportation.

Beyond Giant the foothills retreat from the bay shore and the railroad enters the broad lowland on which the cities of Berkeley and 

Oakland are built. Near San Pablo, in the vicinity 

of San Pablo and Wildcat creeks, there is a gravelfilled basin. Many wells sunk in this gravel may be 

seen near the tracks, and from them a municipal 

water company and both railroads obtain water. West and southwest of San Pablo station a line of hills shuts out a view of San 

Francisco Bay. These hills constitute the Potrero San Pablo, so 

called because, being separated from the mainland by marshes, they 

were a convenient place in which to pasture horses during the days of 

Mexican rule, when fences were practically unknown. The hills are 

made up wholly of sandstone belonging to the Franciscan group.1

San Pablo.

Elevation 30 feet. 

Seattle 940 miles.

1 The rocks of the Franciscan group comprise sandstones, conglomerates, shale, 

and local masses of varicolored thinbedded flinty rocks. The flinty rocks 

consist largely of the siliceous skeletons of 

minute marine animals, low in the scale 

of life, known as Radiolaria, and on this 

account they are known to geologists as 

radiolarian cherts. All the rocks mentioned have been intruded here and there 

by dark igneous rocks (diabase, peridotite, etc.), which generally contain a good 

deal of magnesia and iron but little silica. 

The peridotites and related igneous rocks 

have in large part undergone a chemical 

and mineralogic change into the rock

known as serpentine. Closely associated 

with the serpentine as a rule are masses 

of crystalline laminated rock that consist 

largely of the beautiful blue mineral" 

glaucophane and for that reason are called 

glaucophane schist. Schist of this character is known in comparatively few parts 

of the world but is very characteristic 

of the Franciscan group. It has been 

formed from other rocks through the 

chemical action known as contact metamorphism, set up by adjacent freshly intruded igneous rocks. The Franciscan 

group is one of the most widespread and 

interesting assemblages of rocks in the 

Coast ranges.
SHASTA BOUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 83

Richmond.

On the other side of them are wharves, warehouses, and large railway shops belonging to the Santa Fe system. From that side, also, 

the Santa Fe ferry plies to San Francisco.

Richmond, on both the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe lines, 

is becoming a busy shipping, railroad, and manufacturing point, on 

account of the congestion of the water front of Oakland and San Francisco. The hills on the east side 

of the track, known to old Californians as the Contra 

Costa Halls but now often referred to as the Berkeley 

Halls, rise steeply from the plain. The most conspicuous summit 

from the west is Grizzly Peak (1,759 feet), but Bald Peak, just east 

of it, is 171 feet higher. The hills are generally treeless on their 

exposed western slopes, although their ravines and the eastern slopes 

are wooded. 1

Beyond San Pablo and Richmond the rocks of the Franciscan group 

outcrop in low hills. At Stege the railroad is still close to the shore 

of the bay. Between this place and the hills is one of the suburbs of 

Berkeley known as Thousand Oaks. The traveler can get here an 

unobstructed view out over the bay and through the Golden Gate. 

Mount Tamalpais is on the right and San Francisco on the left. Just 

to the left of the Golden Gate the white buildings of the Exposition 

grounds can readily be distinguished if the day is at all clear. At 

Nobel station a little wooded hill of Franciscan rocks stands close to 

the railroad on the left. Beyond Nobel an excellent view may be had 

of the hilly portion of the city of Berkeley.

West Berkeley station, also known as University Avenue, is in the 

older part of the city of Berkeley, and the center of the city is now 

almost 2£ miles back toward the hills. Berkeley was 

named after Bishop Berkeley, the English prelate of 

the eighteenth century who wrote the stanza beginning "Westward the course of empire takes its way," 

by those who chose it as a site for the University of 

California. One of them, looking out over the bay and the Golden 

Gate, quoted the familiar line, and another suggested "Why not 

name it Berkeley?" and Berkeley it became.

Berkeley.

Elevation 8 feet. 

Population 40,434. 

Seattle 948 miles.

1 The geologic structure of these lulls is 

rather complicated. Along their southwest base, between Berkeley and Oakland, is a belt of the sandstones, cherts, 

and schists belonging to the Franciscan 

(Jurassic?) group and characteristically 

associated with masses of serpentine. 

Overlying the Franciscan rocks are 

shales, and conglomerates

of Cretaceous, Eocene, and Miocene age. 

These in turn are overlain by tuffs, freshwater beds, and lavas of Pliocene and 

early Quaternary age. The general 

structure of the ridge east of Berkeley is 

synclinal, the beds on both sides dipping 

into the hills. The upper part of Grizzly 

Peak is formed chiefly of lava flows of 

Pliocene age.
84 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN "UNITED STATES.

The University of California was founded in 1868. It is one of the 

largest State universities in America, including besides the regular 

collegiate and postgraduate departments at Berkeley the Lick 

Observatory, on Mount Hamilton; colleges of law, art, dentistry, 

pharmacy, etc., in San Francisco; the Scripps Institution for Biological Research, at La Jolla, near San Diego; and other laboratories for 

special studies elsewhere. It is a coeducational institution and had a 

total enrollment for 1914-15, not including that of the summer 

school, of 6,202. The members of the faculty and other officers of 

administration and instruction number 890. The university buildings at Berkeley are beautifully situated and have a broad outlook 

over San Francisco Bay. Their position can readily be identified 

from the train by the tall clock tower. Another prominent group 

of buildings occupying a similar site just south of the university 

grounds is that of the California School for the Deaf and the Blind.

Just before reaching Oakland (Sixteenth Street station) the train 

passes Shell Mound Park. The mound, which is about 250 feet long 

and 27 feet high, is on the shore of the bay close to the right side 

of the track. It is composed of loose soil mixed with an immense 

number of shells of clams, oysters, abalones, and other shellfish 

gathered for food by the prehistoric inhabitants of the region and 

eaten on this spot. The discarded shells, gradually accumulating, 

built up the mound. Such relics of a prehistoric people are numerous 

about the bay, for over 400 shell mounds have been discovered within 

30 miles of San Francisco. The mound just described is one of the 

largest, and from excavations in it a great number of crude stone, 

shell, and bone implements and ornaments have been obtained. The 

mounds evidently mark the sites of camps or villages that were 

inhabited during long periods, for the accumulation of such refuse 

could not have been very rapid. Archeologists who have studied the 

mound say that it must have been the site of an Indian village over 

a thousand years ago, and that it was probably inhabited almost 

continuously to about the time when the Spaniards first entered 

California.

The first stop in the city of Oakland is made at the Sixteenth Street

station, about 1£ miles from the business center of the city. Oakland

is the seat of Alameda County and lies on the eastern

Oakland. shore of San Francisco Bay directly opposite San

Elevation 12 feet. Francisco. Its name is derived from the live oaks

Se^sTmiL1!4' which originally covered the site. It is an important

manufacturing center and has a fine harbor with 15

miles of water front. Visitors to Oakland should if possible take the

electric cars to Piedmont, from which a fine view may be had of San

Francisco, the bay, and the Golden Gate. This view is especially good
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN 'FRANCISCO. 85

at sunset. A walk or drive to Redwood Peak-takes the visitor past 

the former home of Joaquin Miller, author of "Songs of the Sierras" 

and many other familiar poems, and affords equally fine views.

Leaving the station at Sixteenth Street, the train skirts the west 

side of the city and runs out on a pier or mole 1£ miles long, from 

which the rest of the journey must be made on the San Francisco 

ferries. The distance across the bay is 4 miles, and the trip is made 

in about 20 minutes. In crossing the bay the traveler sees Goat 

(or Yerba Buena), Alcatraz, and Angel islands to the right, Marin 

Peninsula beyond them, and the Golden Gate opening to the west of 

Alcatraz.

Goat Island lies close to the ferry course across the bay. Like most 

of the other islands in the bay, it is owned by the Government. On 

the nearest point there is a lighthouse station, and below it the 

rocky cliff is painted white to the water's edge. Just to the right of 

this is the supply station for the lighthouses of the whole coast from 

Seattle to San Diego. Behind this station is the United States naval 

training station, of which the officers' quarters may be seen on the 

hillside and the men's quarters near the larger buildings below. At 

the extreme northeast point of the island is a torpedo station, where 

torpedoes are stored for use in the coast defense.

On Alcatraz, the small island west of Goat Island, is a United 

States military prison, and on Angel Island, north of Alcatraz, are 

barracks and other military buildings, a quarantine station, and an 

immigrant station.

Few people in viewing the Bay of San Francisco think of it in any 

other way than as a superb harbor or as a beautiful picture. Yet it 

has an interesting geologic story. The great depression in which it 

lies was once a valley formed by the subsidence of a block of the 

earth's crusth in other words, the valley originated by faulting. The 

uplifted blocks on each side of it have been so carved and worn by 

erosion that their blocklike form has long been lost. Erosion also has 

modified the original valley by supplying the streams with gravel and 

sand to be carried into it and there in part deposited. The mountains have been worn down and the valley has been partly filled. 

Possibly the valley at one time drained out to the south. However 

that may be, at a later stage in its history it drained to the west 

through a gorge now occupied by the Golden Gate. Subsidence of this 

part of the coast allowed the ocean water to flow through this gorge, 

transforming the river channel into a marine strait and the valley into 

a great bay. Goat Island and other islands in San Francisco Bay 

suggest partly submerged hills, and such in fact they are.
86 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

San Francisco, the chief seaport and the metropolis of the Pacif'c

coast, is the tenth city in population in the United States and the

largest and most important city west of Missouri

San Francisco. ftiver The population in 1910 showed a gain of 20

Population 416,912. per cent smce igQO. The city is beautifully situated

Seattle 957 miles. r . . . / J

at the north end 01 a penmsula, with the ocean on one 

side and the Bay of San Francisco on the other. The bay is some 

50 miles in length and has an area of more than 300 square miles. 

The entrance to the bay lies through the Golden Gate, a strait about 

5 miles long and a mile wide at its narrowest point.

The site of the city is very hilly, and a line of high rocky elevations 

runs like a crescent-formed background from northeast to southwest 

across the penmsula, culminating in the Twin Peaks, 925 feet high. 

Telegraph Hill, in the northeastern part of the city, is 294 feet above 

sea level. Here stood the semaphore which signaled the arrival of 

ships in the days of the gold seekers. The city has been laid out 

without the slightest regard to topography, consequently many of the 

streets are so steep as to be traversable only by cable cars and pedestrians. The waters of the bay formerly extended westward to Montgomery. Street, and most of the level land in the business section of 

Sa,n Francisco has been made by filling.

Golden Gate Park, containing 1,014 acres and extending westward 

from the city to the ocean, was a waste of barren sand dunes in 1870, 

but skillful planting and cultivation have transformed it into one of 

the most beautiful semitropical public parks in the country. At its 

west end is the famous Cliff House, overhanging the sea, and a short 

distance out from the shore are the Seal Rocks, where the great sea 

lions may often be seen. The Sutro Baths near by, named after 

Adolph Sutro, constructor of the famous Sutro tunnel on the Cornstock lode, contain one of the largest inclosed pools in the world.

San Francisco Bay is the largest and most active harbor of the 

Pacific coast. Besides the coastwise routes, the port maintains 

steamship connections with Australia, Hawaii, Mexico, 

Central and South America, the Philippine Islands, 

China, and Japan. The direct foreign trade is chiefly with British Columbia, South America, China, and Japan. Although the 

export grain business has now largely shifted to the ports of Oregon and Washington, San Francisco's permanence as one of the 

greatest ports of the country is assured by its advantageous position, 

its wealth of back country, and its command of trans-Pacific and 

transcontinental trade routes. Three large railroad systems the 

Southern Pacific (with two transcontinental lines), the Atchison, 

Topeka & Santa Fe, and the Western Pacific connect it with the 

East. Lines of the Southern Pacific Co. connect the city with different parts of the State and with the northern transcontinental lines.
SHASTA BOUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FBANCISCO. 87

The Northwestern Pacific serves Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin 

counties, on the north, and several smaller lines radiate from different ports on the bay. Only one railroad line, the Coast Line of the 

Southern Pacific, actually enters the city. The other roads have 

their terminals in Oakland and other cities around the bay.

The first settlement on the present site of San Francisco dates

from 1776. It consisted of a Spanish military post (presidio) and

the Franciscan mission of San Francisco de Asis. In

History. '

1836 the settlement of Yerba Buena (yair'ba bway'na) 

was established in a little cove southeast of Telegraph Hill. The 

name San Francisco was, however, applied to all three of these 

settlements. The United States flag was raised over the town 

in 1846, and the population rapidly increased, reaching perhaps 

900 in May, 1848. The news of the gold discoveries was followed 

by the crowds of fortune seekers, so that by the end of 1848 the 

city had an estimated population of 20,000. From that time on 

San Francisco has grown rapidly. The first regular overland mail 

communication with the East was established by pony express in 

1860, the charge for postage being $5 for half an ounce. In 1869 

the completion of the Central Pacific Railway to Oakland marked 

the beginning of transcontinental railway communication.

The city suffered from severe earthquakes in 1839, 1865, 1868, 

and 1906. In respect to property loss the disaster of April 18, 1906, 

was one of the great catastrophes of history. The actual damage 

to the city by the earthquake was comparatively slight, but the 

water mains were broken and it was consequently impossible to 

check the fires which immediately broke out and which soon destroyed a large part of the city, including most of the business section. Some 500 persons lost their lives, and the estimated damage 

to property was between $350,000,000 and $500,000,000. Reconstruction began at once, and the city was practically rebuilt in the 

three years following the earthquake.

The Ocean Shore Railroad (station at Twelfth and Mission

streets) and connecting automobile line afford a good opportunity

to see the geology along the shore from San Francisco to

Excursions from santa Cruz. The return trip may be made by railroad

San Francisco. nn /-i » r -n T

or stage across the Santa Cruz Mountains, r or a distance 

of 4£ miles north of Mussel Rock (11.9 miles from San Francisco) 

there is exposed in the bluffs along the coast a remarkable section 

of the Merced (Pliocene) formation, consisting of about 5,800 feet of 

highly inclined marine clays, shales, sandstones, conglomerates, and 

shell beds. In these beds have been found fossil remains of 53 

species of marine animals, mostly mollusks, of which three-fourths 

are still represented by forms living in the ocean to-day. The San 

Andreas rift (the fracture along which displacement occurred in the
88 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

San Francisco earthquake of 1906) passes out to sea at the mouth of 

a little ravine half a mile north of Mussel Rock and is crossed by the 

railroad. The exposures of the Merced formation along the sea cliffs 

were much finer before the San Francisco earthquake, which shook 

down some of the cliffs. From Tobin (18.1 miles) to Green'Canyon 

(21.1 miles) the bed of the Ocean Shore Railroad is cut in bold 

sea cliffs high above the water and affords not only fine shore scenery 

but also an excellent section of rocks that probably belong to the 

Martinez (Eocene) formation. The contact of these rocks with a 

large mass of pre-Franciscan granite (quartz diorite), which forms 

Montara Mountain, a bold ridge that extends southeastward from 

this part of the coast, is crossed by the railroad between Tobin and 

Green Canyon. At the north end of Seal Cove, opposite Moss Beach 

station (24.1 miles), the bowldery and fossiliferous sea-beach beds 

here forming the base of the Merced (Pliocene) and resting on the 

granite of Montara Mountain are well exposed.

This delightful excursion may be extended down the coast to 

Pescadero, and the return made by stage across the range and rift 

zone to San Mateo; or the traveler may continue down the coast 

to Santa Cruz and return across the range on the Southern Pacific 

line either by way of the Big Trees and Los Gatos or by Pajaro and 

Gilroy.

The characteristic thin-bedded radiolarian chert of the Franciscan 

group is well exposed about Strawberry Hill, in Golden Gate Park. 

There are good exposures of the chert also on Hunter Point, reached 

most readily by the Kentucky Street cars from Third and Market 

streets. The principal rock of the point is serpentine. A mass of 

basalt in the sea cliffs on the south side presents .a remarkable 

spheroidal and variolitic structure

The summit of Mount Tamalpais is very easily and comfortably 

reached by ferry to Sausalito, electric train to Mill Valley, and a 

mountain railway to the hotel on the top. The ferry trip is one 

of the best to be had on the bay. The .steamer passes close to the 

small island of Alcatraz, used as a military prison. To the west may 

be seen the ocean through the Golden Gate. Angel Island, with its 

interesting glaucophane schists, serpentine, and other rocks, lies to 

the right as the boat approaches Sausalito. The sedimentary rocks 

of both islands belong to the Franciscan group and are chiefly 

sandstone. The trip from Sausalito to Mill Valley by the Northwestern Pacific Railroad gives the traveler opportunity to see some 

characteristic bay-shore scenery and particularly to note how the 

waters of the bay appear to have flooded what was once a land valley. 

Mill Valley is named from an old Spanish sawmill, the frame of which 

is still standing. The views obtainable from the scenic railway and 

from the summit of Mount Tamalpais are extensive and varied. To
SHASTA ROUTE SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO. 89

the south may be seen San Francisco and Mount Hamilton (4,444 

feet). To the southeast is Mount Diablo (3,849 feet), through which 

runs the meridian and base line from which the public-land surveys 

of a large part of California are reckoned. Nearer at hand is the 

bay, with its dark-green bordering marshes, through which wind 

serpentine tidal creeks. Close under the mountain to the north is 

Lake Lagunitas (an artificial reservoir), and beyond it ridge after 

ridge of the Coast Range. To the west is the vast Pacific.

From the summit of Tamalpais one sees clearly that San Francisco Bay is a sunken area in which hilltops have become islands 

and peninsulas. This area is the northern extension of the crustal 

block whose sinking formed Santa Clara Valley. A later sag 

admitted the ocean into the valley, and the Golden Gate, formerly 

a river gorge, became a strait.

Mount Tamalpais has really three peaks: East Peak (2,586 feet), 

near which the Tavern of Tamalpais is situated; Middle Peak (about 

2,575 feet); and West Peak (2,604 feet). From the grassy hills 

1£ miles west of West Peak there is a good view of Bolinas Lagoon, 

through which passes the earthquake rift, but for close views of the 

rift topography the visitor should walk or drive through the valley 

between Bolinas Lagoon and Tomales Bay, where the effects of the 

movement of 1906 are still in many places clearly evident.

Mount Tamalpais is composed wholly of the sediments of the 

Franciscan group and the igneous rocks usually associated with them, 

though it is chiefly sandstone. A mass of radiolarian chert occurs 

near the tavern, and serpentine may be seen at several places beyond 

West Peak. To one fond of walking and of marine views, a trip on 

foot to West Peak, thence down the main ridge to Muir Woods 

(redwoods), and back across the hills to Mill Valley may be heartily 

recommended. The distance is probably 8 or 9 miles. The Muir 

Woods, which bear the name of California's greatest nature lover, 

form a national monument, presented to the nation by William 

Kent, now Member of Congress from the first California district, for 

the purpose of preserving untouched by the lumberman one area of 

redwoods. No fitter memorial could be dedicated to the memory 

of John Muir, whose writings have contributed so much to the 

movement for preserving in national ownership, for public enjoyment, some of our finest scenic resources.

The geologic event of greatest human interest on the Pacific coast 

in modern times was the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. It was

produced by a sudden movement of the rocks (faultThe earthquake \ 1 -J.-J £ £ j. T_'l_ r

rift ing) along opposite sides 01 a iracture which may be 

traced for many miles in the Coast Range. The fissure existed before the earthquake of 1906, and it is evident from the 

relations of hills and valleys along it that it has been the scene of
90 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

earher and, for the most part, prehistoric movements. The last 

movement was mainly horizontal and in places amounted to about 

.20 feet. The San Andreas rift, as this fissure has been called, lies 

just west of San Francisco, and its course is marked on sheet 13 

(p. 90). '

The cracks in the soil that mark the line of the last displacement 

(PI. XXXIII, B, p. 127) and the parallel ridges and valleys that show 

older displacements along the fault zone are well displayed in Spring

Valley, 13 miles south of 

San Francisco, and especially near Skinner's 

ranch, 40 miles northwest of San Francisco.

NW.

Trees

House House Trees move 

with ref

fa.)

FIGURE 12. Earthquake effects at Skinner's ranch, near Olema, 

Cal. The relative position of the ranch house and trees on opposite sides of the fault plane shows that the horizontal movement was about 15 feet, a, Before earthquake; b, after earthquake.

To reach Spring Valley the visitor should 

take a Southern Pacific 

train to San Mateo (18

miles) , where a COnveyance may be obtained 

for a drive through Spring Valley along Crystal Spring and San 

Andreas lakes.

Skinner's ranch can be reached by the ferry to Sausalito and the 

Northwestern Pacific Railroad to Point Reyes station, from which 

the ranch is only 2 miles distant, near Olema. In this region may be 

seen best the earth cracks along the fault line. Near the ranch house 

there is striking evidence of the horizontal character of the movement 

that produced the earthquake. The house formerly had two trees in 

front of it. The fault line, which trends northwest, passes between 

the trees and the house, and the trees were moved 15 feet to the 

southeast with reference to the house. (See fig. 12.) There was no 

perceptible vertical movement nor any change in the water line along 

Tomales Bay.
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 13

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE j

SHASTA AND COAST ROUTJS

From Seattle, Washington, to San Francisco, Caliijrnia

and

From Los Angeles, California, to San Francisco, Cajfornia

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVF

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.

MAP SHOWING GEOUOGIC FORMATIONS AIDNS THE SOUTH SHORE OFSAN WBLCAY.

