The daily Butte record., 1858-08-02
A Trip 20 the Mountains,

Ma. EDIToR In the Union Of the 9th |
ult. l notice an account of the mail line |
route from Salt Lake 10 Placer Vile, giving
distances, &c., and otherwise setting forth
the feasibility Of that route through the ST.
erras into this State. Now while | have
nothing to say against the action of the Fed
eral arrangements at Washington in locating
the mail route from Salt Lake bv Honey
Lake and Carson Valley to Placervlle, nor
the very reasonable and interested motives
OF parties in Sacramento county and Placer.
vile, which caused, by their increasingly
advocating the superior merits Of the Pla.
cerville route over all others, the Federal
Government at Washington TO make the
aforesaid location; yet claim It ns a right
and duty. due to the people of tho north.
ern counties to advocate anil set forth apain
and again the immensely superior advau.
tages Of route from Honey Lake to the
Valley Of the Sacramento by the Big Mead.
ows and Butte Creek TO Orovlle, over any
other route that can be found
Years ago, through the columns Of the
Union, advocated the location Of an emi-
grant wagon road through the mountains at
this point as being the most feasible in every
particular, and considered the project Mt
that time fortunate in having the senior ed e
itor of that paper one Of its strongest advo.
Gates.
Circumstances and the inva!uble assist
abce VI the Aforesaid Sacramento Union,
have caused the loc ition of tn road through
FL Dorado and Sacramento counties, and the
c'un,ies, taking advantage Of this favorable
state Of things, at once take hold and secure
the only remaining link by subscribing
money enough to build tho road to intersect
the valley roads from below. aud thus secure
the mail line on a route, the submits OF
which are much higher, and tho distance
from Salt Lake increased by nearly hun
dred miles over The route through the coun
ties OF Butte and Plumas.
1t is unnecessary to ask what has caused
this location to be determined upon by the
Government at Washington. 1t is well un-
derstood TO have been caused partly by the
appointment Of gentleman from Placer.
vile as Superintendent. and more particu.
larly by the never ceasing claims put forth
in its favor by the Sacramento onion.
Now. Mr.. Editor. as the thing may be
considered definitely settled in favor Of our
more southern neigh bors, it is to be hoped
that 1t will not appear in their eyes so muc h
piece Of presumption on our part as for.
merly to advocate and presssbefore the peo
pie Of this and the Eastern States, the supe-
rior claims Of our route, and Mt once re,
about at least making a connection with he
Government road at Honey Lake. This is
the duty Of every newspaper and bushes
man In the northern counties, and withou,
a doubt for their best in erests
Iproposc in this communication to Law be.
fore those whom it is presumed arc most in
terested, all the facts VIII ich have come with
in my reach in crossing the mountains n,
this point, and il possible, to again direct
the public attention. not only of Butte coun
~. but Of oil the northern counties
thereto.
Having for some time contemplated n visit
Of ohse' vation to the country around Honey
Lake, l started on Friday, July 10th, fully
prepared for hunting AMI fishing excur.
sion. and to make such examinations along
the route as would more fully satisfy my
previous opinion Of the ridge between Butte
Creek and tho West Branch for the purposes
Of u good road through to Honey Lake.
From Oroville to Dogtown the Gal. Stage
Co run daily stage. making the trip in six
hours up, and four hours down. and making
| Of 4 ,,x I
This portion of the road has been improved,
30 that the ordinary loads of the Valley are
easily transported. The time made from
0roville TO Dog,own, with Concord wagon
and two horses, was 4h 46m. From Dog
{ wn to Inskip's. by way Of Lovelock's and
| DR.. Carter's ranch, the road runs along the
ridge. and has, in some places, been impro-
we'd; but for the most Of the distance il is as
Nature left IL We started from Dogtown nj
& clock, and arrived At Inskip at IA of IL,
m"king this distance in Oh 55m. and the en-.
tire distance from Orovillc in I'm 20 dis.
tance SO miles.
From Inskip east no improvement. have
bsen made The road continues along the
af"resaid ridge. by way of tho Chapparal
House. 10 the head Of the West Brarch Of
Feather river. From In>kip to the Chappa-
raj House. the road. with the execution of
some short distances. needs little alterations
or repairs. At | miles east of the Chappa
raj House commences the Chapparsl Hill,
which is the only real difficulty on the route
IL H. by the present route. about ~ miles
| across. and is Of lava rock formation, GOV
cred by dense field of low manzanita, com
pletely impcnetrable. except where the old
cmigrant trail was cut through The West
Branch lays on the south side and Butte
Creek on the north. on either slope Of w5ich
grade can be made of not over 100 feet
rise to the mile. Mt an expense Of not over
SO 600. The road, after crossing Chapparal
Hill. dcsceuds into the valley near the head
of the West Branch. aud for u miles needs
sca,c,,v .nv repairs. AT the head Of the
~, - r aad runs ihrnn III Rnnnh