San Andreas independent., 1857-03-28
Immigrant Road.

roads from the Missouri 10 the Clerre Ne
yada (about half the sum which shoulc
have been appropriated to the South Pass
route, the San Joaquin Republican pro
poses that Convention Of delegates from
the counties in that valley should be held
for the purpose of raising funds to i'm
prove the Big Tree route from Carson
Valley. The following are the suggestions
of the Republican:
Congress has passed the Wagon Road Bill
ana 1t Is believed, that in consequence of that
fact and other causes, heavy overland immi-
grafton to California may be expected the pres
ent season. Therefore we deem it of the high
est Importance that the residents of the mining
and agricultural counties South of the Mokel-
umne river, should take steps to further i'm
prove the wagon road to Carson Valley via the
Big Tree, in such manner as to insure the
safest and speediest transit across the Sierra Ne
vada, to all who desire making their homes IN
this section of the State.
In order to accomplish this object, which
must ultimately, be beneficial to all, a fund
should be raised without delay, and the work
of improving the road commenced as soon as
practicable. In order to insure harmony and
unanimity of action, convention, composed of
citizens Of San Joaquin, Calaveras, Amador,
Tuolumne StanislauS, Mariposa, Tulare and
Merced counties should be held at an early day,
and committees appointed to carry out the work.
For the road, as it is at present. we are indebted
to the enterprise of the citizens of Calayeras
County Where the benefits are mutual, it is
the duty of citizens of counties enjoying such
benefits to do something towards defraying the
expense incurred.
The idea of a Convention says the Sacra-
mento Union is good one, and we hope NAV
be fully carried out. But we would add a re-
commendation that Convention of delegates
from the counties of Ell Dorado Placer Amador,
Sutter, Sacramento, Yolo, Sonoma, Napa and
Solano, be also held, some time during the
Spring, for the purpose of devsing the ways
and means for improving the Wagon Road from
the Sacramento Valley to that of Carson
Let the people of the San Joaquin build good
road, if they wish so to do, and let the people
of the populous counties in this valley build
equally as good one over the mountain, and
a little better if possible. The more good roads
from the valleys of California to the Great Salt
Lake Valley, the better for the people of the
State. They will, too, prepare US all the better
for meeting the United States Military Road
whenever it reaches the east line of the State
of California.
The Big Tree route says the Stockton -4ryus,
will ultimately be the route, leading into Cali
fornia from Carson Valley. It's advantages may
be keptin allegiance for awhile by efforts on other
and less advantageous routes, by means of
traders who use decoy runners to decide immi-
grants into taking long and tedious route,
lined with obstacles that require wearisome la
Dor to overcome, that goods may be sold, and
profit made, out of the deuded immigrant
from over the plains. But knowledge of the
Big Tree route must ultimately become known
It's many advantages over all other routes lead
ing into our State, connot be kept concealed
for great length of time. But it behooves the
people of this portion of the State, comprised
within the boundaries of San Joaquin, Gala
veras, Tuolumne, Amador, Stanislaus, Merced
and Tulare, to lose no opportunity to forward
the speedy completion of this route, and have
knowledge of its advantages extended over
the plains to the Atlantic States, that travel
may be divertedin this direction San JOAQUIN
county is one among the foremost counties in
furnishing means to open the Big Tree route
This city has done as much, probably, as even
Calaveras county, where the Big Tree route
strikes directly in, has performed. When this
subject was first discussed, Mr.. Sheppard came
delegate from Calaveras county to call for
assistance to open the Big Tree route About
s. 900 was asked of Stockton, and immediately
s., ,250 were raised by our citizens and for
warded to Calaveras to assist in opening the
new road. The Big Tree route is beneficial to
all the counties in the southern portion of the
State; and if our sister counties will do as
much as San Joaquin has already done, there
will be sufficient funds ou hand to complete
safe and expedient route by the Big Tree, from
Carson Valley, here. 1t is the interest of the
whole of this portion of the State that travel
be directed into California by this route
:! A day or two since we adverted to the fact
says the Stockton Republican, that Congress had
passed a wagon road bill, and suggested that
our citizens ought to act promptly in further
improving the Big Tree Immigrant Road to
Carson Valley. We are fully convinced of the
Importance and necessity of putting this road
in good condition By doing so, the South,
without disparaging the claims of other sec
tions of the State in procuring an increase of
population, will get its pro rata of the immi-
grafton. Without improving the road, this
desideratum cannot be accomplished, especially
if our rivals hire agents to meet the immigrants
East of the Nevadas, and induce them to be-
lieve the roads represented by them are far
superior to any other. This will not do. Our
people must awake from the lethargy into which
they have fallen, and improve the present op-
portunity of adding materially to the popula-