SECTION SHOWING STRUCTURE ALONS THE SOUTH SHORE OF SAN PABLO BAY

38'

123' 122V

A 

B

I 

EXPLANATION

Stream deposits (alluvium), sand dunes, and beach sands Quaternary

Fresh-water gravels, sands, and clays (Santa Clara formation, early Quaternary and Pliocene) ; marine clay, 

sandstone, and conglomerate (Merced formation, Plio- Quaternary sandstone, and conglomerate (Merced lormation, rno-| andTertiarv 

cenej; and stratfied light-colored pumice (Pinole tuff.j u iciu" * 

Pliocene)

Light-colored soft sandstone and .chalky bituminous"' 

shale (San Pablo formation and Monterey group); 

Miocene

D Hard sandstone above (Tejon formation); chiefly conglomerate with sandstone; some shale and thin limestone (Martinez formation) below; Eocene

E Lava flows (basalt and rhyolite)

F Massive yellowish sandstone with conglomerate member 

below (Chico formation, Upper Cretaceous), underlain 

by calcareous and arenaceous shale (Knoxville formation, Lower Cretaceous)

G Chiefly intrusive rocks (basalt, diabase, gabbro, peridotite, pyroxenite, serpentine); Jurassic (?)

hi Sandstones with subordinate shales, locally alternating 

with varicolored radiolarian cherts and some limestone; 

local schists due to metamprphism on contact of 

igneous rocks (Franciscan group); Jurassic (?)

1 Granite (quartz diorite)

-O

Tertiary

Mesozoic

Taylorville

Pre-Jurasste (?)

O

Scale 500,000

Approximately 8 miles to 1 inch 

5 ip 15 20Miles

10 IS SOKilotneters

Contour interval 200 feet

ELEVATIONS IN FEET ABOVE MEA.K SEA LEVEL

n, *,<. *,, from Los Angeles. C././orm 

The distances from Seattle. Washington.

The crossties on the railroads are spaced J mile apart

123'
COAST LINE. 1

LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO.

Los Angeles (Spanish pronunciation, loce ahn'h ay-lace) is the

metropolis of the Southwest and is preeminently a city of homes. It

lies on Los Angeles River (see sheet 1 A, p. 102) only 15

Los Angeles. miles from the sea and is built on a series of broad

> Elevation 293 feet. steplike terraces which, although now from 250 to 500

Population 319,198. f ' '° . -

feet above sea level, were probably in part carved by 

the waves of the ocean. The situation of these terraces and their 

equable climate (mean temperature, January 54°, August 72°) have 

made Los Angeles and its sister city, Pasadena, two of the most 

attractive home cities in the world.

The Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles (city of 

Our Lady the Queen of the Angels) was founded by the Spaniards 

in 1781, and the Plaza Church, marks the site of the old village. It 

'became an American possession in '1846 but attracted little attention 

until the transcontinental railways were built. In 1885, although a 

century old, Los Angeles was still a town of adobe houses with but 

few more than 11,000 people. The opening of this delightful region 

brought floods of settlers. In 1900 it had a population of 102,479, and 

^ in 1910 this had more than trebled. A city census taken in June, 

1915, indicated a population of 528,000. The residential portion of 

the city is noted for its many beautiful mansions embowered in semii tropical bloom and verdure. The rapidly growing eucalyptus, from 

Australia, and the graceful pepper tree, from Peru, with palms, 

native and foreign, are the most abundant trees in the streets and 

parks. Although largely residential, the city has over 2,300 factories, whose output in 1913 was valued at more than $157,000,000.

The water supply is excellent and is brought by an aqueduct from 

Owens Valley, 226 miles away. For the building of this aqueduct 

. across the desert and through the mountains $23,000,000 in bonds 

were issued.

Los Angeles is in the heart of the fruit-growing region of southern 

California. The surrounding plains and valleys are covered with 

vineyards and orchards olives, oranges, and lemons. The shipment 

of citrus fruit from the region in the season of 1913-14 amounted to 

40,000 carloads.

In Los Angeles and vicinity there are about 50 moving-picture

' studios, representing an investment of several million dollars. This

region is said to be the center of the world's film-producing industry.

,t> ' A large part of the material relating to the route between Loa Angeles and Watsonville Junction haa been furnished by Mr. Ralph Arnold.

91
92 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTEBN UNITED STATES.

The Museum of History, Science, and Art is one of the most interesting places in the city. It has fine collections in many branches, 

exhibited in an attractive and instructive manner. The museum 

authorities control the wonderful bone deposits (PI. XXV, B] in 

the asphalt springs of Rancho La Brea, about 8 miles directly west 

of the city. These springs have been for centuries the most effective 

natural animal trap known, and the asphalt has preserved the boiies 

of the thousands of animals caught in its deceptive and sticky pools. 

The skeletons of elephants, camels, sloths, saber-toothed tigers, bears, 

and myriads of smaller animals, including many birds, are being 

gradually dug out and set up in the museum (PI. XXV, A). Among 

the bones has recently been found the skull of a human being who 

lived probably not less than 10,000 years ago, contemporaneously with 

many animals now extinct.

In the northern part of the city is a belt of oil-producing territory 

5£ miles long, covering an area of 2 square miles. Hire hundreds of 

derricks have been erected in close proximity to dwellings. 1

1 The following notes are based on a concise account of the geology and technology 

of the California oil fields by Ralph 

Arnold and V. R. Garfias.

The production of petroleum in California is the most important mineral industry in the State, the annual value of the 

oil output equaling that of all the metals. 

Since 1903, with the exception of 1907 

and 1908, California has annually produced more petroleum than any other 

State in the Union, and in 1914 the production was over 100,000,000 barrels.

The most productive fields are in the 

southern part of the great San Joaquin 

Valley, which lies in the central part of 

the State, and in the region along the 

coast from the vicinity of Los Angeles to a 

point a little north of Santa Barbara 

County (fig. 13).

Oil is found in commercial quantity in 

geologic formations ranging in age from 

Cretaceous to Quaternary. The principal formations are shown in the table on 

page 94, the oldest at the bottom, the 

youngest at the top. All these formations 

are not present in any one region, and the 

thicknesses given are rough estimates.

i'n southern California the oldest formation containing oil in commercial quantities is the Topatopa (Eocene), from 

which wells in Simi Valley and at a few

places in the Santa Clara River valley 

obtain oil. The oil so far produced from 

this formation is small in amount but it 

is very light and brings a higher price 

than any other oil in California.

The shale of the upper part of the Monterey group (Miocene) is the principal 

source of oil in California and has yielded 

oil in the Santa Maria, Santa Clara, and 

Puente Hills districts. The gravity of 

the oil ranges from 12° to 35° Baume. 

This shale is made up largely of the remains of diatoms minute aquatic plants 

composed of a jelly-like substance surrounded by a shell of silica. Only the 

hard shells are now visible. They may 

be seen with a strong magnifying glass in 

the earthy varieties of this shale, the more 

common forms appearing as flat disks 

which look like minute percussion caps. 

The soft matter is believed to have been 

changed into petroleum. Besides the 

diatoms the shale contains the shells of 

minute animal forms called foraminifers, 

the soft matter from which probably also 

formed part of the petroleum. The oil 

formed from these animals and plants has 

moved into the sandy beds interstratified 

with the shale, where it fills the spaces 

between the sand grains; or into the 

cracks and joint planes in the hard and 

flinty shale itself.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE XXV

A. LA BREA WING OF THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY, SCIENCE, AND ART AT LOS ANGELES, CAL.

The restored forms, in order from front to rear, are the mastodon (Mammut americanurn), grant ground sloth 

(Mylodon), ancient ox or bison (Bosantiquus), male and female, and saber-toothed tiger (Smilodon californicus). 

In the case in front of the mastodon is the only human skull yet found in the deposits.

B. FOSSIL BONES IN ASPHALT DEPOSIT OF RANCHO LA BREA, NEAR LOS ANGELES, CAL.
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 93

ExCUrTnge.ers0m

With the permission of the Museum of History, Science, and Art 

the Rancho La Brea may be visited. On the way thither the traveler 

passes over a portion of the great alluvial plain of Los 

Angeles, which is underlain, at least in part, by three 

Quaternary formations, the oldest of which is a marine 

deposit laid down horizontally on the beveled edges of a very thick 

series of tilted Pliocene beds. This marine Quaternary deposit has a 

thickness of 100 feet in the northwestern part of the city but thins 

to an edge near the ancient sea cliff beyond. Los Angeles River excaFIGURE 13. Map showing the oil fields of California.
94 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

vated a valley about a mile wide and 100 feet deep in the marine deposit 

and filled the trench with river deposits, the second Quaternary formation. This in turn is covered by the alluvium of the present plain.

Geologic formations in the oilfields of the coastal region of southern California.

Era.

Cenozoic.

Mesozoic.

Paleozoic.

System or 

period.

Quaternary.

Tertiary.

Cretaceous.

Jurassic?

Series or 

epoch.

Recent.

Pleistocene.

Pliocene.

Miocene.

Oligocene.

Eocene.

Upper 

Cretaceous.

Lower 

Cretaceous 

or Shasta.

Group or formation.

Alluvium, terrace deposits.

i

' Paso Rob lea 

1 formation.

i

formation. ' T>- , 0 , 1 Pismo and Santa

' Margaritafor- 

'j mations.

Monterey group, including 

Vaqueros sandstone.

Sespe formation.

Tejon formation.

Martinez formation.

Topatopa 

for mation.

Chico formation. 

-Unconformity 

Knoxville formation.

Franciscan group.

-Unconformity 

Schist and limestone intruded by granite.

Approximate 

thickness, 

in feet.

1, 000

1,000

7,000 

2,000

10, 000

4,300

5,000

4,000

4,000

3,000±

1,000 ±

?

Quantity of oil and 

quality (Baume).

Large deposits of 

oil' 11° 19°

Also asphaltum.

Oil; 12°-35°.

Good oil; 26°- 

36°. Also 

some heavier 

oil.

Some high-grade 

oil; lower oil 

horizon.

-
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 95

Other excursions may be made to the coast at Long Beach (south, 

21 miles), Santa Monica (west, 17 miles), Redondo (southwest, 23

The Fernando and its equivalent postMonterey formations contain the most 

important oil reservoirs in the State, 

owing in great measure to their unconformable position upon the underlying 

Monterey group, which has facilitated 

the upward migration of the oil originating 

in the Monterey. In general the Fernando sediments consist of more or less 

incoherent conglomerates and sands, 

clayey shales, and soft clays. With some 

exceptions the oil produced by the Fernando is of the fuel type, its gravity ranging from 11° to 19° Baum6. Large deposits of asphaltum, the residuum from oil 

escaping into 'the Fernando from the 

Monterey group, occur at a number of 

places.

The oil in the California fields, as in 

most others throughout the world, occurs 

in inclined or sloping beds of porous sand, 

and these oil sands are usually overlain 

and underlain by water sands, which are 

separated from the oil sands by impervious clay, shale, or other strata.

The principal oil fields adjacent to Los 

Angeles are those of the Los Angeles district and the Puente Hills district. The 

Los Angeles district includes the City 

'field, lying in the city of Los Angeles, 

and the Salt Lake field, immediately 

west of the city limits, about 4$ miles 

from its business center.

The City field was discovered in 1892, 

when a 155-foot shaft was sunk near a 

small deposit of brea on Colton Street. 

The first successful well was drilled later 

in that year on Second Street, and by the 

end of 1895 there were more than 300 

wells. This field forms a narrow belt 

about 5$ miles long running through the 

northern part of the city; the total area is 

about 2 square miles. The wells are from 

500 to 1,200 feet in depth, and the gravity 

of the oil ranges from 12° to 19° Baume". 

The limits of the field are well defined. 

The wells have always been small producers, necessitating pumping, and owing 

to the great number of wells drilled within 

a small area the field has been drained at

a rapid rate and water has been allowed 

to enter the oil sands in many areas.

The first well in the Salt Lake field was 

drilled in 1901 by the Salt Lake Oil Co., 

and since 1902 this field has been the 

chief producer in the Los Angeles district. The wells are deeper than in the 

City field, ranging between 1,200 and 

3,000 feet, and the average gravity of the 

oil is between 16° and 18° Baitme'. Considerable gas under strong pressure accompanies the oil, which causes the wells 

to gush during the early part of their life.

The oil in the Los Angeles district is 

derived largely from the upper 500 feet 

of the Monterey group and the basal beds 

of the Fernando formation. During 1914 

the district produced about 2,500,000 

barrels of oil, and between 1894 and the 

end of 1914 it produced over 40,000,000 

barrels. At present there are about 700 

producing wells in the district. The average daily production for each well in the 

City field is about 2% barrels and in the 

Salt Lake field about 23 barrels.

The oils of the City field are uniform in 

quality, although they vary considerably 

in gravity. They contain considerable 

sulphur, and owing to the entire absence 

of light products are of little value for 

refining, being used almost entirely for 

fuel. The oils produced in the Salt 

Lake field show a marked similarity in 

general properties, being characterized 

by a high percentage of sulphur. The 

heavy oils are highly viscous and yield 

considerable asphalt.

The Puente Hills district, from 12 to 34 

miles southeast of Los Angeles, was the 

second oil district discovered in California. The first producing well in it 

was completed in 1880. Until 1893 the 

Puente Hills and Santa Clara River 

Valley districts yielded practically all 

the oil produced in California. The 

average depth of the wells in the Puente 

Hills district is somewhat more than 

1,300 feet and the average life of the wells 

is about 16 years. The gravity of the oil 

varies between 21° and 32° Baume.
96 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

miles), and San Pedro (south, 22 miles). San Pedro is the chief harbor of Los Angeles and is being greatly improved by the Federal Government. San Pedro Mountain, northwest of the town, has a core of 

older igneous rocks encircled by Tertiary beds. The slope of the hill 

is scored by a series of horizontal terraces suggestive of great steps. 

These were cut by the ocean waves when the land stood at lower 

levels. Deadman Island, near San Pedro, is one of the best localities 

on the Pacific coast to collect Pliocene and Pleistocene fossils.

From San Pedro steamers ply to Santa Catalina,1 a mountainous 

island composed chiefly of Franciscan (Jurassic?) rocks. The sea 

fishing here is famous, and through the crystal-clear water the sea 

bottom and the plants and animals that inhabit it may be seen from 

glass-bottomed boats.

About 9 miles east of Los Angeles is San Gabriel Mission, founded in 

1771, and near by is the interesting church erected in 1804 of material 

brought from Spain. Pasadena is easily reached by train or electric 

car. Trips likely to prove more interesting to lovers of nature or 

science are those to Mount Lowe and Mount Wilson. These summits 

belong to the San Gabriel Mountains, which present an abrupt face 

on the north side of. the San Gabriel Valley. They are composed of 

granitic and other crystalline rocks which contain gold and other 

precious metals.

Mount Lowe (5,650 feet above sea level) is reached by the Pacific 

Electric Railroad from Los Angeles to Echo Canyon. From the 

canyon a cable railway runs over a 1,000-foot ascent to the summit of 

Echo Mountain (4,015 feet), where connection is made with a mountain railway for Alpine Tavern (5,000 feet). A trail leads from the. 

tavern to the summit, from which a fine view may be obtained. The 

mountain mass is composed chiefly of granitic rocks, which by their 

disintegration have furnished much sedimentary material for the 

Tertiary deposits of the foothills and adjacent lowlands.

Mount Wilson (5,750 feet) may be ascended afoot or on burros 

from Sierra Madre (mah'dray), a station on the electric tramway.

The lighter grades of oil are believed 

to come from the Mpnterey group; the 

heavier grades are derived largely from 

the coarser sediments of the Fernando.

On December 31, 1912, there were 470 

producing wells in the Puente Hills district, and the output for the year was 

nearly 7,000,000 barrels. The total production of the field from 1889 to 1912, 

inclusive, was nearly 41,000,000 barrels. 

The oil produced varies in composition, 

the greater part being of light grade and 

utilized by refineries near Los Angeles.

1 The topography of Santa Catalina 

 Island presents a striking contrast to that 

of the neighboring mainland and to that 

of San Clemente Island, which lies farther 

out in the ocean. The mainland and San 

Clemente Island show old beach lines 

and sea terraces standing high above the 

present shore and have therefore risen, 

but Santa Catalina Island shows no such 

markings; on the contrary, as Prof. A. C. 

Lawson has pointed out, this island presents unmistakable evidence of having 

subsided.
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FEANCISCO. 97

At the top is the solar observatory of the Carnegie Institution. The 

view is extensive and very beautiful. The rocks, like those of Mount 

Lowe, are highly crystalline. Hotels on the summit and northern 

slope make it possible to remain overnight on the mountain.

The great Los Angeles plain, on which the main part of the city 

of Los Angeles is built, has been trenched by the streams that cross 

it in a succession of steps or terraces. As the train leaves the Arcade 

Station the principal river terrace can be seen on the left by looking 

up some of the streets, particularly Main Street just below the 

Plaza.

Passing northward and eastward from the business portion of the 

city the train goes through the Southern Pacific Railroad yards, 

across which, to the left, can be seen the tops of the derricks at the 

east end of the City oil field. The oil wells were drilled close together

in the residence portion of the city and, although many of the derricks have been removed, enough are left to attract attention.

North of the railroad yards the main line runs along Los Angeles 

Biver for half a mile. The river here cuts across the beds on the south 

flank of the main arch or anticline of the City oil field and exposes a 

fine section of the Miocene sandstone (Monterey) along its west bank. 

The beds dip south at angles ranging from 20° to 50°. About 472 

miles from San Francisco the line crosses Los Angeles River opposite 

Elysian Park (on the hill to the left). The railroad continues up 

the east bank past fine orchards and berry farms. The hills to the 

right (east) are composed largely of the Miocene sandstone, folded 

into one or more well-developed anticlines. Farther north and east 

shales of Miocene (Monterey) age overlie these sandstones and form 

the rolling hills between Los Angeles and Pasadena.

The prominent peak to the left (west) of the railroad, opposite

Tropico, is Cahuenga (ca-wain'ga) Peak (elevation 1,825 feet), of

the Santa Monica Range. It consists largely of

Tropico. granitic rocks, but north of the peak a thick coarse

Elevation 434 feet. conglomerate lies against the granite. South of the

peak are flows and dikes of dark lava (basalt) and

sandstones and shales of the Monterey group.

It is believed that south of Cahuenga Peak there is a strong fissure 

(fault) along which the rocks on the south side have sunk or those on 

the north side risen. This fault probably extends westward along 

the base of the Santa Monica Range, of which Cahuenga Peak is the 

easternmost point. The central mass of the range consists largely 

of gneiss .and black schist. Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks flank this 

crystalline core farther west, in the region north of Santa Monica. 

96286° Bull. 614 15 7
98 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Between Tropico and West Glendale the San Gabriel Range,

rising from 2,000 to 3,000 feet above the valley, may be seen on the

right (north). This range consists entirely of granitic

West G en ale. ^^ gnejLgsoj(j T0cfest Structurally it is a great block

Los Angeles 8 miles. ^ hag been ^^ up ^^ ft we]I.defined fault

which extends along the south base of the range from the region of 

West Glendale to the vicinity of Eagle Rock, just west of Pasadena. 

Eagle Rock, at the east end of the Eagle Rock Valley, which can be 

seen from the railroad in the vicinity of West Glendale, is an old 

landmark composed of a locally hardened mass of Miocene (Monterey) conglomerate. The "eagle" on the side of the rock is caused 

by shadows cast by overhanging portions of the conglomerate. The 

fault is very pronounced in the vicinity of Eagle Rock, where in consequence of it the conglomerate beds on the south dip steeply toward 

the granitic mass on the north, although of course they are cut off 

at the fault and do not go under the granite.

At Burbank the Coast Line turns off westward from the Valley 

Line and enters San Fernando Valley, noted for its large production 

of hay and fruit. South of Burbank, in the little 

m an ' valley at the northeast foot of Cahuenga Peak, on 

fce <* of San Fernando Valley, is Universal City, 

the only city in the world built solely for the production of moving-picture film. This magic place can be changed 

in a few days to get any scene or setting desired Athens, Rome, 

London, Paris, New York, Hindu streets, Afghan villages, all with 

true local color. Ten miles-of film can be made here in a week. 

The city contains 3,000. or 4,000 persons, employees of the picture 

company, and a zoo comprising several hundred wild animals.

The Monterey beds on the north flank of the SantaMonicaRange, 

south of the railroad, are intruded by basalt dikes and associated 

with flows of the same lava. Overlying the Monterey, and deposited 

later than the basalt flows, is the Fernando formation, consisting of 

conglomerates, sandstones, and soft shales, which dip toward the 

valley. The Fernando beds also flank the eastern extremity of the 

San Fernando Hills north of the San Fernando Valley. This formation is full of fossil shells and other marine organisms, which indicate 

upper Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene age.

About 3 miles west of Burbank the railroad crosses Tujunga (toohoon'ga) Wash, which marks the underground channel of a tributary 

to Los Angeles River. This phenomenon of underflow is characteristic of the arid and semiarid regions of the Southwest. Several 

mountain streams unite in forming Tujunga River, which debouches 

from the mouth of a canyon into Tujunga Wash. The water immediately sinks out of sight and flows through coarse gravels and sands 

under the plain until it reaches the hard rocks north of Cahuenga
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 99

Peak, where it rises in springs and enters Los Angeles River, a perennial stream which supplied the city of Los Angeles with water 

until the Owens River supply became available. Many legal contests have arisen over the efforts of the people owning the land 

along Tujunga Wash to sink wells into the subterranean river, but 

the courts have held that the right of the city of Los Angeles to this 

water is as well founded as if the river flowed on top of the ground. 

Very little water flows over Tujunga Wash except during certain 

parts of the rainy season. Passengers often wonder why the railroad builds long trestles across apparently dry, cactus-covered desert, 

but during the torrential rains which occur every few years the wash 

becomes a raging torrent. Settlers who are not familiar with the 

characteristics of such washes are often robbed of their entire land 

holdings by changes of channel.

At milepost 457 the railroad crosses the pipe line from Owens River.

The traveler looking eastward from San Fernando Valley obtains 

a good view of the west end of the San Gabriel Range, which 

extends from the low Fernando Pass, utilized by the Valley Line of 

the Southern Pacific, eastward to Cajon Pass, north of San Bernardino, 

a distance of 70 miles. The culminating peak in the eastern portion 

of the range is Old Baldy, 10,080 feet in elevation. This peak, often 

snowcapped, is visible from Los Angeles. The western end of the 

range, including Mount Wilson and Mount Lowe, is lower, rising only 

to a general elevation of 3,000 to 4,000 feet. Some sedimentary beds 

of the Fernando formation flank the granitic rocks at the west end 

of the range and are faulted into contact with these rocks on the south. 

