The Shasta courier., 1855-02-03
Rnirrnn, R,.a !. C.lif.r.ie.


A committee of gentlemen, appointed by q
meeting of citizens Of San Francisco, are at pre-
sent engaged in collecting information and sta
tistics with reference to an Emigrant Road across
the Plains. To this end they have published
the annexed Circular, and request all persons
throughout the State who are informed on the
subject, to furnish answers to the inquiries pro-
pounded, and forward the same. as directed in
the Circular, to Eugene Casserly, Adams &
Co.'s Express, San Francisco"
1-If you have, within the past six years,
crossed the Plains, to or from California. once
or oftener, state by what route, and at what pc
riod of the year, and what was the average
length of your trips and if by different routes,
| state the time Of the year. and the length OF the
trip by each route. State, also, through what
Pass of the Rocky Mountains, or the Sierra Ne
vada. your route lay in each case.
2.-State, 30 far as you can. the number of
emigrants and the amount of live stock that
have come across the Plains by any Of the
| routes with which you are acquainted, within
the past six years, (including the year 1854,) or
| in any year Of the six, and by what route.
| 3.-State what route has been most travelled
within your observation, and by what proper
tion of the emigrants in the respective years
above mentioned, or any of them, and state also
| which, in your judgment, is the most practical
bic route TOR an easy, expeditions and safe Emil
grant Road between California and the Missis-
sippi Valley.
4.-State the general character of such most
practicable route, to SOIL levels, grass, water
distance from Its eastern to its western termi-
nus. and the number and character of the sta
tions, at which supplies for men and cattle can
be obtained, with their locations and distances
from each other. Give description of the route
between each OF its chief points, with the dis
tance in miles as nearly you can, from point
to point.
5.-State what is necessary and what first to
be done to convert such route into an Emgrant
Road OF the character described, having refer
ence especially to digging wells. to bridges or
ferries over streams, SC. State during what
months of the year it could be made practicable
for travel.
eff on any considerable portion of such
route there is want of wood for fuel or build
ing purposes, &C., state at what points and for
what length in miles; state if on such portion
the want OF wood can be supplied by adoJes
otherwise. and how the want of fuel is to be
supplied.
7.-State your opinion as to the practicablity
of establishing and continuing along such route,
at intervals of say twenty miles, stations for
supplies for men and cattle; and in this view
settlements already existing along the route;
state the portions Of the route where such sta
tons would be most difficult; and on such por-
tion the practicability OF such stations during
the year 1855.
S.-lf the route which you regard as the mcst
available is some other than that which is most
travelled, state fully and particularly your rea-
sons for preferring it.
9.-State the practicabilty of such road
without line of military posts, established by
the United States Government; and if such
line is, in your judgment necessary, the location
OF those posts, their distances apart from each
other, with the number of men and the aefences
requisite for each.
10 State anything else you can to throw
light upon this subject, or which has any bear
ing upon it; state fully and particularly.
Number your answers to the above Inquiries,
-, 81 &C., according To the number
OF the inquiry to which each answer relates