On a clear day the sedimentary rocks can be easily distinguished from 

the granites by their yellow color.

At milepost 455 the Pacific Electric Railway track is crossed. On 

the left in the distance from Raymer station is the

ymer" large white schoolhouse at Van Nuys, a town on 

a branch line of the Southern Pacific that runs 

through an agricultural district south of the Coast 

Line and nearer the river.

Zelzah is the great hay center of the San Fernando Valley. The

region yields about 40,000 tons annually, of which 95 per cent is

barley hay. Much fruit is also raised in the valley,

Zelzah. ^ne orcnar(js being irrigated by pumping ground

Elevation 803 feet. water. As the road approaches the west end of the

Los Angeles 25 miles. ^ 7 i f . .

San Fernando Valley the most prominent elevation 

to the left is Saddle Peak, the name being suggested by the obvious 

similarity of the mountain top to a saddle. The rocks here are very 

resistant sandstones and the crest of the ridge is rugged and almost 

inaccessible. The Santa Susana Range bounds the north side of this 

part of the valley.
100 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

To a geologist one of the most impressive sights of the whole trip 

from Los Angeles to San Francisco is the great escarpment of thickbedded Eocene sandstones which blocks the west 

Chatsworth. end of the San Fernando Valley. From the east the 

Elevation 952 feet. beds are seen to lie one on top of another to a height

of nearly 1 > 20Q feet above the vaRey. The continuation of these beds, whose edges are thus visible, lies 

under the San Fernando Valley, and the escarpment indicates a 

great break in the earth's crust along which the rocks on the northwest side have been heaved up or those on the southeast side have 

sunk. In other words, the steep slope that closes the west end of 

the valley is a fault scarp. The faulting took place many hundreds 

of years ago and the cliff has, of course, since been modified by the 

action of water and air. This great fault extends from the southwest corner of the valley in a north-northeasterly direction into the 

Santa Susana Mountains. The Eocene sandstones are eroded into 

grotesque shapes, some of them suggestive of battlements rising 

steeply above the railroad.

Sandstone from the Topatopa formation (Eocene) quarried 2 miles 

northwest of Chatsworth is utilized for the San Pedro Breakwater 

and also as a building stone.

After passing through two tunnels which penetrate minor ridges the 

railroad goes through a tunnel, 7,369 feet long, about 500 feet below 

the Santa Susana Pass. The line between Los Angeles and Ventura 

counties is crossed midway of this tunnel. The Eocene beds (Topatopa) dip west at a rather low angle, so that the tunnel, from east to 

west, cuts successively younger or higher beds in the formation. 

Soon after leaving the tunnel, the train goes through some cuts of 

coarse Eocene conglomerate which overlies the beds just described. 

These rocks form the east end of Simi (see'me) Valley, which comes 

into view as the train proceeds westward beyond the tunnel.

Although the Eocene series here is more than 3,000 feet thick, the 

dip of the beds to the west soon carries them out of sight under the 

younger formations. The rocks immediately overSanta Susana. lying the coarse Eocene sandstone and conglomerate 

Elevation 964 feet. are sof£ rusty-brown sandstones of Oligocene age 

Los Angeles 37 miles. , _, J <? - .,f the Sespe formation. On the north (right) side ot 

the valley, opposite milepost 436, oil derricks of the Newhall field 

are seen in the distance near the base of some low hills lying in front of 

the main Santa Susana Range. These derricks mark the position 

of wells that penetrate the uppermost beds of the Eocene (Topatopa 

formation), on the flanks of a well-developed arch or anticline in 

these beds. The anticline extends eastward along the base of the hills. 

The wells range in depth from 300 to 1,800 feet and yield from 5 to 

200 barrels each daily of 37° Baume" oil, the best oil hi the State.
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 101

The light-colored beds showing low in the hills behind the derricks 

belong to the Sespe formation (Oligocene). Above them are darker 

beds belonging to the Vaqueros sandstone (lower Miocene). The 

very lightest beds at the top are the Monterey shale (Miocene). 

A full sequence of the formations is found in some of the canyons 

running northward from the Simi Valley to the crest of the range.

The hills immediately south of the town of Santa Susana consist of 

the rusty beds of the Sespe (Oligocene) formation. Farther back are 

the underlying Topatopa (Eocene) beds. Still farther south the 

Santa Monica Range consists of a thick series of Cretaceous sedimentary rocks cut by complicated masses of igneous rocks, largely of 

Miocene age.

The Simi Valley, like the San Fernando Valley, owes its existence 

and general form to the folding and faulting of the rocks that is, it is 

essentially a structural valley and not wholly or chiefly the work of 

erosion. It is filled with alluvium to an unknown depth. On the 

north side of the valley a well-defined sag in the strata (a syncline) 

underlies the line of hills between the crest of the nearest range and 

the crest of the most northern range visible. This northern range 

forms the south side of Santa Clara Valley1 from Saugus to Ventura. 

On both sides of that valley are productive oil fields that yield petroleum ranging from a heavy, tarry oil to an oil of very light gravity 

that is much sought after by the refiners of illuminating oil.2

1 There are at least two Santa Clara valleys in California one in Ventura and 

Los Angeles counties, drained by Santa 

Clara River, and the well-known fertile 

lowland just south of San Francisco Bay, 

in Santa Clara County. The traveler 

from Los Angeles to San Francisco passes 

through parts of both of these valleys and 

should keep the distinction in mind.

2 The Santa Clara district is the oldest 

oil-producing territory in the State, the 

first oil being obtained here about 48 years 

ago from tunnels driven near Ventura and 

on the south flank of Sulphur Mountain. 

Thefirst productive well in California was 

drilled near Ventura in 1867. The district includes the region on both sides of 

Santa Clara River from the Newhall field, 

in Los Angeles County, 40 miles northwest 

of Los Angeles, to the Ojai Valley field, in 

Ventura County, about 50 miles farther 

west. The Santa Clara district produced 

practically all the oil in the State up to 

1880, when the Puente Hills district was 

discovered. The bulk of the production 

is of refining grade. The yield in 1913

was 1,042,348 barrels, most of which was 

piped to seaboard.

The district comprises 13 fields, some of 

which are in almost inaccessible places, 

the productive territory being confined to 

very narrow strips along the crests of sharp 

folds. The wells range in depth from 200 

to 3,700 feet, a large number being less 

than 1,000 feet deep. It is estimated that 

the average depth of the wells is less than 

in any other district in the State.

The heaviest oil, ranging from 11° to 16° 

Banine", is found in the Ojai Valley, Hopper Canyon, and Elsmere Canyon fields. 

Practically all the other fields yield refining oil ranging from 23° to 38° Baume". 

The wells vary greatly in capacity, some 

having an initial flow of 500 to 600 barrels 

a day and some being profitably operated 

for a yield of 2 barrels a day or even less. 

It is estimated that the average daily production per well for the entire district in 

1913 was 7.2 barrels.

Although practically all the fields have 

been operated for many years, the territory is by no means all prospected, and
102 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Simi.

A stratigraphic arch, the Simi anticline, crosses the mouth of Tapo 

Canyon from east to west, extends westward for 2 or 3 miles, and 

then gradually swings toward the southwest, crossing 

the west end of the Simi Valley. The hills which 

Population 748.* ^mjt ^3 vauey on the west have been carved by

Los Angeles 42 miles. . J f , r i i T < v T mi erosion from the upfolded beds ol this anticline. The 

beds on the north flank of the anticline are well exposed in the hills 

northwest of the valley.

From the town of Simi the railroad follows Arroyo Simi to Moorpark. The rocks exposed in the cuts along the arroyo (Spanish for 

small stream) are chiefly conglomerates and sandstones of the Sespe 

(Oligocene) formation. The same rocks also compose the low hills 

on both sides of the track as far as one can see.

An old terrace is visible on the north side of the track at the head

of the Little Simi Valley, north of the village of Moorpark. This

terrace was probably formed at the same time as

Moorpark. some of the marine terraces on the coast, though it

Elevation 511 feet. jg doubtless due to stream erosion and not to waves.

Los Angeles 48 miles. . Moorpark is a center lor barley, hay, dried fruit, and 

beans. Water for irrigation is pumped from Little Simi Creek. West 

of Moorpark the rocks of the Fernando formation form low hills on 

both sides of Little Simi Valley. The high hills farthest north, including Oak Ridge, consist of the Vaqueros and higher beds of the 

Monterey group, which here have an anticlinal structure. Remnants of the old river terrace appear along the south side of Little 

Simi Valley for 2 or 3 miles below Moorpark, and near the west end 

of the valley suggestions of other less prominent terraces are seen on 

both sides. Little Simi Valley owes its form partly to structure but 

largely to erosion.

From Ternez and Lagol, in the western part of the Little Simi Valley, fine distant views may be had to the right (north) of San Cayetano Mountain (4,122 feet), which lies beyond Oak Ridge and Santa 

Clara River, just west of Sespe Canyon. The mountain consists 

largely of Eocene (Topatopa) and overlying Oligocene (Sespe) beds. 

Its southern slope is a fault scarp modified by erosion.

North and.west of San Cayetano Mountain are visible the Topatopa 

Mountains, a prominent range in the Santa Barbara National Forest. 

This range is the eastern extension of the Santa Barbara and Santa

additions to the productive areas are being 

made from time to time.

The formations involved in the geology 

of the district include a basal complex of 

granitic and gneissic rocks, on which rest 

the Topatopa, Sespe, Vaqueros, Monterey 

(upper part), and Fernando sedimentary 

formations. All these sedimentary formations contain oil, but the Sespe is the 

most productive.

The production of the Santa Clara district in 1870 was 3,600 barrels. The 

production in 1913 was 1,042,348 barrels, 

and the total production of the district, 

including that of 1913, has been 16,139,943 

barrels.
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 1A

CALIFORNIA

Scale 

.Approximately 8 miles to 1 inch

Contour interval 200 feet

ELEVATIONS IN FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL

Mount- in The distances from Los Angeles. California 

are shown every 10 miles

. : 7 he crossiies on the railroads are spaced I mile span 

"?

A Sea-beach deposits (sand and gravel) a 

stream deposits (mainly fine alluvium)

B Soft conglomerates, sands, and clays (Fer 

nando formation)

C Mainlylight-coloredshale of Monterey grou 

underlain by sandstone and conglomera 

(Vaqueros sandstone) of Monterey groi 

and reddish-brown and preen sand (Sespe 

formation)

D Lava and intruded masses (basalt), w 

fragmental volcanic material (tuffs)

E Sandstone with some conglomerate 

shale (Topatopa formation)

F Conglomerate overlain by sandstone and 

shale 'Chico formation)

G Granite, gneiss, schist, and slate uncon- p .-, ,

formablv underlying the Cretaceous rre-uretaceous
GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

COAST ROUTE

From Los Angeles, California, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and .profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. C. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.
COAST LIKE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FBANCISCO. 103

Ynez Range, along the south base of which the railroad runs from 

Ventura to Point Conception, a distance of nearly 75 miles. Its 

structure hi general is anticlinal, the crest of the arch being pushed 

over (overturned) to the south. It consists principally of Topatopa 

(Eocene) and Sespe (Oligocene) rocks, flanked along the lower hills by 

sandstones and shales of the Vaqueros and later beds of the Monterey group (Miocene).

The prominent sharp ridge on the right, north of Somis (see sheet

2A, p. 110) in which light-colored and reddish formations are exposed,

is the west end of Oak Ridge. It is composed largely

Somis. 0| Monterey shale, which in places has been turned

Elevation 254 feet. brick-red through the oxidation of its former oil con- Los Angeles 55 miles. . ° . ,-.-..

tent. I he hills between Somis and Oak Ridge consist largely of the Fernando formation.

In Pleasant Valley in the neighborhood of Somis and Camarillo 

(ca-ma-reeryo) there are 17,800 acres of beans now growing. Large 

_ ... quantities of honey, walnuts, and dried fruit are also

produced here. On the left (east) a few miles from 

Elevation wo feet. CamariUo is the bold northwest end of the-Santa

Los Angeles 58 miles. ,.-.,-> A , ., , , . Monica Range. At its base can be seen a quarry of a 

gray igneous rock that is extensively used by the railroad for ballast. 

The terrace near Moorpark has a counterpart in the vicinity of Camarillo, due partly to stream action and partly to wave action.

The hills north of Pleasant Valley have been carved by erosion 

from a broad east-west anticline which lies south of the main Oak 

Ridge arch. The west end of this anticline disappears (plunges) 

under the alluvium of the Hueneme (way'nay-may) Plain. Its 

flanks are covered by the soft Fernando beds, which extend northward across Santa Clara Valley.

Under the Hueneme Plain is one of the best-developed artesian 

basins in southern California. The wells range in depth from about 

50 to 200 feet and yield a good flow of excellent water that is utilized 

for irrigating beans and sugar beets, which are produced in enormous 

quantities.

Oxnard is surrounded for miles by fields of beans and beets and is 

one of the greatest sugar and bean centers in the 

Oxnard. world. In the large factory seen to the left of the 

Elevation 45 feet. railroad as the train enters the town 3,000 tons of 

beets are sliced dailJ and 1 > 5®Q carloads of sugar are 

produced annually.

A sulking of the land less than 100 feet, a moderate depression in 

comparison with movements that are known from geologic evidence 

to have taken place along the California coast, would cover the 

whole Hueneme Plain with salt water. The plain is doubtless the 

old delta of Santa Clara River, which is crossed at milepost 404, near 

Montalvo.
104 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

From Montalvo a branch of the Southern Pacific runs up Santa

Clara River to the oil district and connects with the San Joaquin

Valley line of the same company. Immediately

Montalvo. northeast of Montalvo are the remnants of one of the

Elevation go feet. Oj^ S3a or river terraces, and half a mile farther north- Los Angeles 72 miles. '

west is another remnant. The hills north of Santa 

Clara River, between Montalvo and Ventura, consist of Fernando 

beds, from 8,000 to 10,000 feet in total thickness. Fossils found in 

different layers indicate that this formation ranges in age from the 

upper Miocene to Pleistocene. (See table on p. 94.) The beds are 

soft and form the south side or limb of a broad anticline whose axis 

crosses Ventura River in an east-west direction about 2£ miles north 

of the city of Ventura. Consequently the beds near Ventura dip 

south, whereas those north of the anticlinal axis dip north. Knowledge of such structural relations as are here outlined is very important 

in prospecting for oil. This great area of Fernando beds extends 

northeastward for about 20 miles as a belt of relatively low hills 

between Sulphur Mountain on the north and Santa Clara River on the 

south.

Sulphur Mountain is an anticlinal fold of Monterey shale. The 

fold is overturned toward the south, and the steepness of the south 

face of the mountain is due to this structure. This steep face is 

plainly visible in clear weather from the railroad between Santa Paula 

and Montalvo. Some of the best oil in the State comes from wells on 

the south face of Sulphur Mountain.

The city of Ventura (abridged from San Buenaventura) is pleasantly situated on the terraced slopes overlooking the sea between the 

mouths of Santa Clara and Ventura rivers. Besides 

Ventura. being a delightful seaside resort it manufactures some 

Elevation 4 feet. machinery and has a large trade in beans, sugar beets, 

LOS Angeles 77 miles, apricots, and other crops. With its many charming 

homes, wealth of flowers, and lawns of the Japanese 

clover (Lippia repens), Ventura invites more than the passing glimpse 

to be had from the train. Its mission, built in 1782, is still in use and 

may be seen, together with the county courthouse, from the train by 

looking up the streets on the right, soon after leaving the station.

A branch line runs from Ventura up Ventura River to Nordhoff, 

16 miles away, in Ojai (o-high/) Valley, inclosed by mountains of 

which Topatopa (6,351 feet) is chief. The wild Matilija (ma-teelee'ha) Canyon and Wheelers Hot Springs are near by. Nordhoff is 

noted as a whiter resort. The route from Ventura thither crosses the 

Fernando, Monterey, and Sespe formations and the Sulphur Mountain 

fault.

On the west side of the mouth of Ventura River, about a mile northwest of Ventura, are some finely developed sea terraces. The train
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 105

skirts one of these on the right, and the deep gullies expose the sand 

and gravel on its outer edge. Remnants of the same terraces, some 

of them extending up to an elevation of about 500 feet, may be noted 

at several points from Ventura northwestward for 15 or 20 miles to the 

vicinity of the mouth of Rincon (rin-cone') Creek. That these terraces mark the positions of old sea beaches is known to the geologist 

not only from their form but from other more convincing evidence. 

Along the beaches of the present day live clamlike mollusks (Pholas) 

which by turning round and round and using their shells as a sort of 

auger, bore for themselves holes in the rock in which they live. Holes 

unmistakably formed in this way can be found along the inner edges 

of some of the terraces that are now hundreds of feet above the ocean. 

Moreover, the gravels that lie on the terraces contain many species of 

marine shells.

Rincon Mtn

Elevated 

sea beach

Cliff of Fernando 

formation

FIGUKE 14 . Generalized cross section from the Pacific Ocean to Rincon Mountain, Cal., showing apparent

relations of the formations.

For 2 or 3 miles west of Ventura the road lies on a low terrace about 

40 feet above the waves. Just beyond milepost 394, on the right, is 

a prominent hill that was formed suddenly about 40 years ago by a 

landslide that buried the stage road.

The hills along this part of the coast consist of coarse conglomerates 

and sandstones of the Fernando formation, ^dipping westward at an 

angle of about 45°. Toward the northwest the shore line cuts lower 

and lower into the formation, exposing soft sandstones and sandy shales.

Beyond Los Sauces Creek (sow'ses, Spanish for the willows), having 

crossed the anticline referred to on page 104, the traveler comes at milepost 388 to bold bluffs of the Fernando beds, which dip to the northeast and are overlain by the horizontal Pleistocene beds of an uplifted 

marine terrace. A generalized cross section from the shore to Rincon 

Mountain (fig. 14) illustrates the apparent relations of the formations 

in this region.

At a point 12 miles northwest of the mouth of Ventura River, 

near milepost 385, between Seacliff and Rincon Point (Benham),
106 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

the shore line crosses the contact between the Fernando and the 

Monterey formations. Remnants of terraces are to be seen all 

along here at different heights above sea level. The layers of the 

Monterey shale, as a rule, are highly contorted and wide areas of 

intricately crumpled shale are laid bare at low tide. In general the 

beds dip to the south at fairly high angles. The canyons which 

cut into the shale are sharp and steep sided and afford excellent 

exposures of the rocks.

At several places dark-colored oil sands are interbedded with the 

shale. The saturation of these sands is so small and the structure 

is so unfavorable that no productive wells have yet been drilled 

between Punta Gorda and Carpinteria.

At Benham the railroad crosses Rincon Creek, which is here on 

Monterey shale, and traverses an alluvial plain for several miles. 

An asphalt mine is plainly visible on the left side 

en am. track. Large quantities of this black asphaltLos Angeles 91 miles. so&k^ gand haye been mined Qut of the gea c]iff

and the asphalt distilled from it hi the old refinery near by. The 

underlying shale (Monterey), from which the oil oozed into the 

Pleistocene deposits and there evaporated in part to form the asphalt 

beds, is visible in the bottoms of the pits, and is also well exposed 

in several cuts along the track immediately south of the refinery. 

One deep well has been drilled in the Monterey beds half a mile 

east of the refinery, but no commercial deposits of oil were found.

Carpinteria (car-pin-tay-ree'ah, Spanish for carpenter shop)

was named in August, 1769, by Friar Juan Crespe and his companion

pioneers, who found the Indians making dugouts.

Carpinteria. Here is a wonderful grapevine, probably as old as

Elevation 5 feet. the missions, whose trunk is 8 feet in circumference,

os ngees m es. jarger ^^ anv otner known on the continent. Its

enormous yield of 15,000 to 20,000 pounds of grapes is unequaled, 

being several tunes more than the yield of the famous vine at Hampton Court, England.

On a sea terrace nearly 2 miles wide along the hills back of Carpinteria great quantities of fruit, nuts, and beans are raised. Beyond this alluvial terrace rises a sharp ridge composed of the Topatopa 

and Sespe formations, dipping at angles from 60° to 75° toward the 

coast. These beds are cut by a pronounced fault on the north 

side of the ridge. Still farther north, visible from the train, is the 

main Santa Barbara Range, which consists of a great anticline 

overturned to the south and exposing the beds of the Topatopa 

formation and the overlying Sespe. The beds on the south side 

of the range dip northward in consequence of this overturn. West 

of Carpinteria the terrace gradually narrows. A lagoon visible 

on the left indicates slight recent subsidence of the coast.
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 107

Summerland.

The high ridge of Topatopa and Sespe rocks extends to Toro 

Canyon, northeast of Summerland. From this point it slopes off. 

into the hills north of Summerland, which are composed of red 

sandstones and shales (Sespe), black shales and some interbedded 

sands (Vaqueros), and the overlying diatomaceous shales with two 

interbedded layers of volcanic ash of the Monterey group, all 

dipping toward the coast at high angles.

The people of Summerland, once a pleasure resort, are now successfully invading the adjacent ocean bed and 

pumping oil out of it (PI. XXVI, p. 108). The sight 

Elevation s feet. of Ojj derricks on piers extending out into the ocean

Los Angeles 99 miles. . . _, ,, , , ^^^ ,

is unique. The wells range in depth from 300 feet 

near shore to 1,200 feet at the end of the longest wharf.1

At Summerland the Monterey group is overlain by the Fernando 

formation, both dipping toward the sea. A local anticline is developed in these Fernando beds, and on the flanks of this arch and in the 

area underlain by the seaward-dipping beds is located the Summerland oil field. The Fernando beds are overlain by coarse, nearly 

horizontal beds of Pleistocene age which underlie the soil over the. 

whole Summerland-Carpinteria terrace. These beds are impregnated 

with oil in the sea cliff in Summerland, and the productive beds of the 

Fernando are also oil-bearing where exposed along the same cliff. 

A conspicuous unconformity between the two formations is exposed 

near the north end of town.

Miramar (Spanish for behold the sea), a village remarkable for its 

wealth of flowers, is between Summerland and Santa Barbara. 

The land here slopes gradually up from the ocean 

toward the foot of the range. This even slope is the

Los Angeles 100 miles. surface Qf an aUuvial deposit brought down by

streams from the mountains. Such deposits at the mouths of 

canyons are known as alluvial fans or alluvial cones.

The low hills seen to the right (northwest) on the way between 

Miramar and Santa Barbara are the remains of one or more old sea 

terraces that flank the range in the vicinity of Santa Barbara and 

have been partly eroded away. The south face of these hills consists 

of Monterey shale, dipping steeply toward the north and behind 

them toward the mountains, are successively the Vaqueros and

Miramar.

1 The Summerland oil field was opened 

in 1891 and was soon completely drilled. 

Only a few of the wells are now being 

operated, and these produce an average 

of about 2 barrels a day apiece. On 

Dec. 31, 1912, the Summerland district 

contained 152 producing wells, and the 

production for that year was 65,376 

barrels. In 1894 the production was

1,500 barrels. The greatest annual production was 208,370 barrels, the quantity 

produced in 1899, and the total production 

from 1894 to 1913, inclusive, was 1,867,594 

barrels. The oil is dark brown or black 

and ranges in gravity from 9° to 18° 

BauBie". 'It is used principally for the 

manufacture of asphalt, for fuel, or for 

road dressing.
108 GUIDEBOOK OP THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Sespe formations. The principal part of the range, as previously 

described, consists of steeply dipping beds of the Topatopa formation.

A local anticline extending in a southeasterly direction is developed 

in the hill about three-fourths of a mile west of Montecito. This 

affects the Fernando formation much like the anticline at Summerland, but although the Summerland fold yields oil the Montecito 

fold does not.

Near Santa Barbara the train passes a lagoon which, like that at 

Carpinteria, indicates a recent settling of the coast.

The city of Santa Barbara lies in a broad valley between the Santa 

Ynez (ee'ness) Range on the northeast and a group of low hills on the 

southwest. To the southeast this valley opens on 

Santa Barbara. the Santa Barbara Channel. The inclosing hills rise 

Elevation e feet. in gently sloping sea terraces on which hi great part /- 

Population 11,659. the city ^^ been built. Sheltered from the ocean

winds by the hills to the west and looking out over the 

sparkling blue waters of the channel, Santa Barbara enjoys a situation 

and a climate that have made it famous as a resort and give its gardens such beauty as can be found in few other places in the world.

The old mission church, built in 1786, is one of the best preserved 

in California and has been pictured on hundreds of post cards and 

photographs. It is well worth visiting.

Lavigia Hill, directly southwest of the city, is composed chiefly of 

beds belonging to the Fernando formation, containing at a number 

of places well-preserved fossil sea shells of Pliocene age. At the east 

base of the hill, near the bathhouse, is an exposure of soft limy beds 

(marl) containing fossil marine shells and impressions of the moss- / 

like sea animals known as bryozoans. These also are Pliocene. 

Along the coast west of Santa Barbara Point the Monterey shale is 

exposed underlying the Fernando beds of Lavigia Hill.

The hills lying at the foot of the main range just north of Santa 

Barbara and extending westward for several miles have been shaped 

by erosion from one or more old marine terraces which formerly 

stretched along the seaward base of the range.

The railroad, from a place near Santa Barbara to Point Conception, a distance of about 40 miles, follows a well-defined shore terrace 

but little above sea level. On and near this terrace are walnut 

groves, orchards, bean plantations, and broad areas of rolling oat and 

barley hay lands. From it may be had broad outlooks over the sea, 

with its floating masses of sea weed, now mapped by the Government 

as a possible source of potash, and inland views of the rugged Santa 

Ynez"Range, with its white rocks projecting from what at a distance ( 

looks like a mossy cover, of chaparral. This terrace is capped by 

soft conglomerates and sandstones which show in many railroad cuts 

their horizontal beds, wonderfully sculptured into vertical forms by 

the heavy rains of winter. (See PI. XXVII.) These uplifted shore
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

SUMMERLAND OIL FIELD, 
SCULPTURED CLIFFS ALONG COAST LINE NEAR 

The cliffs consist of gravel, sand, and clay that cap the prominent r
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FEANCISCO. 109

deposits, representing the combined action of sea waves and land 

streams, are well exposed about 6 miles north of Santa Barbara (at 

365 miles from San Francisco), where they rest on upturned and contorted beds of Monterey shale.

At Goleta (go-lay 'ta, Spanish for schooner), amid 'walnut groves 

on the right, is a nursery of the Southern Pacific Co., in which are 

grown trees, shrubs, and flowers to ornament the staGoleta. tion grounds and to plant on drifting sands in order

Elevation 38-feet. to prevent their covering the railroad. An example

Los Anuelcs 112"niil6S of this treatment of sand will be seen beyond Point 

Arguello (ar-gwail'yo, Spanish for faintness), where the Santa Ynez 

Mountains end at the ocean. A large lagoon on the left, just west 

of Goleta, indicates coastal sinking.

On the right, north of Elwood, is a famous olive grove and oil factory. West of Elwood some of the larger streams from the mountains have gashed the terrace which the railroad is 

Elwood. following, and some beautiful views of ravines and 

Elevation 84 feet. sea mav fa enjoyed from the car window. This is

Los Angeles 116 miles. . n , ,. n n n / -i *. orr,\ practically true irom J3e.LL Canyon (milepost 358) 

west to Gaviota. The larger canyons cut back into the mountains, 

exposing the several southward-dipping formations in series. The 

light-colored rocks in the main range are Topatopa, the reddish rocks 

in front of them Sespe, and the shales along the lower hills, forming 

the foundation for the terrace, are Vaqueros and later beds of the 

Monterey group.

Naples and Capitan (see sheet 3 A, p. 114) are small places beyond

Elwood. From Orella (o-rrail'ya), the next station, to Gaviota

(ga-vyo'ta, Spanish for sea gull) and a little beyond

the Monterey shale beds along the coast are very uniLos Angeles 126 miles. f ^^ ^^ & southerly dip of 3Q o t() 450^ They ^

well exposed along the foot of the sea cliff at low tide. The straight 

shore line along this part of the coast is due to the uniform trend or 

strike of the beds and their steep seaward inclination or dip, which 

render them very resistant to the attack of the waves. Nevertheless, at a number of places between Tajiguas (ta-hee'gwas), 346 miles 

from San Francisco, and Honda (ohn'da, Spanish for deep), 310 

miles, the railroad company has .been compelled to build a sea wall 

of concrete.

At several points the low terrace which the railroad follows is 

covered by bowlders from the hills immediately to the north. In 

the vicinity of Gaviota these hills come close to the shore, and a good 

view may be had of the coarse, steeply inclined sandstones.

At Alcatraz (Spanish-American pronunciation al-catrahss', meaning, pelican), on the right (north), there

LOS Angeies 134 miles. jg an Ojj refinery to which oil is piped across the

Santa Ynez Mountains from the Santa Maria field.
110 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

From Gaviota nearly to Point Conception the rocks dip south, but

at El Cojo (co'ho, Spanish for cripple), 11 miles beGaviota. yond Gaviota, the shale beds dip north, indicating

Elevation 92 feet. some complications of structure at the pronounced

Los Angeles 135 miles. , -, . f, , i- i £ Tt , ri . bend in the coast which lorms roint Conception. 

The shale extends northwestward from Point Conception to Surf 

(Lompoc Junction) .

The wind-swept country near Point Conception is devoted to the 

raising of cattle and hay. On the point are a lighthouse (PI. XXVIII, 

p. 118) and a life-saving station. From the train 

Conception. m passing from Carpinteria to Concepcion, a disEievation ice feet. tance of 56 miles, beautiful views are obtained of 

os ngees m es. ^ 5anta Barbara Islands. The intervening Santa 

Barbara Channel is shallow and, with the islands, belongs to the continent rather than the ocean. Beyond the islands the depth of water 

increases very rapidly, and this steep submarine slope, which on 

land would appear as a large cliff, marks the real boundary between 

continent and ocean. This slope has probably been formed by 

faulting as the continent. rose. It runs north and south off Point 

Conception and determines the abrupt change in the trend of the 

coast.

At milepost 320 the train crosses Jalama (ha-lah'ma) Creek. On 

the left, near the creek, is the house of an early Spanish settler who 

harbored the 200 survivors of the Yankee Blade, wrecked on this 

coast in 1856. The anchor of the Yankee Blade may be seen on the 

left (at milepost 318), in the field, just after the train emerges from a 

small tunnel a mile southeast of Sudden.

Very good exposures of Monterey shale are to be 

Sudden. seen near guclcleilj where cracks in the siliceous shales

Elevation 75 feet. are f]je(j -^h hardened asphaltum.

The lighthouse at Point Arguello is built on contorted 

Monterey shale, here very well exposed. The terrace which the railroad follows is narrow but well defined, and slopes gently toward the 

foot of the hills. At some points in the region between Sudden and 

Point Arguello there are indications of an older, higher terrace. Near 

Point Pedernales (pay-dair-nah'lace, Spanish for flints) the railroad 

crosses Canada Honda (ca-nyah'da ohn'da) Creek, near the mouth 

of which, within plain view, is the wreck of the Santa Rosa, blown 

ashore in 1911.

From Point Pedernales, which marks the western extremity of the 

Santa Ynez Mountains, northward the country near the coast is 

covered with sand dunes which have drifted from the beach over the 

terraces and lower hill slopes, impelled by the strong winds which 

continually prevail in this region. The drifting sand sometimes
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 2A

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

COAST ROUTE

From Los Angeles, California, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic 

 Sheet of that name.

120 119 30' CALI FORNIA

EXPLANATION

A Sea-beach deposits (sand and gravel) and stream deposits n,,«+ (mainly fine alluvium) yuaternary

B Conglomerates, sands, and clays (Fernando formation)

[Early Quaj ternary, 

-< Pliocene, 

and late 

[Miocene

C Mainly light-colored shale of Monterey group, underlain by~|

sandstone and conglomerate (Vaqueros sandstone) of Men-1 Miocene and 

terey group and reddish-brown and green sand (Sespe for-1 Oligocene 

mation) j

D Sandstones and shales (Topatopa formation

Scale 500,0 

Approximately 8 miles to 1 inch

... 'P ... .'5

. \\U^ lU B I

25 30Kilometers

Contour interval 200 feet

The distances Irom Los Angeles. California are shown every 10 miles 

The crossties on the railroads are spaced I mile apart

120
COAST LIKE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. Ill

covers the railroad track and delays traffic. To prevent this the 

Southern Pacific Co. is planting successfully acacia trees (Acacia 

latifolia) and a coarse, stout beach grass (Ammophila arenarid) that 

is used on the dikes in Holland.

About 5 miles southeast of Point Pedernales is a mountain called 

El Tranquillon (tran-keel-yohn', Spanish for maslin, a mixture of 

wheat and rye). The reason for the application of this name to the 

mountain is unknown. Two or three areas of Franciscan (Jurassic ?) 

rocks are exposed just north of El Tranquillon, indicating that this 

formation is the core of the main Santa Ynez uplift.

The hills northeast of Point Pedernales to an elevation of over 1,000 

feet are covered by old terrace and sand-dune deposits.

Surf (Lompoc Junction), at the mouth of Santa Ynez River, is well

named from the breakers that tumble on its broad beach Lompoc

Beach. Here the Monterey shale appears again,

Lompoc Junction. dipping to the south at a rather low angle. LomEievation47feet. pOC Beach is a "gold beach" that renews its riches

Los Angeles 172 miles. x ° , ., ., . ,,

every lew years, and occasionally it is the scene 

of beach placer mining. The strong waves due to the winter storms 

strike the Lompoc Beach between Honda and Purisima Point at & 

low angle and cause the sand to drift northward. The sand made 

up of lighter minerals drifts most rapidly, and thus leaves behind 

along this beach the black sand of dark, heavy minerals. The black 

sand contains some gold, and when the sand is long exposed to the 

concentrating wave action it may become rich enough to pay for 

washing, but the gold content is not large, the beach placers here 

being not so rich as those of the coast of northern California and 

southern Oregon.

From Lompoc Junction a branch railroad ascends the Santa Ynez 

Valley for 10 miles to the town of Lompoc. The climate and soil in 

this vicinity are particularly adapted to seed growing, and great 

quantities of beans and sweet, peas are raised here for seed. Much of 

the mustard produced in the United States comes from Lompoc. The 

largest industry of the place, however, is the mining and milling of 

diatomaceous earth, of which there are large deposits in Miocene shale 

(Monterey) a few miles to the south. Thousands of ton of white 

limestone are also shipped from Lompoc annually.

Northeast of Lompoc Junction is Burton Mesa, part of an u'i- lally 

broad and even marine terrace. For about 12 miles north of Lv. ! ^oc 

Junction to Schumann Canyon the railroad passes through a refor 

of sand dunes. These rest on a terrace cut in Monterey shale, whicl: 

just south of Tangair is hard, white, and porcelaneous. At many 

places the hard layers of the shale are full of minute cracks which contain hardened asphaltum. At other places oil seeps from the shale.
112 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTEBN UNITED STATES.

About 10 miles east-northeast of Lompoc Junction is the Lompoc 

or Purisima oil field, the wells of which are from 2,000 to 4,000 feet in 

depth and produce from 25 to 400 or 500 barrels each daily.1 

Near milepost 298, just south of Tangair, there is a cut affording 

fine exposures of the siliceous Monterey shale. Here 

^e railroad attains the summit of Burton Mesa, angair.

Elevation 210 feet. whose surface has been cut by wave action across the

Los Angeles 178 miles. .. J1V r, rj mi. x J J

tilted Monterey beds. I here is an extended view 

over it on the right.

The Fernando formation, a series of 

sandstone, conglomerate, and ehale, rests 

unconformably upon the Monterey and 

derives its chief importance in connection 

with studies of this oil district from the 

facts that it obscures the oil-bearing formation over a wide area, that it affords 

through its structure a clue to the structure of the underlying Monterey, and that 

it acts as a reservoir for the oil in the Cat 

Canyon field and as a receptacle for escaping bituminous material in several localities within the district.

This district is a region of long sinuous 

folds, a peculiar type of structure characteristic of the Santa Maria region. It is 

near the axis of these folds that the productive wells are located.

In 1913 there were 289 producing wells 

and the output was 4,938,185 barrels. The 

annual output of the district varied from 

99,288 barrels in 1902 to 8,651,172 barrels 

in 1907. The total output of the Santa 

Maria district from 1902 to 1913, inclusive, 

was 56,599,642 barrels.

This district yields four distinct grades 

of petroleum in addition to the heavy oil 

which flows from springs or collects as 

asphalt deposits. These petroleums vary 

widely in physical and chemical properties and as a consequence are utilized in 

many different ways, the lighter oils 

usually for refining and the heavier for 

fuels, road dressing, etc. The oil as it 

comes from the wells contains varying 

quantities of gas, often amounting to a 

considerable percentage. Some of this 

gas is,very rich in gasoline hydrocarbons, 

which are removed before utilizing for 

fuel. The greater portion of the oil is 

refined at Port Harford and Gaviota, from 

which it is distributed by means of tank 

steamers.

1 The Santa Maria oil district lies in 

northern Santa Barbara County, in the 

region of rolling hills between the Santa 

Ynez and San Rafael mountains. The 

district comprises three principal fields 

the Santa Maria or Orcutt field, the Lompoc field, and the Cat Canyon field. Up 

to the present time the greater part of the 

development has taken place in the 

Orcutt field, as this was the first one discovered and exploited. The first successful well was finished in August, 1901. 

The wells in this field yield from 60 to 

2,500 barrels of oil a day each, although 

initial yields of 2,000 to 12,000 barrels 

have been recorded. The gravity of the 

oil is from 18° to 31° Baume". The wells 

of the Lompoc field yield oil of 16° to 37° 

Baume". Successful wells were drilled in 

this field in 1904, and since that time the 

further development of this part of the 

district has been assured. In the Cat 

Canyon field the wells so far brought in

have yielded from 150 to as high as 10,000 

barrels a day. The oil in this field runs 

from 11° to 19° Baume".

The Pacific Coast Railway connects the 

different fields with Santa Maria, Port 

Harford, and San Luis Obispo, the last 

named on the Southern Pacific Coast 

Line. The greater quantity of the oil 

produced is piped to the refineries at 

Gaviota and Avila, on the coast; the Associated Oil Co. owns the former and the 

Union Oil Co. the latter plant. The 

Standard Oil Co., which controls a small 

part of the output, has a pipe line connecting the district with Port San Luis.

The shales of the Monterey group are 

the probable source of the oil in the district and the present reservoir in some of 

the fields and are characterized by their 

diatomaceous composition.
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 113

Beyond Schumann Canyon and Casmalia the formation exposed is

the Monterey shale, which is much folded. About

Casmaha. Casmalia considerable barley is grown for hay and

Elevation 281 feet. grain.' The rounded hills in this vicinity are golden in

Los Angeles 187 miles. *? . , , , . ., ,. , ,, £ J , ° ,

August with the bright little flowers ot the tarweed.

North of Casmaha the railroad crosses a well-defined anticline. 

Several oil wells seen on the left (west) side of the track have been 

drilled on the south flank of this fold and obtained commercial quantities of very heavy oil at depths ranging from 1,800 to 2,500 feet.

At Schumann station, which lies on the north flank of the anticline, the Monterey shale is soft and thoroughly impregnated with 

oil, which colors it dark and trickles from it in places. 

Schumann. f^g js &s gOOC[ an exposure of the soft upper beds of 

Elevation 401 feet. faQ Monterey as can be seen along the railroad. The

Los Angeles 190 miles. .. . , . . IIP , v j .v lower portion of this shale formation is hard, thin 

bedded, and siliceous, but the upper portion is softer and does not 

show the bedding as plainly.

Beyond Schumann the railroad swings to the left, and the broad 

valley of Santa Maria River may be seen on the right. The train 

passes along the northeastern base of the Casmalia Hills, where the 

rocks exposed in most of the cuts are of Pleistocene age, although 

the Fernando formation occurs in the hills a short distance south of 

the track. Several old asphalt mines may be noticed in this vicinity. 

The asphalt occurs in the form of dikes and irregular lenses in the 

soft Fernando sandstones.

On the right (east) side of the track, about 2 miles south of Guadalupe (gwa-da-loo'pay), is Guadalupe Lake, the water of which has 

been impounded by drifting sands. Beyond the lake, at Betteravia, 

is a beet-sugar factory.

The rich alluvial valley about Guadalupe produces large crops of

beans, beets, potatoes., and barley. The main Santa Maria Valley,

which extends eastward from Guadalupe for 10 or 12

Guadalupe. miles, is primarily a structural valley that has been

Elevation 79 feet. deeply filled with Pleistocene and alluvial deposits.

A clearlJ defilled terrace foU°WS the n°rth bank °f

Santa Maria River, and northeast of the valley are 

the San Raf ael Mountains. The lower slopes are marked by an anticlinal fold, in the heart of which is a large mass of serpentine and 

Franciscan rocks. The flanks of this fold, including the larger part 

of the southwestern slope of the mountains, consist of distorted 

Monterey shale.

Just north of the Guadalupe station the railroad crosses Santa 

Maria River, the boundary line between Santa Barbara and San 

Luis Obispo counties. Looking southeast from this bridge the traveler can see Graciosa Ridge, with the wells of the Orcutt or old Santa 

96286° Bull. 614 15 8
114 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Maria oil field in view on its flanks. Mount Solomon, a flat-topped, 

buttelike peak, composed of Tertiary rocks, is visible just to the left 

(east) of the oil field. It is the culminating point of Graciosa Ridge. 

Southwest of the Santa Maria bridge the drifting sands encroach to 

an elevation of 1,000 feet on the flanks of Sulphur Ridge. This 

encroaching sand rising so high on the mountains is one of the peculiar 

characteristics of this part of the coast.

For 14 miles north of Guadalupe the train passes through a region 

of wind-blown sand. On the left (west) as far as Bromela (bro-may'la) 

is a prominent ridge of sand dunes advancing upon rich farms. 

Farther north, between Bromela and Callender, the dunes have 

advanced far inland across the railroad, and the company has an 

expensive task in maintaining the roadway open. Between Callender 

and Oceano (o-say'ah-no) the advance is less rapid and lagoons 

have formed behind the sand. Just beyond Oceano, at the mouth 

of Los Berros Creek (Spanish for water cresses), Pismo Creek barely 

breaks through the barrier beach it has followed for 2 miles from Pismo.

On the way up Pismo Creek beyond Pismo (see sheet 4A; p. 120)

the first rocks to be 'seen on the east are those of the

Pismo. Santa Margarita formation (Miocene), the equivaEievation25feet. jent of tne lower part of the Fernando formation

Los Angeles 212 miles, f

iartner south. South 01 ll/dna the creek -crosses a 

large area of these rocks, which in places are heavily charged with 

asphalt.

At the crossing of the Pacific Coast Railway just south of Edna 

are bold bluff exposures of asphalt-impregnated sandstones of the

Pismo formation, which is probably of the same age 

Edna* as the Santa Margarita formation. They dip south 

Elevation 224 feet. a£ moderately low angles and are underlain by more

Los Angeles 217 miles. i j- i i i j t ^ TV/T A

steeply dipping shale beds ol the Monterey group. 

These sandstones were formerly mined for asphalt, but the production of asphalt as a by-product from the refining of oil has for the 

present rendered them of no value.

Some oil wells have been drilled on the west side of the track south 

of Edna. One or two of these wells encountered oil in commercial 

quantities, but they have never been operated continuously, owing 

to mechanical difficulties caused by the thickness of the oil. The 

dark-colored asphaltic rock is cavernous in places and is eroded into 

grotesque forms. East of Edna are some well-developed stream 

terraces.

At Edna the railroad enters San Luis Valley, which extends 

northwestward for 20 miles. On the northeast the valley is bounded 

by the Santa Lucia Range and on the southwest by the San Luis 

Range. At the northwest end it opens to the ocean. This valley, 

unlike most valleys in the Coast Ranges, has no stream flowing 

lengthwise through it. Pismo and San- Luis creeks, which drain
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 3A

CALIFORNIA

35

34-'

30'

B 

C

D

E

F 

G

EXPLANATION

Stream deposits, gravel, and fine sediment 

(ailuviurn)

Terrace deposits and clone sand

Sandstone, conglomerate, and shale (Fernando formation), restingunconformably 

on light-colored shale of Monterey group

Siliceous bituminous diatomaceous shales 

and limestones (Monterey group)

Sandstone, shales, conglomerate, and limestone (Vaqueros, Sespe, and Tejon formations)

Sandstone, shale, and conglomerate (Knoxville formation)

Intrusive igneous rocks and derivativesi 

(diabase, gabbro, peridotite, and serpen- j 

tine, with some associated schist). Thej 

igneous rocks are intrusive into the Fran- y 

ciscan group (Jurassic?), of which no 

large areas are exposed in the region 

covered by this map J

Quaternary

Early Quaternary, 

Pliocene, and late 

Miocene

Miocene

Early Miocene, 

Oligocene, and 

Eocene

Cretaceous

Jurassic (?)

ConcepcJ 

Pt Conception

sAN TA BARBARA ,

Scale 500,000 

Approximately 8 miles to I inch

10 25 30Kilometers

Contour interval 200 feet

121° I2O'30'

The distances from Los Angeles. Gal'forma are shown every 10 r, 

The crossties on the railroads jr« spaced I mile apart 120°
COAST ROUTE

From Los Angeles, California, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad, alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this."company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each Quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 115

most of it, enter from the east and cut through the San Luis Range 

to the sea.

Edna is built in part on the Paso Robles (ro'blace) formation, of 

Pleistocene, Pliocene, and late Miocene age. The rocks composing 

this formation, however, are much better exposed farther north,

From a point 2 miles north of Edna to a point 1 mile beyond the 

town of. San Luis Obispo a set of rocks not hitherto seen on this 

route, the Franciscan group, is almost continuously exposed.1

The most prominent topographic feature in the vicinity of San Luis

Obispo (Spanish for St. Louis the bishop) is the row of conical hills

that begins withIslay (ees-lie') Hill, on the right (east),

San Luis Obispo. a little over 2 miles southeast of San Luis Obispo, and

'Elevation237feet. extending to Cerro Romauldo (ro-mowTdo), about 4

Lof Angelas 223 miles, miles northwest of the town. There are eight of these 

hills (Spanish cerros), the four larger northwest and 

the four smaller southeast of the city. These hills, of which The 

Bishop (1,502 feet) is the highest, are composed of igneous rock and 

are the cores of small volcanoes which broke through the Franciscan 

sedimentary rocks. The eastern part of Islay Hill consists of a 

surface flow of basaltic lava.

From San Luis Obispo, which is a division point on the railroad, the 

Pacific Coast Railway runs to Port Harford on the coast, passing 

through the resort of Sycamore Warm Sulphur Springs. At Port 

Harford is the end of the Producers' Transportation Co.'s pipe line 

from the San Joaquin Valley oil fields.

San Luis Obispo is one of the old Spanish towns of California. A 

mission was founded here in 1772 by Father Junipero Serra, and the 

church building is still standing.

The most important metallic mineral resource in the San Luis 

region is chromite, which occurs in the serpentine of the San Luis and 

Santa Lucia ranges.

1 The rocks of the Franciscan group 

are older than the oil-bearing rocks over 

which the route has thus far lain and are 

probably of Jurassic age. They comprise 

sandstones, conglomerates, shale, and 

local masses of varicolored thin-bedded 

flinty rocks. The flinty rocks consist 

largely of the siliceous skeletons of minute 

marine animals, low in the scale of life, 

known as Radiolaria, and on this account 

they are called radiolarian cherts. All 

the rocks mentioned have been intruded 

here and there by dark igneous rocks 

(diabase, peridotite, etc.), which have in 

large, part undergone a chemical and 

mineralogic change into the rock known

as serpentine. Closely associated with 

most of the serpentine are masses of crystalline laminated rock consisting largely 

of the beautiful blue mineral glaucophane 

and for that reason called glaucophane 

schist. Schist of this character is known 

in comparatively few parts of the world, 

but is very characteristic of the Franciscan group. It has been formed from 

other rocks thorough contact metamorphism that is, through the thermal and 

chemical action set up by adjacent freshly 

intruded igneous rocks. The Franciscan 

group is one of the most widespread and 

interesting assemblages of rocks in the 

Coast Range.
116 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

On leaving San Luis Obispo the train crosses San Luis Obispo Creek, 

which emerges from a canyon in the Santa Lucia Range, on the right 

(east). On the left is Cerro San Luis Obispo, one of the old volcanic 

necks. A mile and a half beyond the station, on the right, is the California Polytechnic School and hi the foreground a ledge of rocks characteristic of the Franciscan.

The railroad curve known as "the horseshoe" begins at Goldtree, 4 

miles from San Luis Obispo, with a grade of 2.2 per cent. The ascent 

continues through shallow cuts in sandstone belonging to the Franciscan group, but at the end of the horseshoe, above Goldtree, the road 

swings to the left and crosses a belt of serpentine to- the open hilly 

country of the overlying Monterey shale. Near Serrano (elevation 

941 feet) Franciscan rocks again appear in complex association with 

serpentine and dark intrusive rocks.- The railroad continues on these 

rocks principally for 4 miles, passing by six tunnels through ridges of 

diabase. The longest tunnel, 3,616 feet long, is farthest north and 

pierces the divide into Salinas Valley, nearly 600 feet beneath the 

summit.

The black earthy shales seen between the northernmost tunnel and 

Cuesta (239 miles from San Francisco) are of Lower Cretaceous (Knoxville) age. A little of the same shale was crossed between the first 

and second tunnels. The shale overlies the Franciscan rocks, but the 

two formations were not deposited continuously. The Franciscan 

rocks were raised above the sea and eroded, then submerged again and 

covered by the muds now consolidated as the Knoxville shale. The 

geologist expresses these facts briefly by saying that the Knoxville lies 

unconformably on the Franciscan. On the right (east) at Cuesta is 

an area of dark intrusive rock (olivine diabase). Beyond this the

railroad passes across a small area of light-colored shale (Monterey), 

traverses another area of dark Knoxville shale, and enters upon a belt 

of sandstone, which with some conglomerate and shale composes the 

characteristic Chico (Upper Cretaceous) formation. The sandstones 

of the Chico weather into large blocks. Near Santa Margarita the 

sandstone is covered by recent alluvium.

The general trend or strike of the formations here, as elsewhere in 

this part of California, is northwest, in accord with the general alignment of ridges and valleys.

Santa Margarita is on the southwest side of a northwest-southeast depression which is followed for most of its length by Salinas (sa-lee'nas) River. The valley extends for 8 or 

Santa Margarita. 9 miles southeast of the town and is followed by 

Elevation 995 feet. the railroad for about 10 miles to the northwest. It 

owes its form Partty to geologic structure and partly 

to erosion, as it is occupied by comparatively soft 

Tertiary formations, while the hills on both sides are composed 

mainly of harder, older rocks. Along the southwest side of the
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FKANCISCO. 117

valley, to the left of the railroad, are Franciscan and Cretaceous beds. 

On the northeast, to the right, is a large area of granite, probably of 

pre-Jurassic age. The valley represents a long, narrow trough or 

syncline along which the Tertiary beds have been bent down into 

the older rocks. Faulting along the sides took part in the formation 

of the syncline. Erosion afterward removed the Tertiary beds on 

each side of the down-folded and down-faulted strip, exposing the 

older rocks of the present hills. The Tertiary rocks of the present 

valley were protected to some extent by being inlaid, as it were, into 

the older rocks, but, being soft, they were hollowed out into a valley. 

At some stage in the erosion and hollowing process Salinas River 

several miles above Santa Margarita became deflected to the granite 

on the northeast side of the valley. Gradually the valley as a whole 

became deeper and wider, but the river had deepened the channel 

that it had begun in the granite and was unable to leave it. Consequently the river to this day leaves the belt of soft Tertiary rocks, 

turns northeastward into the hard granite and after flowing for 5 or 

6 miles through that rock, returns to the main valley northwest of 

Santa Margarita. This is a case of what geologists call "superimposed drainage."

The Santa Margarita region is one of rolling hills well covered 

with the wild oat (Avena fatua) 1 and dotted with oaks. It is an 

excellent stock country. Growing on the bottom land of the adjacent valley are some of the finest white oaks (Quercus lobata) to 

be seen in California.

Half a mile beyond Santa Margarita, on the right at milepost 235, 

is the Producers Transportation Co.'s pump and ten oil tanks with 

an aggregate capacity of 75,000 barrels.

The type section and locality of the Santa Margarita formation 

is just north of the town, where the soft, more or less limy coarse 

sandstone of the formation occurs along the railroad for nearly a 

mile. These "beds carry large fossil oyster shells which are characteristic of the Santa Margarita formation throughout the Salinas Valley 

region.

Near Eaglet, on the left (west), there are several abrupt changes

from Monterey shales to the coarse beds^of the Santa Margarita and

vice versa. The hills on the right (east), across the

Eaglet. river, are composed of granite. A bed of Vaqueros

Elevation oss feet. (va-kay'ros) sandstone that can be seen lapping up

Los Angeles 244 miles. £ ' . , , , ?* & r

over the granite along the base of the hills probably once arched completely over the granite, but part of it has been 

removed by erosion. The sandstone in turn is overlain by the 

Monterey shale.

'.The wild oat, one of the most abundant and characteristic grasses of California, 

was brought to this country from Europe.
118 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

The low hills on the east side of the river opposite Atascadero 

(a-tas-ca-day'ro, Spanish for a deep miry place) are composed of

the Paso Robles formation, already seen at Edna. 

Atascadero. The formation in general consists of gravels whose 

Elevation 849 feet. pebbles are composed .of shale of the Monterey group. 

LOS Angeles 247 miles. It ranges in age from late Miocene to Pleistocene.

Just north of Atascadero station, on the west side 

of the track, is a good exposure of the white fossiliferous Santa Margarita sandstone, dipping north and overlain unconformably by the 

light-colored Paso Robles gravel.

At Templeton the railroad turns northward, leaving the valley of 

the upper Salinas and passing through Paso Robles Canyon toward

the lower or main Salinas Valley. Well-developed 

Templeton. river terraces are to be seen in this vicinity. 

Elevation 771 feet. jug£ before reaching Paso Robles station the train

Los Angeles 253 miles. ,..,-. '

passes a gravel pit m which a tooth of an extinct 

elephant has been found. The gravel is of stream origin.

Paso Robles (Paso de los Robles, Spanish for pass of the oaks), 

with its hot sulphur springs and mud baths, is widely known as a 

pleasure and health resort. The springs have a 

Paso Robles. temperature of 95° to 110° F. and the mud baths 

Elevation 720 feet. of 140° F. The Camino Real (ca-mee'no ray-ahl', 

Population 1,441. Spanish for king's highway), at first a trail but

Los Angeles 259 miles. r ° . , . .

later a road connecting the missions from Mexico 

to San Francisco, passes near by and is now used by automobile 

tourists. The nearer hills on both sides of the railroad from Paso 

Robles to San Miguel are composed entirely of the Paso Robles 

formation.

At milepost 214, 2 miles north of Paso Robles, near the railroad and 

the river, is the new hot mud bathhouse of the Paso Robles Hotel. 

The Camino Real is on the left, and beyond it are attractive parklike 

fields and hills with scattered oaks.

On the left as the train enters the little village of San Miguel 

(me-gale') is the old mission, built in 1797, of adobe brick, with its

bell in front and remnants of the inclosing walls on 

San Miguel. the right. . San Miguel is near the head of the main 

Elevation eis feet. Salinas Valley, which extends northwestward in an

almost straight fine for nearly 100 miles to Monterey Bay. It is one of the best examples of the 

narrow northwest-southeast valleys, owing their form to erosion 

controlled by geologic structure, that are characteristic of the Coast 

Range between San Francisco and Los Angeles. From the vicinity 

of San Miguel the northeast slope of Salinas Valley, toward 

the Gabilan (ga-vee-lahn/) Range, is suggestive of a great plain 

gently tilted toward the observer and furrowed by streams flowing 

straight down the slope. It is perhaps a tilted block of the earth's
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

LIGHTHOUSE AT POINT CONCEPTION, CAL. 

Built on cliff of remarkably uniform thin-bedded Miocene shale (Monterey).
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

A. ALLUVIAL FLAT AND TERRACE OF SALINAS RIVER NEAR BRADLEY, CAL.

S. MISSION OF SAN CARLOS DE MONTEREY, FOUNDED IN 1770.
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FBANClSCO.

crust with a fault along its northeast edge and probably another 

along its southwest edge, under the valley. The surface of this 

slope is covered with the Paso Robles formation, through which the 

stronger streams have cut into the underlying Santa Margarita 

formation.

The Paso Robles formation forms the near hills on both sides of the 

river between San Miguel and Bradley. Just north of the mouth 

of Indian Valley, at Chanslor (205.5 miles from San Francisco) there 

is an excellent example of one of the landslides which frequently 

occur in the soft Paso Robles formation when it has been undermined by stream erosion.

From McKay a branch railroad runs to the Stone Canyon coal 

mine (24 miles), now worked only in a small way to supply local 

demand. The coal of Stone Canyon occurs in the lower part of the 

Vaqueros sandstone and is the best in California. In places the bed 

is 16 feet thick, and if it'were not for the abundant supply of oil in 

the State the coal would probably again be mined for shipment.

Near the mouth of Sierra River (on the left) the railroad bears to 

the right and crosses Salinas River on a steel bridge that was partly 

washed away in 1913. Two of the old steel spans may be seen 

lying in the river to the left. Very little water flows over the sandy 

river bed in summer, but there is a large flow beneath the surface.

Bradley, though a small town, is the center of a considerable

cattle industry. The alluvial flat and terrace of Salinas River in this

vicinity are shown in Plate XXIX, A. Beginning

Bradley. about 2£ miles northwest of Bradley there-are indiEievation 538 feet. cations of a line of disturbance, apparently a great

fault> alonS the west side of Salinas Valley. A little 

farther on, at 192.5 miles from San Francisco, the 

prominent bluffs on the right (east) are of the Paso Robles formation 

and the hills on the left, across the river, are composed largely of the 

Monterey shale. Inasmuch as the Paso Robles normally overlies the 

Monterey, their occurrence so close together at nearly the same level 

suggests that there is an extensive fault between them, along the 

river. That a large fault occurs along the west border of the Salinas 

Valley is indicated also by the presence of a line of springs in that 

region. Many of these springs are hot, and some of them, as at 

Paso Robles and Paraiso (pa-ra-ee'so, Spanish for paradise), have been 

unproved as health resorts. Along this fault line the great earth 

block previously referred to as sloping up toward the crest of the 

Gabilan Range on the northeast side of the Salinas Valley must have 

dropped down, bringing the Paso Robles gravels into juxtaposition 

with the Monterey and Santa Margarita (Miocene.) beds and providing the structural conditions for the subsequent erosion of the 

long, straight valley.
120 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

About 35 miles almost due west of Bradley is the Mansfield mining 

district, where some coarse gold has been recovered from stream 

beds. The gold is probably derived from quartz veins in igneous 

rocks of the Franciscan group. Some nuggets weighing several 

ounces are said to have come from this district. Farther southeast, 

toward San Luis, a number of deposits of quicksilver and chromite 

occur.

The village of San Ardo (see sheet 5A, pi 122) is surrounded by a 

wheat and stock country which includes the rolling low hills along 

the river. An exposure of the Santa Margarita formaSan Ardo. tion begins about 6 miles south of San Ardo and 

Elevation452feet. extends in .a northwesterly direction to a point on 

population 365* tke wegt e(jge Of tne vauey immediately opposite San Los Angeles 292 miles. to < n » r i i

Ardo'. This strip of Santa Margarita beds consists 

of white sandstone that at several localities contains fossils. The 

geologic structure immediately west of San Ardo is complex. The 

hills for several miles back from the river on the west side are composed of Monterey shale.

Three miles northwest of San Ardo the Paso Robles gravels on the 

east side of the valley give place to sandstones of the Santa Margarita

formation, which occupy an area of many square 

San Lucas. miles extending in a northeasterly direction from 

Elevation 395 fee.,. gan Lucas. Fossils, including numerous sea urchins

Los Angeles 302 miles. ' .° . , -

and oysters, occur at several points throughout the 

area. The Santa Lucia Range, which bounds Salinas Valley on the 

southwest, culminates in Santa Lucia Peak and Vaquero Peak, in 

the region west of San Lucas. The upper slopes of these mountains 

consist of coarse heavy-bedded fossiliferous Vaqueros sandstone 

dipping toward the valley. This sandstone, toward the railroad, is 

overlain by the upper formation of the Monterey group. Along the 

northeast edge of Salinas Valley the Monterey in turn is overlain by 

the Paso Robles formation, which either rests directly on the Monterey or at some places on intervening beds of the Santa Margarita 

formation.

Extending north for 3 miles and west for 4 or 5 miles from San 

Lucas is a gravel terrace probably deposited by the river at an earlier 

stage in its history.

King City is a shipping point for gypsum obtained from the hills, 

15 miles to the north-northeast. At Elsa, 3 miles farther north, the

sugar-beet industry is important, and on the left 

King City. may be seen at a distance one of the large sugar facElevation 330 feet. tories. The Paso Robles gravels continue to occupy

both sides of tne Salinas Valley to a point within 3

miles of Metz. From Chalone Creek, which is crossed 

at Metz, northward the main Gabilan Range becomes more rugged 

and consists chiefly of granite with some schist and crystalline lime-
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 4A

I2O-30- CALIFORNIA I

EXPLANATION

A Stream deposits (gravel and fine alluvium.) 

B Marine terrace deposits and dune sand

C Conglomerate, sandy and marly clays i Paso Roblea formation), sandstone, flinty shale, and volcanic ash 

(Pismo and Santa Margarita formations>

D Siliceous and bituminous diatomaceous shales of Monterey group underlain by sandstone and conglomerate 

(Vaqueros sandstone of Monterey group)

E Lava flows and fragmental volcanic material (rhyolitel 

tuff) in shale of Monterey group,with various intrusive > 

dike rocks J

r7 Sandstone with some conglomerate and shale (Chico for-1 

mation), underlain by dark thin-bedded sandstones 

(Knoxville formation)

G Intrusive igneous rocks and derivatives (diabase and 

serpentine 1 (pre-Chico but post-Franciscan)

H Sandstone, conglomerate, and shale, with varicolored 

thin-bedded flinty rocks < radiolarian chert), and schists 

owing their present character to changes produced by 

intrusion of igneous rocks (contact metamorphism) 

(Franciscan group)

I Granite

....?

Scal

Approximately 8 miles to I inch 

. ? ________ P ....

 I .... I

Contour interval 200 feet

The distances from Los Angeles, California are shown every 10 miles 

The crossf/e.s on the railroads are spaced I mile apart

Early Quate 

Pliocene, and 

Miocene

15 20Miles O ^.. - 0^

i i i J ,,i i i i -^ CoMorrd 8a»

10 15 20 25 30Ktlometers -r\ >. i ... i ...... .1. .... i .... i - \ X
GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

COAST ROUTE

From Los Angeles, California, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.

JL
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 121

stone. This part of the. range, which has been little studied, contains 

some metalliferous deposits, especially ores of quicksilver.

At milepost 147 the railroad leaves Salinas Kiver and surmounts 

a terrace which borders the river for some miles. The deposits forming this terrace are comparable with those near San Lucas.

Soledad (so-lay-dahd', Spanish for solitude) is built on a fertile plain

which forms part of the terrace just mentioned. From the town may

be had fine views of the valley and bordering mounSoledad. tains, and the vicinity affords some delightful drives.

Elevation iso feet. Across the river are the ruins of the mission church

built in 179L A stage runs from Soledad southwest 

8 miles to Paraiso Hot Springs, at ari altitude of 1,400 

feet in the Santa Lucia Range. About 14 miles northeast of Soledad 

are The Pinnacles (PI. XXX, p. 124), picturesque masses that have 

been sculptured by erosion from some rock whose character and geologic age have not been ascertained. The prominent peaks 6 or 7 

miles east of Soledad are the Chalone Peaks, which are composed of 

marbles and other crystalline rocks that are probably older than any 

others in the Coast Range. North of them is an area of rocks in which 

copper and quicksilver occur. Flanking these peaks and extending 

northward along the northeast side of Salinas Valley are some hills 

of moderate height composed partly of sandstone.

On the west side of the Salinas Valley, opposite Soledad and 

Camphora, are some old alluvial fans that merge with the terrace 

deposits along the river. Recent Qrosion has cut trenches in some of 

these fans, but as a rule they stand out as nearly perfect examples of 

this type of stream deposit.

Along this part of Salinas Valley the same contact observed farther 

south persists; the mountain slope on the northeast is comparatively 

gentle, but that on the southwest is steep. The southwest slope, as 

previously noted, is probably a fault scarp or fault cliff, worn back 

and cut into by erosion.

Beyond Gonzales -(gohn-sah'lace), in the neighborGonzales. hood of Chualar (chu-a-lar'), the valley gradually 

Elevation 125 feet. widens northwestward, toward Monterey Bay. Great

Population 1,305* , ., .. ' . . J J . .

.LOS Angeles 340 miles, quantities ot alialia hay and gram are produced in

this vicinity. The terraces found all along the Salinas

Chualar. Valley from Templeton northward are here well develEievation 100 feet. oped and grow broader toward the mouth of the

Los Angeles 346 miles. . ° . river.

Salinas. The town of Salinas (Spanish for salt pits) is the cenEievation 41 feet. ter of a large beet-sugar industry. Besides sugar beets, 

Population 3,736. beans are extensively grown in this region, especially

Los Angeles 357 miles. *. o v ±1. a x

near the coast. Opposite Saunas the river flows at 

the extreme west edge of the valley.
122 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Del Monte Junction lies but a few miles from the mouth of Salinas

River and Monterey Bay. A branch line, over

Del Monte Junction. whicll pass through trains to and from San FranEievationiefeet. cisco, runs southwest from this junction to Del

Los Angeles 365 miles. ... ; .... , 7^ J Monte, Monterey, and Pacific Grove.1

Some terrace deposits may be seen east of Del Monte Junction. 

They extend northward to the edge of Pajaro Valley, the surface 

apparently rising to the north. The railroad traverses a lower plain 

terrace descending from 16 feet at Del Monte Junction to 2 feet at 

Elkhorn station, beyond which it turns up a little valley cut by Elkhorn Creek in the marine terrace deposits. After crossing Elkhorn 

Slough and bearing to the left between some low hills, the railroad 

emerges, at about milepost 101, in the Pajaro Valley (pah'ha-ro, 

Spanish for bird).

1 The Hotel Del Monte, in grounds 

world-famous for their beauty, is situated 

on one of the most charming and interesting parts of the whole California coast. 

Near by are the combinations of rocks, 

sea, woodland, and hills such as delight 

an artist. Old buildings and associations 

appeal to the student of early California 

history. There are ample facilities and 

opportunities for the pursuit of sport of 

many kinds. Finally, the region is of 

exceptional geologic interest and is the 

type locality of the white shale of the 

Monterey group. The old mission church 

is built of this shale, which, although, 

soft when quarried, hardens on exposure 

and has -withstood the sea *air without 

crumbling.

Monterey, although visited and named 

by the Spaniards in 1602, was not permanently settled until 1770. In that 

year Gaspar de Portola, the first governor 

of Alta California, arrived by land, and 

Padre Junipero Serra, of the Franciscans, 

a few days later by sea. Serra founded 

at Monterey his first mission in Upper 

California. The church building (PI. 

XXIX, B, p. 119) is still used. The mission at Carmel, where Serra lived and 

died, was founded the next year. Commodore Sloat landed at Monterey July 7,1846, 

and took possession for the United States. 

A monument to him and one to Serra

stand in the Presidio. Monterey was the 

first capital of California, and in Colton 

Hall the first constitutional convention 

was held September 1, 1849. An association of more recent date that will endear 

the place to many is that here for a time 

lived Robert Louis Stevenson.

Monterey is the terminus of a pipe line 

from the Coalinga oil field, in the San 

Joaquin Valley, and from 12,000 to 15,000 

barrels of oil is pumped through this line 

daily.

Soundings'by the United States Coast 

and Geodetic Survey have shown that a 

deep depression extends across the bottom of the comparatively shallow Monterey Bay out to the steep submarine slope 

that marks the real boundary between 

continent and ocean. Some geologists 

have interpreted this depression as a valley of erosion cut by Salinas River when 

the land stood higher than at present and 

when the bottom of the bay was dry land. 

Prof. A. C. Lawson, however,' has maintained that a similar submarine valley, in 

Carmel Bay south of Monterey, which is 

not quite in-line with the present valley 

of Carmel River, is probably a structural 

sag or syncline and not an erosion valley 

at all.. He can find no evidence of recent 

uplift of this part of the coast sufficient to 

have enabled the river to cut a valley 

across what is now the bottom of the bay.
SHEET 5A

GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

COAST ROUTE

From Los Angeles, California, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets, from railroad alignments and profiles supplied br 

the Southern Pacific Company and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

/ower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. G. S. Topographic

Sheet of that name.

BULLETIN 614

CALIFORNIA

EXPLANATION 

A Stream deposits (alluvium)

Marine terrace deposits and dune sands j

Conglomerate; sandy and marly clays

(Paso Robles formation) (and late Miocene 

Miocene

Siliceous and bituminous diatomaceousl 

shales of Monterey group, underlain 

by sandstone and conglomerate 

(Vaqueros sandstone) of Monterey 

group

H Sandstone, conglomerate, and shale with! 

varicolored thin-bedded flinty rocks 

(radiolarian chert) and schists owing 

their present character to changes \ 

produced by intrusion of igneous rocks \ 

(contact metamorphism); (Franciscan! 

group)

Scale 500,000

Approximately 8 mi'les to I inch 

'P

Contour interval 200 feet

The distances from Los Angeles. California are shown every 10 miles 

The crossties on the railroads are spaced I mile apart
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 123

From Watsonville Junction (see sheet GA, p. 130) a branch line turns 

to the left (west) and makes a detour through Santa Cruz and other 

w . . points, rejoining the main line to the north at San

a sonvi e unc ion. joge passengers may take this route to San Francisco but wil1 ^e to change cars. The Santa 

Cruz route affords an opportunity to see a fine 

group of "big trees" (PI. XXXI, p. 125), the coast redwood (Seguoia 

sempervirens) , which, although smaller than Sequoia gigantea of the 

Sierra Nevada, are still gigantic, the largest measuring 70 feet in 

circumference. This route, crossing the Santa Cruz Mountains at an 

altitude of more than 1,000 feet, passes through beautiful country. 

The geology is complicated, old crystalline rocks and later rocks of 

Jurassic (?), Cretaceous, and Tertiary age being much folded and 

faulted. The great rift or crack (San Andreas fault) along which 

occurred the earthquake of 1906 is crossed by this route west of Alma.

North of Watsonville Junction the main Coast Line crosses a rich 

apple country, in which the orchards reach part way up the slopes of 

the bordering hills.

The hills to the right and left, gradually approaching as the valley

narrows, are composed of Tertiary strata, with a narrow belt of Quaternary deposits along Pajaro River. Just beyond

Aromas. Aromas the train enters Pajaro Gap. Here a small

LOS Angeles 38i miles. fauu cutting across the range, has weakened the

Elevation 98 feet. ' e & '. rocks and thereby enabled the river to wear its way 

through. On the left is the river, and on the right are bluffs of 

crumpled and crushed rocks, largely diorite (an igneous rock resembling granite, but containing little or no quartz), which are artificially further reduced by rock crushers for railroad ballast.

The country opens abruptly as the train crosses the .bridge over the

Pajaro near Chittenden, and the diorite of the gorge gives place to

the Tertiary sediments of the Chittenden-Sargent oil

Chittenden. fi^. This change is due to the fact that the TerEievation 123 feet. tiary beds are much softer than the diorite and have

Los Angeles 383 miles. J . .

been eroded out into a valley, iraces of the San 

Andreas fault, a slight recurrence of movement along which produced the earthquake of 1906, are here visible for the first time to the 

traveler from Los Angeles to San Francisco over the Coast Line, 

although the crack continues into southern California to the east of 

Los Angeles. The hillsides to the northwest (left) are scarred by the 

earthquake rift, and one-third of a mile beyond Chittenden, around 

a curve, on the left near the track, is a knoll blackened by the oil from 

a storage tank that was wrecked by the earthquake.

The Sargent oil field produces approximately 40,000 barrels a year, 

and some of the oil is shipped from Chittenden. The oil-bearing
124 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

rocks shales, sandstones, and conglomerates of the lower part of the 

Monterey group-^cover a wide area. They are bent into anticlines r 

and synclines and are covered by younger shales of the Monterey ^ 

group and in part also by younger Miocene and Pliocene sediments. 

The rocks of the lower slopes near which the train passes just beyond f 

Chittenden, on the right, are Pliocene (Merced formation). About 

2$ miles from Chittenden, near milepost 88, San Benito River and ' 

Llagas Creek join to form Pajaro River. The railroad turns to the , 

left up Llagas Creek to Sargent.

West of Sargent, beyond the oil field, the Franciscan rocks form the

higher portions of the range. Beyond Sargent the railroad soon passes

out of the low hills into the southern portion of the

Sargent. broad Santa Clara Valley. This portion, a great

Elevation 134 feet. alfalfa and stock country irrigated by electric pumps, f

Los Angeles 387 miles. .,.-,, -n . -r,- f ,1 -6 t \r i

is drained by Pajaro River to the Bay of Monterey. 

Across the valley in the distance can be seen Pacheco (pa-chay'co), 

Antimony, St. Anna, Mariposa (the highest), and other peaks of the 

Mount Hamilton division of the Diablo Range, which separates the 

Santa Clara Valley from the San Joaquin Valley.

The Santa Clara Valley extends from San Francisco Bay southeastward to and beyond San Benito, a distance of nearly 100 miles. It , 

has a notable peculiarity in that it is divided transversely by a scarcely 

noticeable soil-covered divide. The southern portion is drained by 

Pajaro River, but the northern portion drams through Coyote River 

directly into San Francisco Bay, and the alluvial plain is continuous 

across the divide.

From Carnadero (car-na-day'ro) Junction, 4 miles beyond Sargent, 

a branch line runs southeast to Hollister, in San Benito Valley, where 

it is said there is "silver in eggs" and "gold in apples." From the * 

junction the mam line continues northward through the Santa Clara i 

Valley to San Francisco Bay, passing through one of the most productive fruit-growing regions in the world.

The town of Gilroy is the point of departure for the Gilroy Hot 

Springs, which lie 13 miles to the northeast. Oaks appear about

Gilroy, and alfalfa begins to give way to grain and <~ 

Gilroy. u especially to fruits. Grapes, prunes, peaches, and 

Elevation 190 feet. apricots are grown in large quantities. The moun- f 

Los^ASes^miies. tams on ^ right are markedly different in aspect

from those on the left, although both are com- s ' 

posed, at least in part, of rocks belonging to the Franciscan group, 

partly covered by Tertiary sediments. The mountains on the right w 

have a nearly even crest line (PI. XXXII, p. 126). Along their 

base, beyond the orchards, is a much lower even-crested ridge. 

Between this ridge and the mountains is Coyote River, which flows 

northwestward to San Francisco Bay. The valley in the foreground
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE XXX

THE PINNACLES, 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF SOLEDAD, CAL. 

Formed by erosion of fragmental rocks.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE XXXI

BIG TREES (SEQUOIA SEMPERVIRENS) AT SANTA CRUZ, CAL.
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 125

is drained to the southeast by Llagas Creek to Pajaro River and 

Monterey Bay.

At Madrone the valley narrows. The rocky slopes on the left are

near the railroad and several little cuts expose serpentine, which is a

characteristic accompaniment to the Franciscan

Madrone. group. The summit of the transverse divide (eleEievation 342 feet. vation 345 feet) is reached near Perry, about 2 miles

Los Angeles 405 miles. , - ^, , ' , . . i i ,v beyond Madrone, but there is no break in the continuity of the alluvial plain, and the traveler will probably not notice, 

unless his attention is called to it, that he is passing from the drainage 

basin of Pajaro River to that of Coyote River. The Coyote enters 

Santa Clara Valley from the mountains on the right (east).

It has been suggested that all the drainage that now finds its way 

into San Francisco Bay and thence to the ocean by way of the Golden 

Gate, once flowed southward through Santa Clara Valley to Monterey 

Bay. Those who maintain this view think that the submarine channel across Monterey Bay was cut by the more powerful stream that 

then flowed through Pajaro Valley. A striking resemblance that has 

been noted between the strictly fresh-water fishes and other forms of 

life inhabiting Sacramento and Pajaro rivers tends to confirm the 

conjecture that the two streams were formerly one. Later investigations by Dr. J. C. Branner, however, have suggested a different interpretation of this evidence.

A study of the material of the divide shows that it has the low 

conical form of an alluvial fan that is, a deposit made by a stream 

where it issues from a canyon upon a plain. At such a place the velocity .of the stream generally becomes less, and the water is compelled 

to drop much of the sand and gravel that it swept along with ease 

in the mountains. This particular deposit was made by Coyote River 

during a period (probably glacial) when the land stood at a higher 

level than now and the creek carried a large load of detritus. As the 

alluvial fan grew Coyote River shifted its position from time to time 

to lower parts of the conical slope, and thus flowed sometimes to San 

Francisco Bay and sometimes to Monterey Bay. In this way oppor- 

. tunity may have been given for fishes and other living things to pass 

over the divide by way of Coyote River. If this happened, it would 

of course not be necessary to account for the similar faunas of Sacramento and Pajaro rivers by supposing the streams to have been at 

one time directly united.

Six miles southwest of Coyote, in the hills composed of rocks 

belonging to the Franciscan group, is the New 

Coyote. Almaden quicksilver mine, which has yielded more 

Elevation 248 feet. quicksilver than any other mine in the United States. 

At milepost 59 on the right may be had the first 

view or Lick Observatory, on Mount Hamilton. 

The observatory may be visited from San Jose.
126 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Just north of Coyote is the narrowest part of-the valley. Serpentine occurs here on the left but is on the right at Edenvale, where 

the valley widens and a belt of Tertiary rocks forms foothills to 

mountains that are composed chiefly of Franciscan rocks.

At San Jose (ho-say'), which is by. far the largest city in the Santa

Clara Valley, the branch line running through Santa Cruz joins the

main Coast Line. The New Almaden mine may be

San Jose. reached by a spur from this branch. Other railroad

Elevation ss feet. lines run from San Jose east of San Francisco Bay

LOS Angeies^mUes *° Oakland and have connections across the Diablo

Range, through Livermore Valley, with the several

lines in San Joaquin Valley.

The city is built on the fertile plain between Guadalupe and 

Coyote rivers, 11 miles southeast of the head of San Francisco Bay. 

Its delightful climate, beauty of surroundings, fertility of soil, and 

consequent profusion of flowers and fruits make San Jose a favored 

spot even in California.

From San Jose automobile stages run to Mount Hamilton (26 

miles). All the sedimentary rocks seen on this trip belong to the 

Franciscan group. Some beautiful drives may be enjoyed in the 

suburbs and in the country around the town. During the rose 

season* the drive along Alameda Avenue from San Jose to Santa 

Clara, about 3 miles, is particularly recommended. This trip may 

also be made by trolley car.

At College Park, on the left as the train leaves San Jose, is Pacific 

College. Well-kept orchards of prunes, apricots, peaches, pears, 

and cherries, as well as vineyards, lie oh both sides of the railroad 

throughout this part of the valley. Acres of sun-drying prunes 

are a common sight in August.

Santa Clara College, the white building of which may be seen on 

the left near the center of the town of Santa Clara, was founded in 

1851 by the Jesuits. The chapel is one of the old 

Santa Clara. mission buildings erected in 1777 and is well preEievation69feet. served. Several large canneries may be seen along 

tne railroad and are kept busy for most of the year 

by the wide range of-fruit and vegetable products 

which the Santa Clara Valley affords. Two miles beyond Santa 

Clara on the right, barely visible in the distance across the broad 

fields of.barley hay and between groves of oak and eucalyptus, is, 

the Agnew Asylum for the Insane, a State institution.

The Santa Clara Valley widens northward and the fertile bottom* 

land grades near the south end of the Bay of San Francisco into 

extensive salt marshes. The railroad bears to the west from Santa 

Clara, toward the mountains which form the backbone of the peninsula of San Francisco.
 « -

 ^

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

SANTA CLARA VALLEY NEAR GILROY

The even crest of the distant ridge of Franciscan rocks suggests a plain of erosion. The narrow valley b
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 614 PLATE XXXIII

A. THE ARCHES, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CAL. 

The displacement of the capitals of the small columns supporting the arches is an effect of the earthquake of 1 906.

B. FURROW A MILE NORTHWEST OF OLEMA, CAL., MADE BY THE MOVEMENT WHICH 

CAUSED THE EARTHQUAKE OF 1906.

On the left is the rift valley, which extends from Boiinas Lagoon to Tomales Bay and is a result partly of 

earlier movements, partly of erosion along a zone of crushed rocks.
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FKANCISCO. 127

Although fields of hay with scattered oaks predominate near 

Sunny vale, there are large tracts devoted to orchards and market

gardens. The climate and soil of the lower Santa 

Sunnyvale. Clara Valley between San Jose and Sunnyvale, like 

Elevation93feet. that of Lompoc Valley (p. Ill), are such that seeds

mature weu<> and there are several large seed farms

near Sunnyvale and Santa Clara.

Near Mountain .View the railroad runs nearer .to the foothills of 

the Santa Cruz Range. The lowest hills are composed of sandstone

belonging to the lower part of the Monterey group. 

Mountain View. Black Mountain (elevation 2,787 feet), the culminatEievation 76 feet. ing point of Monte Bello Ridge, is the most prominent

P^k of this part of the range. Just behind it lies

the San Andreas fault or rift. (See pp. 89-90.) The 

upper slopes of Black Mountain are mainly sandstone with some 

lenticular masses of limestone, several thousand tons of which are 

crushed annually and shipped to beet-sugar factories. Some of the 

best red wine made in California is produced near Mountain View.

From Castro, about a mile beyond Mountain View, is visible on 

the right the Dumbarton Bridge on the railroad freight route from 

Oakland to San Francisco.

At milepost 33 on the left, ahead and more than a mile away, may 

be seen among the trees the red-tiled roofs of the Stanford University

buildings. The entrance to the university grounds 

Palp Alto. , is on the left, near the Palo Alto station, and the uni- 

^ Elevation 58 feet. versity builduigs, a mile away, hidden from the s tation

by trees, may be reached by a trolley line. Leland

Stanford Junior University, founded by Senator and 

Mrs. Stanford and' opened in 1891, has nearly 2,000 students, both 

men and women. The medical department is in San Francisco and 

the marine biological laboratory at Pacific Grove. The builduigs 

of the other departments are on the Stanford University tract, 

which embraces 8,400 acres. The buildings (see PI. XXXIII, A),' 

designed originally by H. H. Richardson, take, their architectural 

motif from the cloisters of the San Antonio mission, and the combination of buff sandstone with red tiled roofs gives striking color effects. 

The buff sandstone came from the quarries at Graystone, about 10 

miles south of San Jose, and is of early Miocene (Monterey)- age. 

The San Andreas fault, the line of the San Francisco earthquake, 

lies 4 miles southwest of Stanford University and is easily reached 

from that point. The university suffered much from the earthquake 

but has completely recovered.

The accompanying cross section from Palo Alto to the summit of 

Santa Cruz Mountains -(fig. 15, p. 128) shows the general geologic 

structure of the region.
128 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Menlo Park.

Redwood.

Elevation 7 feet.

By looking ahead from the Palo Alto station the traveler may see on 

the right of the track the tall tree (Spanish, palo alto) for which 

Senator Stanford's estate was named. It is 

the only redwood (Seguoia sempervirens) near 

the main line of the railroad. It stands on the 

bank of San Francisquito Creek, and the 

Southern Pacific Co. has built a wall of concrete to protect it from floods.

In Menlo Park, a village of beautiful parks 

and grounds, reside many well-to-do business 

and professional men who pass their working 

days in San Francisco. On 

the right, near the bay beyond 

Population 820. Menlo Park, is a large tannery,

Los Angeles 442 miles. . . D J '

and iar out in the marsh a station for drying Alaskan codfish.

The town of Redwood was formerly the center of the redwood lumber industry of the 

Santa Cruz Range, then completely forested. 

Most of the redwood trees are 

gone, but a few of them can 

be seen scattered along the 

crest of the distant range. The 

trees hi view, however, are 

largely a second growth. On the left, near Redwood, is a factory where magnesite is ground. 

Between Redwood and San Carlos there is a 

good view to the left (west) of an evencrested ridge well clothed with forest. This is 

Cahill Ridge. Between it and the rounded 

oak-strewn foothills that lie nearer to the railroad is the narrow, rectilinear valley of the 

San Andreas rift. Two lakes, San Andreas 

and Crystal Springs, have been formed in this 

§' 11 part of the -valley by damming and supply 

5 g | much of the water used in San Francisco. 

368 Just beyond San Carlos, on the left (west), 

IS f °_ is an iron standpipe forming part of the water- 

| o-* supply system of San Francisco, and below 

g^i it, near the railroad, is one of 

11 £ San Carlos* the pumping stations. Here 

"p | g Elevation 25 feet. the oak-crowned hills composed

"5 3 % Los Angeles 447 miles. , ' , ,t i

£_-! of sandstones and other rocks 

P o> I of the Franciscan group come close to the 

£ bay and leave only a narrow belt of alluvium 

between the foothills and the salt marshes.

5-2
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN'FRANCISCO. 129

Soon after leaving Belmont ,the train passes through a shallow cut 

in sandstones and cherts of the Franciscan group. The chert is

quarried for use on roads. Half a mile beyond BelBelmont. mont there is an extensive view to the right across 

Elevation 30 feet. ^Q marshes and bay to the white salt fields of the

Union Salt Works, where salt is obtained by solar 

evaporation of water from the bay. -Along this portion of the salt 

marsh bordering the bay fresh water is obtained from wells of various 

depths up to 400 feet". This water evidently lies below the salt

water. Generally the fresh water can be obtained Beresford (dottrel! ,. ,-, n 11 i , , n . , ,. , post office). from these wells only by pumping, but at high tide,

LOS Angeles 450 miles. when the flats are covered by salt water, which is 

heavier'than fresh, the hydrostatic pressure of the

salt water on the deeper fresh water makes some of the wells overflow. 

At Leslie there are artificial ponds (vats) in which the water of the

bay is evaporated for salt. In the mill close by the salt is refined and 

prepared for market at the rate of about 8 carloads 

a day. The bay water contains only about half as LOS Angeles 451 miles, j^^ s^ ag an equa] volume of ocean water, but

there are so many more bright days in this locality than there are 

along the coast that it is more profitable to use the weaker brine.

San Mateo (ma-tay'o) is a pretty town noted for its beautiful live

oaks and handsome suburban residences. Here the road crosses

San Mateo Creek, which, at the point where it issues

San Mateo. from the San Andreas rift valley, about 3| miles

Elevation 19 feet. southwest of San Mateo, has been dammed by a high

 * Population 4,384. ±u ^ i, 1J u 1 J.T, \ t

LOS Angeles 452 miles, concrete structure that holds back the waters 01 

1 Crystal Springs Lake. 

n A daily stage plies between San Mateo and Pescadero (pes-ca-

 '' day'ro, Spanish for fishmonger), near Pebble Beach on the coast, a 

distance of 33 miles. This stage ascends the valley of San Mateo 

Creek and crosses Crystal Springs Lake on a dividing dam, made of 

earth, which was cut and displaced by the movement along the fault 

at the time of the San Francisco earthquake but was soon repaired.

, The road to Pescadero passes near the interesting old village of Spanishtown and reaches the coast at Pebble Beach, noted for its agate 

pebbles. The trip from Pescadero to San Mateo may be conveniently

v taken in connection with one from San Francisco to Pescadero by

the Ocean Shore Railroad. 

^s At Burlingame (pronounced locally bling'um), a place of residence

j in favor with people of wealth and leisure, there is

 -T Burlingame. a country club, with golf links and polo grounds. 

Elevation26feet. (See sheet 13, p. 90.) In this vicinity, as elsewhere 

in California south of San Francisco, there are three 

trees which figure .characteristically in the landscape the Australian eucalyptus, the Peruvian pepper tree, and the 

96286° Bull. 614 15 9
130 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

sturdy native oak. The eucalyptus, a tall, slim tree that is \ 

rather untidy about its bark, grows rapidly and is much used not 

only along the roadsides but as windbreaks. The pepper tree, which 

has pendant plumose foliage, is highly ornamental and is largely used w 

in cities as a street tree and in parks and gardens. But of all the 

trees that adorn the fertile bottom lands of the great interior valleys 

the native valley oak (Quercus, lobata] is by far the most important. 

The large hay ranch on the left (west) near Millbrae belongs to the 

estate of the late D. 0. Mills, a well-known capitalist and phUanthropist. On the right in the bay are the oyster beds of ' 

Millbrae. ^ Morgan Oyster Co. The native oyster is small 

LosA*10^457miles ^^ °^ c°PPGr}r flavor, and although esteemed by epicures for oyster cocktails is generally inferior to the 

eastern oyster. Attempts to establish colonies of eastern oysters on 

the Pacific coast have been unsuccessful. The young oysters, or 

spat, however, are brought from the Atlantic seaboard and are * 

matured on the western coast.

Ahead is San Bruno Mountain, beyond which lies San Francisco. 

On the left are some parallel ridges running northwest. The nearest * 

is Buriburi Ridge (elevation 700 feet), coniposed of sandstones and 

shales of the Merced formation (Pliocene), underlain by Franciscan 

sandstones and igneous rocks, which form the mass of the ridge. w 

Beyond is Sawyer Ridge (1,100 feet), consisting of Franciscan rocks. 

In the valley between them, If miles southwest of Millbrae, is San 

Andreas Lake.

At San Bruno the railroad branches. The main line (a cut-off), ^ 

built only a few years ago and now used for the through traffic, bears

to the right along the bay shore around the east end ' 

SanBmno. Q£ gan gruno Mountain and through five tunnels ^ 

reaches the station at Third and Townsend streets "'> 

in San Francisco. The old line bears to the left up 

Merced Valley and around the west end of San Bruno Mountain and 

by a heavier grade and greater distance reaches the same station.

The San Francisco Peninsula, at whose northern extremity is the 

city of San Francisco, is divided into two parts by the northwestwardtrending Merced Valley. Each of these parts is a block of the earth's 

crust with a fault along its southwest side, upheaved along that side so 

that it has a gentle slope to the northeast. Both fault blocks have ^ 

been much carved and worn by erosion so that then1 original blocklike 

character has been in great part lost. Both are composed of pre-Ter- C 

tiary rocks, and the valley between them is filled with the Merced 

formation (Pliocene), covered for the most part by alluvium. The - 

fault which limits the San Bruno fault block on the southwest is concealed by the alluvium. North of San Bruno Mountain, between 0 

it and the Golden Gate, is an irregular group of hills composed of
BULLETIN 614 SHEET 6A
GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

OF THE

COAST ROUTE

From Los Angeles, California, to San Francisco, California

Base compiled from United States Geological Survey Atlas 

Sheets', from railroad alignments and profiles supplied by 

the Southern Pacific Company .and from additional information collected with the assistance of this company

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR 

David White, Chief Geologist R. B. Marshall, Chief Geographer

1915

Each quadrangle shown on the map with a name in parenthesis in the 

lower left corner is mapped in detail on the U. S. C. S. Topographic 

Sheet of that name.

EXPLANATION

A Stream deposits (alluvium), sand dunes, and beach aands 

B Fresh-water gravels, sands, and clays (Santa Clara formation) ; marine clay, sandstone, and conglomerate 

(Merced formation)

C Conglomerate, sandstone, and shale (Pnrisima and Santa 

Mar garita formations), underlain by chalky bituminous 

shah-, in places containing1 flinty layers, and by massive sandstone (upper part of Monterey group); underlain by baavy-bedded sandstone and conglomerate 

(Vaqueros sandstone) of Monterey group (Miocene). 

At base clayey shales with some fine-grained sandstoae 

(San Lorenzo formation, Oligocene)

D Hard sandstone (Tejon formation); chiefly conglorn-j

. eratp with sandstone; underlain by shale and thin}-

limestone (Martinsz formation) J

E Lava flows (basalt and rhyolite).

F Massive yellowish sandstone with conglomerate at bot-l 

torn (Chico formation, Upper Cretaceous), underlain I 

by limy and sandy shale iKnoxville formation, tower i 

Cretaceous) J

G Intrusive rocks and derivatives (diabase, gabbro, 

paridotite, pyroxenite, serpentine)

H Sandstones with subordinate shales and varicolored thin-1 

badded flinty.rocks (radiolarian chei'ts) and some lime-! 

stone. Locally changed to schists near contact with f 

igneous rocks. (Franciscan group) J

I White to light-gray crystalline limestone and micaceous 

schist

J Granite (quartz diorite)

Quaternary 

Early Quaternary and 

Pliocene

Miocene

and

Oligocens

Eocene 

Tertiary

Cretaceous 

Jurassic (?) 

Jurassic (?)

Pre-Jurassic (?) 

Pre-Jurassic(?)
COAST LINE LOS ANGELES TO SAN FRANCISCO. 131

Franciscan rocks and dune sand. On and between these hills is the 

city of San Francisco.

South San Francisco is a manuf acturing town, whose chief industry 

is the refrigeration and preparation of meats. Here also there are 

steel, glazing and terra-cotta, brick, paint, pipe, 

South San Francisco, and ice works.

Elevation 11 feet. ^he five tunnels between South San Francisco

Los Angeles 461 miles. ._,._. . .. . -< , and San Francisco are from 1,088 to 3,547 feet in 

length. All are in rocks of the Franciscan group. The first, through 

Sierra Point, is in sandstone, of which there is a fine exposure in an 

open cut beyond the tunnel. The second, the longest tunnel, penetrates. a complex ridge of sandstone, radiolarian chert, and diabase. 

The large railroad traffic near San Francisco is indicated by the great 

freight yards in Visitation Valley, between the second and third 

tunnels. As the train emerges from the third tunnel, which is in 

sandstone, Hunter Point appears ahead. Beyond Hunter Point, on 

the left (west), across the salt marsh of Islais (ees-lah/ees) Creek, is 

the city garbage incinerator. The last two tunnels are in serpentine. 

Near the new terminal station a sugar refinery and the Union Iron 

 Works, where the famous battleship Oregon and many other warships 

have been built, are to be seen on the right.

A short description of San Francisco is given on pages 86-87.
SOME PUBLICATIONS ON WEST-COAST GEOLOGY.

ANDERSON, F. M., Cretaceous deposits of the Pacific coast: California Acad. Sci.

Proc., 3d ser., vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 1-154, 1902. 

ARNOLD, RALPH, Geology and oil resources of the Summerland district, Santa Barbara

County, CaL: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 321, 1907. 

ARNOLD, RALPH, and ANDERSON, ROBERT, Geology and oil resources of the Santa

Maria oil district, Santa Barbara County, Cal.: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 322,1907. 

ARNOLD, RALPH, and HANNIBAL, HAROLD, The marine Tertiary stratigraphy of the

north Pacific coast of America: Am. Philos. Soc. Proc., vol. 52, pp. 559-605,1913. 

BRANNER, J. C., NEWSOM, J. F., and ARNOLD, RALPH, U. S. Geol. Survey Geol.

Atlas, Santa Cruz folio (No. 163), 1909. 

BRETZ, J. H., Glaciation of Puget Sound: Washington Geol. Survey Bull. 8, 1913.

Contains list of publications. 

CONDON, THOMAS, Oregon geology, a revision of The two islands, edited by Ellen

Condon McCormack, 1910. 

BARTON, N. H., The structural materials of Oregon and Washington: U. S. Geol.

Survey Bull. 387, 1909. 

DILLER, J. S., U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Lassen Peak folio (No. 15), 1895.

 A geological reconnaissance in northwestern Oregon: U. S. Geol. Survey Seventeenth Ann. Rept., pt. 1, pp. 447-520, 1896.

 U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Roseburg folio (No. 49), 1898.

 U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Redding folio (No. 138), 1906.

 Geological history of Crater Lake: U. S. Dept. Interior, 1912.

 Mineral resources of southwestern Oregon: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 546, 1914.

ELDRIDGE, G. H., and ARNOLD, RALPH, The Santa Clara Valley, Puente Hills, and 

Los Angeles oil districts, southern California: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 309,1907.

FAIRBANKS, H. W., U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, San Luis folio (No. 101), 1904.

LANDES, HENRY, and RUDDY, C. A., Coal deposits of Washington: Washington Geol. ^ 

Survey Ann. Rept. for 1902. 'v.

LAWSON, A. C., Report of the California State Earthquake Investigation .Commission:

Carnegie Inst. Washington Pub. 87, 1908. V

 U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, San Francisco folio (No. 193), 1914.

MATTHES, F. E., Mount Rainier and its glaciers: U. S. Dept. Interior, 1914. . Oregon Bureau of Mines and Geology, Mineral resources of Oregon, vol. 1,1914.

OSMONT, V. C., A geological section of the Coast Ranges north of the Bay of San Francisco: California Univ. Dept. Geology Bull., vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 37-87, 1904.

RANSOME, F. L., The Great Valley of California, a criticism of the theory of isostasy:

California Univ. Dept. Geology Bull., vol. 1, pp. 371-428, 1896. L*

RUSSELL, I. C., and SMITH, G. 0., Glaciers [and rocks] of Mount Rainier: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Eighteenth Ann. Rept., pt. 2, pp. 349-424, 1898.

SMITH, G. 0., The coal of the Pacific coast: U. S. Geol. Survey Twenty-second Ann.

Rept., pt. 3, pp. 473-513, 1902. *

SMITH, G. 0., and WILLIS, BAILEY, Contributions to the geology of Washington: U. S. 

Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 19, 1903.

STANTON, T. W., Fauna of the Knoxville beds: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 133,1896. y

WEAVER, C. E., A report on the Tertiary paleontology of western Washington: Washington Geol. Survey Bull. 13, in preparation, 1914.

WILLIS, BAILEY, and SMITH, G. 0., U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Tacoma folio (No. 

54), 1899. 

132
GLOSSARY OF GEOLOGIC TERMS.

Alluvial fan. The outspread sloping deposit of bowlders, gravel, and sand left by a 

stream where it passes from a gorge out upon a plain %

Andesite. A lava of widespread occurrence, usually of dark-gray color and intermediate in chemical composition between rhyolite and basalt.

Anticline. An arch of bedded or layered rock suggestive in form of an overturned 

canoe. (See fig. 3, p. 18.) (See also Dome and Syncline.)

Badlands. A region nearly devoid of vegetation where erosion, instead of carving 

hills and valleys of the familiar type, has cut the land into an intricate maze of 

narrow ravines and sharp crests and pinnacles. Travel across such a region is 

almost impossible; hence the name.

Basalt. A common lava of dark color and of great fluidity when molten. Basalt is 

less siliceous than granite and rhyolite, and contains much more iron, calcium, 

and magnesium.

Bolson (pronounced bowl-sown7 ). A flat-floored desert valley that drains to a central 

evaporation pan or play a.'

Bomb. See Volcanic bomb.

Breccia (pronounced bretch'a). A mass of naturally cemented angular rock fragments.

Crystalline rock. A rock composed of closely fitting mineral crystals that have 

formed in the rock substance as contrasted with one made up of cemented grains 

of sand or other material or with a volcanic glass.

Diabase. A heavy, dark intrusive rock having the same composition as basalt, but, 

on account of its slower cooling, a more crystalline texture. Its principal constituent minerals are feldspar, augite, and usually olivine. Olivine is easily 

changed by weathering, and in many diabases is no longer recognizable. Augite 

is a mineral containing iron and magnesium and is similar to hornblende.

Dike. A mass of igneous rock that has solidified in a wide fissure or crack in the 

earth's crust.

Diorite. An even-grained intrusive igneous rock consisting chiefly of the minerals 

feldspar, hornblende, and very commonly black mica. If the rock contains 

much quartz, it is called quartz diorite. Quartz diorite resembles granite and is 

connected with that rock by many intermediate varieties, including monzonite. 

The feldspar in diorite differs from that in granite in containing calcium and 

sodium instead of potassium. Hornblende is a green or black mineral containing 

iron, magnesium, calcium, and other constituents.

Dip. The slope of a rock layer expressed by the angle which the top or bottom of 

the layer makes with a horizontal plane. (See fig. 9, p. 51.) (See also Strike.)

Dissected. Cut by erosion into hills and valleys. Applicable especially to plains 

or peneplains in process of erosion after an uplift:

Dome. As applied to rock layers or beds, a short anticline, suggestive of an inverted 

basin.

Drift. The rock fragments soil, gravel, and silt carried by a glacier. Drift includes the unassorted material known as till and deposits made by streams flowing from a glacier.

Erosion. The wearing away of materials at the earth's surface by the mechanical 

action of running water, waves, moving ice, or winds, which use rock fragments 

and grains as their tools or abrasives. Erosion is aided by weathering. (See 

Weathering.)

133
134 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTEBN UNITED STATES.

Fault. A fracture in the earth's crust accompanied by movement of the rock on 

one side of the break past that on the other. If the fracture is inclined and the 

rock on one side appears to have slid down the elope of the fracture the fault is 

termed a normal fault. If, on the other hand, the rock on one side appears to 

have been shoved up the inclined plane of the break, the fault is termed a reverse 

fault. (See PI. XXXIII, B, p. 127; fig. 12, p. 90; fig. 15, p. 128.)

Fault block. A part of the earth's crust bounded wholly or in part by faults.

Fault scarp. The cliff formed by a fault. Most fault scarps have been modified by 

erosion since the faulting.

Fauna. The animals that inhabited the world or a certain region at a certain time.

Fissure. A crack, break, or fracture in the earth's crust or in a mass of rock.

Flood plain. The nearly level land that borders a stream and is subject to occasional 

overflow. Flood plains are built up by sediment left by such overflows. (See 

PI. XXIX, .A, p. 119.)

Flora. The assemblage of plants growing at a given time or in a given place.

Fold. A bend in rock layers or beds. Anticlines and synclines are the common 

types of folds. (See fig. 15, p. 128.)

Formation. A rock layer, or a series of continuously deposited layers grouped 

together, regarded by the geologist as a unit for purposes of description and 

mapping. A formation is usually named from some place where it is exposed in 

its typical character. For example, Denver formation, Niobrara limestone.

Fossil. The whole or any part of an animal or plant that has been preserved in 

the rocks or the impression left on rock by a plant or animal. Preservation is 

invariably accompanied by some change in substance, and from some impress-ions 

the original substance has all been removed. (See PI. XXV, p. 92.)

Gneiss (pronounced nice). A rock resembling granite, but with its mineral constituents so arranged as to give it a banded appearance. Most gneisses are metamorphic rocks derived from granite or other igneous rocks.

Granite. A crystalline igneous rock that has solidified slowly deep within the 

earth. It consists chiefly of the minerals quartz, feldspar, and one or both of 

the common kinds of mica, namely, black mica, or biotite, and white mica, or 

muscovite. The feldspar is the kind known as orthoclase, and may be distinguished from quartz by its pale reddish tint and its property of breaking with flat 

shining surfaces (cleavage), for quartz breaks irregularly. The micas are easily 

recognized by their cleavage into thin, flexible flakes and their brilliant luster.

Horizon. In geology any distinctive plane traceable from place to place in different 

exposures of strata and marking the same period of geologic time. A particular 

horizon may be characterized by distinctive fossils.

Igneous rocks. Hocks formed by the cooling and solidification of a hot liquid 

material, known as magma, that has originated at unknown depths within the 

earth. Those that have solidified beneath the surface are known as intrusive 

rocks, or, if the cooling has taken place slowly at great depth, as plutonic intrusive 

or plutonic rocks. Those that have flowed out over the surface are known as effusive rocks, extrusive rocks", or lavas. The term volcanic rocks includes not only 

lavas but bombs, pumice, tuff, volcanic ash, and other fragmental materials or 

ejecta thrown out from volcanoes.

Litholcgic. Pertaining to lithology, or the study of rocks. (See also Petrology.) 

Pertaining to rock character.

Lode. An ore-bearing vein (see Vein); especially a broad or complex vein.

Loess (pronounced lurse with the r obscure). A fine homogeneous silt or loam showing usually no division into layers and forming thick and extensive deposits in 

the Mississippi Valley and in China. It is generally regarded as in part at least 

a deposit of wind-blown dust.
GLOSSARY OF GEOLOGIC TEEMS. 135

Meander. To flow in serpentine curves. A loop in & stream. The term comes 

from the Greek name of a river in Asia Minor, which has a sinuous course. Most 

 streams in flowing across plains develop meanders.

Metamorphism. Any change in rocks effected in the earth by heat, pressure, 

solutions, or gases. A common cause of the metamorphism of rocks is the intrusion into them of igneous rocks. Rocks so.changed are termed metamorphic.

Monzonite. An even-grained intrusive igneous rock intermediate in character 

between diorite and granite. It resembles granite.

Moraine. A mass of drift deposited by a glacier at its end or along its sides.

Oil pool. An area or body of sedimentary rock that yields petroleum on drilling. 

The oil occurs in the pores of the rock and is not a pool or pond in the ordinary 

sense .of these words.

Outcrop. That part of a rock that appears at the surface. The appearance of a rock 

at the surface or its projection above the soil.

Paleontology. The study of the world's ancient life, either plant or animal, by 

means of fossils.

Peneplain. A region reduced almost to a plain by the long-continued normal erosion of a land surface. It should be distinguished from a plain produced by the 

attack of waves along a coast or the built-up flood plain of a river.

Petrography. The description, of rocks, especially of igneous and metamorphic 

rocks studied with the aid of the microscope.

Petrology. The study of rocks, especially of igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Placer deposit. A mass of gravel, sand, or similar material resulting from the

' crumb ling and erosion of solid rocks and containing particles or nuggets of gold,

platinum, tin, or other valuable minerals derived from rocks or veins by erosion.

Playa (pronounced plah'ya). The shallow central basin of a desert plain, in which 

water gathers after a rain and is evaporated.

Porphyry. Any igneous rock in which certain crystal constituents are distinctly 

visible in contrast with the1 finer-grained substance of the rock.

Quartzite. A rock composed of sand grains cemented by silica into an extremely 

hard mass.

Rhyolite. A lava, usually of light color, corresponding in chemical composition to 

granite. The same molten liquid that at great depth within the earth solidifies 

as granite would, if it flowed out on the surface, cool more quickly and crystallize 

less completely as rhyolite.

Schist. A rock that by subjection to heat and pressure within the earth has undergone a change in the character of the particles or minerals that compose it and 

has these minerals arranged in such a way that the rock splits more easily in certain directions than in others. A schist has a crystalline grain roughly similar to 

the grain of a piece of wood.

Sedimentary rocks. Rocks formed by the accumulation of sediment in water 

(aqueous deposits) or from air ('eolian deposits). The sediment may consist of 

rock fragments or particles of various sizes (conglomerate, sandstone, shale); of 

the remains or products of animals or plants (certain limestones and coal); of the 

product of chemical action or of evaporation (salt, gypsum, etc.); or of mixtures 

of these materials. Some sedimentary deposits (tuffs) are composed of fragments 

blown from volcanoes and deposited on land or in water. A characteristic feature 

of sedimentary deposits is a layered structure known as bedding or stratification. 

Each layer is a bed or stratum. Sedimentary beds as deposited lie flat or nearly flat. 

(See PI. XXVIII, p. 118.)

Shale. A rock consisting of hardened thin layers of fine mud.

Slate. A rock that by subjection to pressure within the earth has acquired the 

property of splitting smoothly into thin plates. The cleavage is smoother and 

more regular than the splitting of schist along its grain.
136 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES.

Stratigraphy. The branch of geologic science that deals with the order and relations of the strata of the earth's crust.

Strike. The direction along which an inclined rock layer would meet the earth's 

surface if that surface were level. The outcrop (which see) of a bed on a plain is 

coincident with its strike.

Structure. In geology the forms assumed by sedimentary beds and igneous rocks 

that have been moved from their original position by forces within the earth or the 

forms taken by intrusive masses of igneous rock in connection with effects produced mechanically on neighboring rocks by the intrusion. Folds (anticlines 

and synclines) and faults are the principal mechanical effects considered under 

structure. Schistosity and cleavage are also structural features.

Syncline. An inverted arch of bedded or layered rock suggestive in form of a canoe.

Talus (pronounced tay'lus). The mass of loose rock fragments that accumulates at 

the base of a cliff or steep elope.

Terrace. A steplike bench on a hillside. Most terraces along rivers are remnants of 

valley bottoms formed when the land was lower or when the stream flowed at 

higher levels. Other terraces have been formed by waves. Some terraces have 

been cut in solid rock, others have been built up of sand and gravel, and still 

others have been partly cut and partly built up. (See PI. XXIX, A, p. 119.)

Till. The deposit of mingled bowlders, rock fragments, and soil left behind by a 

melting glacier or deposited about its'margin.

Tuff. A rock consisting of a layer or layers of lava particles blown from a volcano. 

A fine tuff is often called volcanic ash and a coarse tuff breccia.

Type locality. The place at which a formation is typically displayed and from 

which it is named; also the place at which a fossil or other geologic feature is displayed in typical form. . Unconformity. A break in the regular succession of sedimentary rocks, indicated 

by the fact that one bed rests on the eroded surface of one or more beds which 

may have a distinctly different dip from the bed above. An unconformity may 

show that the beds below it have at some time been raised above the sea and have 

been eroded. In some places beds thousands of feet thick have been washed 

away before the land again became submerged and the first bed above the surface of unconformity was deposited. If beds of rock may be considered as leaves 

in the volume of geologic history, an unconformity marks a gap in the record.

Vein. A mass of mineral material that has been deposited in or along a fissure in 

the rocks. A vein differs from a dike in that the vein material Avas introduced 

gradually by deposition from solution whereas a dike was intruded in a molten 

condition.

Volcanic bomb. A rounded mass of lava thrown out while in a hot and pasty condition from a volcano. A bomb, Like a raindrop, is rounded in its passage through 

the air and may be covered with a cracked crust due to quick cooling.

Volcanic cone. A mountain or hill usually of characteristic conical form, built up 

around a volcanic vent. The more nearly perfect cones are composed principally 

of lava fragments and volcanic ashes.

Volcanic glass. Lava that has cooled and solidified before it has had time to 

crystallize.

Volcanic 'neck. A plug of lava that formerly congealed in the pipe of a volcano. 

When the tuffs and lava flows that make up most of a volcano have been washed 

away by erosion the neck may remain as an isolated hill.

Volcanic rocks. Igneous rocks erupted at or near the earth's surface, including 

lavas, tuffs, volcanic ashes, and like material.

Weathering. The group of processes, such as the chemical action of air and rain 

water and of plants and bacteria and the mechanical action of changes of temperature, whereby rocks on exposure to the weather change in character, decay, 

and finally crumble into soil. (See PI. XXVII, p. 109.)
ILLUSTRATIONS.

ROUTE MAP.

For the convenience of the traveler the sheets of the route map are so folded and placed that he can 

unfold them one by one and keep each one in view while he is reading the text relating to it. A reference 

in parentheses is given in the text at each point where a new sheet should be unfolded.

Page.

SHEET 1. Seattle to Kyro, Wash............................................ 20

2. Chambers Prairie to Castle Bock, Wash............................ 24

3. Ostrander, Wash., to Clackamas, Oreg............................ 32

4. Clackamas to Tangent, Oreg...................................... 36

5. Shedd to Drain, Oreg............................................ 40

6. Yoncalla to West Fork,' Oreg...................................... 46

7. Reuben, Oreg., to Zuleka, Gal.................................... GO

8. Hornbrook to Sims, Gal....................'....................... 64

9. Gibson to Blunt, Gal............................................ 70

10. Red Bluff to Delevan, Gal....................................... 74

11. Maxwell to Yolo, Gal............................... ............. 76

12. Yolo to Port Costa, Gal. ......................................... 80

13. Port Costa to San Francisco, Gal.................................. 90

IA. Los Angeles to Moorpark, Gal.................................... 102

2A. Somis to Naples, Gal............................................. 110

3A. Capitan to Oceano. Gal........................................... 114

4A. Grover to Wunpost, Gal.......................................... 120

SA. San Ardo to Del Monte Junction, Gal.............................. 122

6A. Watsonville Junction to San Mateo, Gal............................ 130

PLATES.

Page. 

PLATE I. Relief map of the country traversed by the Shasta Route and Coast

Line.......................................................... 8

II. A Washington forest.............................................. 10

III. Snoqualmie Falls, Wash.......................................... 11

IV. A, Mount Rainier, Wash., from Spanaway Lake; B, Paradise Park,

on south slope of Mount Rainier................................ 16 '

V. Ocean spray (Sericotheca discolor), a common flower in Washington.. 17

VI. A, Smelt fishery on Cowlitz River near Kelso, Wash.; B, Seining

salmon on Columbia River...................................... 22

VII. View up Columbia River from Columbia Highway at Chanticleer 

Inn, about 20 miles east of Portland, Oreg.....................

VIII. Oneonta Gorge, Columbia River near Oneonta, Oreg.............

I.. Latoxirelle Falls, Columbia River near Latourelle, Oreg...........

X. A, Trunks of trees of a submerged forest, Columbia River, above

Cascade Locks, Oreg.; B, Cigar-shaped raft of logs for ocean travel. 28

XI. A, Mount Hood from Portland, Oreg.; B, Willamette Falls, Oregon

City, Oreg.................................................... 29

XII. Willamette Valley near Newburg, northwest of Hubbard, Oreg..... 34

XIII. Shale inclosed in diabase near Roseburg, Oreg..................... 35

XIV. Hydraulic placer mining in Grants Pass region, Oireg.............. 48

137
138 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTEEN UNITED STATES.

PLATE XV. A, Table Rock, at entrance to Rogue River valley, Oreg.; B, Oregon

Caves, southwest of Grants Pass, Oreg......................... 49

XVI. Pear and apple orchards in Rogue River valley, Oreg............ 52

XVII. A, Mount Mazama restored; B, Wizard Island, Crater Lake, Oreg. 53 

XVIII. Southeast rim of Crater Lake, Oreg., from Wizard Island......... 54

XIX. Summit of the Cascade Range.................................. 55

XX. A, Sugar Loaf, near west base of Mount Shasta, Cal.; B, Moss Brae

Falls, near Shasta Springs, Cal................................ 62

XXI. Mount Shasta, from Sisson, Cal.................................. 63

XXII. Eruption of Lassen Peak, Cal., at 12.30 p. m. August 22,1914..... 72

XXIII. New crater of Lassen Peak, Cal., after 25 eruptions within the old

crater, August 17, 1914....................................... 73

XXIV. A, Sinks of Suisun Flats, Cal.; B, View along shore of San Pablo

Bay near Oleum, Cal........................................ 78

XXV. A, La Brea wing of the Museum of History, Science, and Art at 

Los Angeles, Cal.; B, Fossil bones in asphalt deposit of Rancho 

La Brea, near Los Angeles, Cal............................... 92

XXVI. Summerland oil field, Cal...................................... 108

XXVII. Sculptured cliffs along Coast Line near Santa Barbara, Cal........ 109

XXVIII. Lighthouse at Point Conception, Cal............................ 118

XXIX. A, Alluvial flat and terrace of Salinas River near Bradley, Cal; ; B,

Mission of San Carlos de Monterey, founded in 1770............ 119

XXX. The Pinnacles, 12 miles northeast of Soledad, Cal................ 124

XXXI. Big trees (Sequoia sempervirens) at Santa Cruz, Cal............... 125

XXXII. Santa Clara Valley near Gilroy, Cal............................. 126

XXXIII. A, The arches. Stanford University, Cal.; B, Furrow a mile northwest of Olema, Cal., made by movement that caused the earthquake of April, 1906............................................ 127

FIGURES.

Page.

FIGURE 1. Map of North America showing the area covered by the Pleistocene 

ice sheet at its maximum extension and the three main centers of 

ice accumulation.............................................. H

2. Generalized section of White River valley at Kent, Wash........ 15

3. Section of bluff 2 miles north of station at Tacoma, Wash......... 18

4. Section of deep cut of Northern Pacific Railway across Portland

Peninsula, between Vancouver, Wash., and Portland, Oreg..... 29

5. East-west section of Willamette Valley at Portland, Oreg......... 29

6. Section of east bluff at Oregon City, Oreg........................ 33

7. Generalized section of Umpqua River valley in Coast Range, Oreg.. 40

8. Sketch of a ginkgo leaf from the Jurassic beds of Oregon.......... 45

9. Section of Rogue River valley near Phoenix, Oreg............... 51

10. Tree zones of Mount Shasta, Cal................................ ^ 62

11. Section of canyon of Sacramento River just below Delta, Cal..... 65

12. Earthquake effects at Skinner's ranch, near Olema, Cal.......... 90

13. Map showing the oil fields of California.......................... 93

14. Generalized cross section from the Pacific Ocean to Rincon Mountain, Cal...................................................... 105

15. Section from Palo Alto, Cal., to the summit of the Santa Cruz Range. 128

I

r
INDEX OF RAILROAD STATIONS.

A. Page. 

Ager, Cal............................ 60

Albany, Oreg........................ 36

Albany Junction, Oreg.............. 37

Alcatraz, Cal........................ 109

Alford, Oreg......................... 37

Anderson, Cal....................... 70

Anlauf, Oreg........................ 40

Antelope, Cal........................

Antler, Cal.......................... 65

Arbuckle, Cal........................ 76

Argo, Wash......................... 13

Arguello, Cal........................

Aromas, Cal......................... 123

Ashland, Oreg....................... 57

Atascadero, Cal...................... 118

Auburn, Wash...................... 15

Aurora, Oreg. -...................... 34

Azalea, C al..........................

B.

Barlow, Oreg........................ 34

Batavia, Cal.........................

Bay Shore, Cal......................

Belmont, Cal........................ 129

Ben Ali, Cal.........................

Benham, Cal........................ 106

Benicia, Cal....... .'. ................ 79

Beresford, Cal....................... 129

Berkeley, Cal........................ 83

Biggs, Cal...........................

Black River Junction, Wash......... 14

Blunt, Cal........................... 71

Bradley, Cal......................... 119

Bromela, Cal........................ 114

Brfibks, Oreg........................ 35

Bucoda, Wash........................ 20

Burbank, Cal........................ 98

Burlingame, C al..................... 129

C.

CaUender, Cal........................ 114

Camarillo, Cal....................... 103

Cana, Cal............................

Canby, Oreg......................... 34

Cannon, Cal.......................... 1

Capitan, Cal......................... 109

Carnadero, Cal....................... 124

Carnes, Oreg.......................; 43

Carpinteria, Cal...................... 106

Carrolls, Wash....................... 24

CasmaUa, Cal........................ 113

Castella, Cal......................... 64

Castle Crag, Cal...................... 63

Castle Rock, Wash.................. 23

Central Mine, Cal.................... 68

3A 

5 

9 

5 

12 

9

11 

1

3A

CA 

7

4A 

1 

4

4

12

13 

6A 

12

12

13

10

1

9

4A

4

2

1A

3A

2A

10

4 

12 

3A 

6A

6 

2A

3 

3A

	Sheet. 

Central Point, Oreg.................. 51 7

Chambers Prairie, Wash............. 20 2

Centralia, Wash..........:.......... 21 2

Chanslor, Cal........................ 119

Chatsworth, Cal..................... 100 1A

Chehalis.Wash...................... 21 2

Chemawa, Oreg...'................... 35 4

Chico, Cal............................ 10

Chittenden, Cal..................... 123 6A

Chorro, Cal.......................... 4 A

ChualafrCal......................... 121 5A

Clackamas, Oreg.................... 32 4

Coalca,0reg.......................... 33 4

Coburn, Cal......................... 5A

Cole, Cal........................... 58 7

Colestin, Oreg....................... 58 7

Colusa Junction, Cal................. 75 11

Comstock, Oreg..................... 40 5

Concepcion, Cal..................... 110 3A

Coram, Cal.......................... 67 9

Corning, Cal......................... 73 10

Coromar, Cal........................ 2A

Cottage Grove, Oreg................. 39 5

Cottomvood, Cal..................... 70 9

CO-.T Creek, Oreg.................... 6

Coyote, Cal.......................... 125 6A

Ores-well, Oreg....................... 39 5

Cuesta, Cal.......................... 116

D.

Davis, Cal........................... 77 12

Del Monte Junction, Cal............. 122 5A

Delavan.Cal........................ 75 10

Delta, Cal........................... 65 9

Dillard, Oreg........................ 43 6

Divide, Oreg........................ 39 5

Dixon, Cal............... ^........... 78 12

Doe Creek, Oreg..................... 6

Dole, Oreg.......................... 43 6

Drain, Oreg......................... 41 5

Drake, Cal.......................... 3A

Dunnigan, Cal....................... 76 11

Dunsmuir, Cal....................... 63 8

Durham, Cal........................ 10

E.

Eaglet, Cal......................... 117 4A

EastMorrison Street, Oreg........... 32

Edenvale, Cal....................... 126

Edgewood, Cal...................... 61 8

Edna, Cal........................... 114 4A

Elkhorn, Cal........................ 122

Elmira.Cal.......................... 78 12

Elmore, Cal......................... 65 9

Elwood,Cal......................... 109 2A

Eugene, Oreg................*:....... 37 5

Evaline, Wash...................... 2

139
140 INDEX OF RAILROAD STATIONS.

F.

Fairfield, Cal. 

Felicia, Wash.

Sheet. 

78 12 

25 3

Gato, Cal............................

Gaviota, Cal.,....................... 110

Gazelle, Cal......................... 61

Georgetown, Wash.................. 13

Gerber, Cal.......................... 72

Germantown, Cal.................... 74

Gervais, Oreg....................... 35

Gibson, Cal.......................... 64

Gilroy, Cal.......................... 124

Girvan, Cal...........................

Glendale, Oreg...................... 47

Gold Hill, Oreg..................... 50

Goldtree, Cal........................ 116

Goleta, Cal......./.................. 109

Gonzales, Cal........................ 121

Goodyear, Cal.......................

Goshen, Oreg........................ 39

Grants Pass, Oreg................... 49

Green,Oreg......................... 42

Greenwood, Cal..................... 74

Grenada, Cal........................

Gridley, Cal.........................

Grover, Cal..........................

Guadalupe, Cal...................... 113

H. 

Halsey, Oreg........................ 37

Harrisburg, Oreg.................... 37

Hasson, Cal.........................

Hercules, Cal........................ 81

Hewitt, Cal..........................

Hillhurst, Wash..................... 20

Hillsdale, Cal........................

Honda, Cal.......................... Ill

Hooker, Cal......................... 71

Hope Ranch, Cal,...................

Hornbrook, Cal...................... 60

Hubbard, Oreg...................... 34

Hugo, Oreg,.......................... 48

I. 

Irving, Oreg......................... 37

Ivrea, Cal................'........... 71

Jalama, Cal..........

Jefferson. Oreg......

Junction City, Oreg.

36

37

K.

Kalama, Wash...................... 24

Kelso, Wash........................ 23

Kennett, Cal........................ 66

Kent, Wash......................... 15

Keswick, Cal........................ 68

Ketron, Wash....................... 19

King City, Cal....................... 120

Kirkwood, Cal....................... 73

Klamathon, Cal..................... 60

Knapps, Wash...................... 25

Kyro, Wash......................... 19

5

5

1A

1A 

1

6A

3A

9

2A 

8 

4 

7

3A

4

5

1

5A 

10 

8 

3 

1

L. Page. Sheet. 

Lagol, Cal........................... 102

Lakeview, Wash....................

Lamoine, Cal........................ 64

Latham, Oreg.......:............... 39

Leesdale, Cal........................

Leland, Oreg........................ 48

Lento, Cal...........................

Lcona, Oreg......................... 40 5

Leslie, Cal........................... 129 6A

Lincoln, Cal......................... 11

Liveoak, Cal......................... 11

Logandale, Cal...................... 75 10

Lompoc Junction, Cal............... Ill

Los Angeles, Cal..................... 91 1A

Lyman, Cal......................... 74 10

M. 

Mclntosh, Wash.....................

McKay, Cal......................... 119

Madrone, Cal........................ 125

Malton, Cal.......................... 73

Marion, Oreg........................ 36

Martins Bluff, Wash.................

Marysville, Cal......................

Mathews, Oreg...................... 39

Maxwell, Cal........................ 75

Mayfield, Cal........................

Medford, Oreg....................... 51

Menlo Park, Cal..................... 128

Merlin, Oreg.... .........'............ 48

Merritt, Cal..........................

Metz, Cal............................

Middle Creek, Cal................... 68

Millbrae, Cal.....................;.. 130

Millersburg, Oreg.................... 36

Milwaukee, Oreg.................... 32

Miramar, Cal........................ 107

Montague, Cal....................... 60

Montalvo, Cal....................... 104

Moorpark, Cal....................... 102

Morley, Cal...........................

Motion, Cal.......................... 67

Mott, Cal............................ 63

Mountain View, Cal................. 127

Mullen, Cal..........................

Myrtle Creek, Oreg.................. 44

N. 

Nacimiento, Cal.....................

Napavine, Wash.................... 22

Naples, Cal.......................... 109

Narlon, Cal..........................

Nelson, Cal..........................

New Era, Oreg...................... 33

Nichols, Oreg........................ 46

Nisqually, Wash.................... 19

Nord, Cal...........................

Norman, Cal........................ 75

North Puyallup, Wash.............. 15

0.

Oakland, Cal........................ 84

Oakland, Oreg...................... 41

O'Brien, Wash......................

Oceano, Cal......................... 114

1 

9 

5

2A 

7

3A

2

4A

6A

10

4

3

11

5

11

GA

7

GA 

7

12 

5A 

9 

13 

4

2A

8

2A 

1A

9

6A 

12 

6

4A 

2

2A

3A

10

4

.6

1

10 

10

1 

3A

r
INDEX OF RAILROAD STATIONS. 141

Page. Sheet.

Oleqna, Wash....................... 23 2

Oregon City, Oreg................... 32 4

Orella,Cal........................... 109 3A

Orland,Cal.......................... 73 10

Ostrander, Wash.................... 23 3

Oxnard, Cal......................... 103 2A

P.

Palo Alto, Cal....................... 127 6A

Paso Robles, Cal.................... 118 A4

Phoenix, Oreg....................... 56 7

Pinole.Cal.....................:.... 82 13

Pismo, Cal........................... 114 4A

Pitt, Cal............................. 66 9

Plumb, Wash....................... 20 2

Port Costa, Cal...................... 79 13

Portland, Oreg...................... 30 3

Proberta, Cal........................ 72 10

R.

R ainier, Wash....................... 2

Rawson, Cal......................... 10

Raymer, Cal........................ 99 1A

Red Bluff, Cal....................... 71 10

Redding, Cal........................ 70 9

Redwood, Cal....................... 128 6A

Reuben, Oreg....................... 46 7

Rice Hill, Oreg...................... 41 6

Richfield, Cal....................... 73 10

Richmond.Cal...................... 83 13

Richvale, CaL....................... 10

Riddle, Oreg........................ 44 6

Ridgefleld, Wash.................... 25 3

Rodeo, Cal.......................... SI 13

Rogue River, Oreg.................. 50 7

Roseburg, Oreg...................... 42 6

Roseville, Cal....................... 11

Round Prairie, Orog................. 6

Roy, Wash.......................... 1

S.

Sacate, Cal.......................... 3A

Sacramento, Cal..................... 12

Safety, Oreg......................... 40 5

Saginaw, Oreg....................... 39 5

St. Clair, Wash...................... 1

Salem, Oreg......................... 35 4

Salinas, Cal.......................... 121 5A

SanArdo, Cal....................... 120 5A

San Bruuo, Cal...................... 130 13

SanCarlos, Cal...................... 128 6A

San Francisco, Cal................... 86 13

San Jose, Cal........................ 126 6A

San Lucas, Cal...................... 120 5A

SanLuis Obispo, Cal................ 115 4A

San Martin, Cal..................... 6A

SanMateo, Cal...................... 129 6A

San Miguel, Cal..................... 118 4A

SanPablo, Cal...................... 82 13

Santa Barbara, Cal.................. 108 2A

Santa Clara, Cal..................... 126 6A

Santa Cruz, Cal...................... 123 6A

Santa Margarita, Cal................ 116 4A

SantaSusana, Cal.:................. 100 1A

Sargent, Cal......................... 124 6A

Schumann, Cal...................... 113 3A

Sheet. 

Seacliff, Cal......................... 105 2A

Seattle, Wash....................... 10 1

Serrano, Cal......................... 116 4A

Shasta Springs, Cal.................. 63 8

Shedd, Oreg......................... 37 5

Sheridan, Cal........................

Simi, Cal............................ 102

Sims, Cal....:....................... 64 

Siskiyou, Oreg...................... 58

Sisson, Cal.......................... 62

Smithson, CaL...................... 65

Snowdon, Cal....................... 60

Soledad, Cal......................... 121

Somis, Cal........................... 103

Soto, Cal............................

South San Francisco, Cal............ 131

South Tacoma, Wash...............

South Winlock, Wash...............

Springfield Junction, Oreg........... 38

Steilacoom, Wash................... 18

Steinman, Oreg..................... 58

Strathearn, Cal......................

Sudden, Cal......................... 110

Suisun, Cal.......................... 78

Summerland, Cal.................... 107

Summit, Cal........................ 61

Sumner, Wash....................... 15

Sunnyvale, Cal...................... 127

Surf, Cal............................

Sutherlin, Oreg...................... 41

T.

Tacoma, Wash...................... 16 1

Tajiguas, Cal........................ 109 3A

Talent, Oreg........................ 56 7

Tangair, Cal......................... 112 3A

Tangent, Oreg....................... 37 4

Tehama, Cal........................ 72 10

Templeton, Cal...................... 118 4A

Tenino, Wash....................... 20 2

Ternez, Cal.......................... 102

Thrall,Cal.......................... 60 8

Tolo, Oreg.......................... 51 7

Tropico, Cal......................... 97 1A

Turner, Oreg........................ 36 4

Tyler, Cal........................... 10

V.

Vader, Wash........................ 22 2

Vallejo Junction, Cal................ SO 13

Van Asselt, Wash................... 1

Vancouver, Wash................... 25 3

Vancouver Junction, Wash.......... 25 3

Ventura, Cal........................ 104 2A

Vina, Cal............................ 10

Visitacion, Cal....................... 13

W.

Wabash, Wash...................... 2

Waldorf, Cal........................ 3A

Walker, Oreg........................ 39 5

Washington, Cal.................... 12

Watsonville Junction, Cal........... 123 6A

Weed,Cal........................... 61 8

Wellsona, Cal....................... 4A

WestFork, Oreg.................... 46 6
142 INDEX OF EAILROAD STATIONS.

Wheatland, Cal............

Willows, Cal.... ...........

Wnlf PrAAt Orpcr

Woodland, Cal. ............

Page. 

......... 98

......... 42

......... 75

......... 74

......... 42

......... 22

......... 47

......... 34

......... 77

Sheet.

11

6

3

11

10

3

6

2

7

4

12

Y.

Yelm, Wash.. .................

Yolo,Cal......................

Z.

Zelzah, Cal.. ..................

Zuleka. Cal. ...................

Page. 

..... 24

..... 20

..... 76

..... 41

..... 76

..... 99

Sheet. 

3

4A

2

11

6

11

1A

7

i

o

r