The weekly Butte record., 1867-11-16
Editorial Notes on Butte County.

!
Butte county 50 named because the Buttes =
not within its limits is situated east of the Sac
ramento river, reaching from that stream TO an
elevation Of 600 feet more on the slopes Of the
Sierra Nevada The southernmest point Is 20 mile
west Of Marysville, and its greatest length from,
north 10 south is eighty miles The eastern portion
is mineral. the western agricultural and the latter
interest has decided predominanee i'll the county.
Most of the area is drained By Feather river which
considerable distance in the county. and fnr-
nshed in is bed and bars much Of the best mining
Of early times.
TABLE MOUNTAIN.
Next to this stream OF water the most notable
typographical feature of Butte is stream of lava
which flowed down from Lassen's peak nearly due
south, and terminates at 0roville where its south
end, cut of by Feather river, is mile wide
and nearly one thousand feet high. with surface
almost level. but declining little to the west and
more TO the south. This lava stream, like in Tuol-
umne county, covered bed of aariferous gravel,
and Ike that its surface az first not above the
level OF the banks of the river whose place is up
surged, but after the lava had cooled, it was so
much harder than the gravel and the slate Of the
banks and hills, that these were washed away to 3
considerable depth while the lava left stand
ing as black and barren table mountain, 10 miles
long 1t probably flowed beyond the present site OF
Orovlle, but it well the gravel on which it
was deposited has been washed away.
TOWNS.
The principal towns of the county are Oroville,
Forbestown. Bangor Wyandotte. Oregon City.
Cherokee, Nimshew Kilnshew Magalia, Evansville
and Chico. Oroville the co. seat, Is pleasantly sit
uated, four hundred feet above the level Of the sea
on the southern bank of Feather river where that
stream issues from the foothills Of the Sierra Neva
da 10 enter the Sacramento plain. The site Is lev
e and the town is laid off with straight, wide
streets and rectangular blocks. Many OF the dwell
lings are neatly built and have fine gardens, and
Court House and the common school house are very
creditable public buildings.
1t IS the terminus of railroad to Marysville, and
its trade will be much increased when the commu-
nication with Sacramento and Vallejo is completed
1t is also the terminus OF wagon road that Is to
be made across the Sierra Nevada through the Beck
wourth Pass which is only 1900 feet high, and has
never enough TO impede travel while on the
Truckee route the road never has been kept open
through hard winter and on the Plaeerville route
the expense of keeping the snow down Is from
$40 600 TO $50 600 in a bad season. The lower ele
vation of this pass reduces the grade OF the road,
and for the first 30 miles from Oroville il is to be on
railroad grade. company is now at work max
ing the road. which is to be completed next year.
at expense of sl40 900. II rumor he true. some
of the Directors of the Union Pacific Railroad have
expressed an expectation of extending their road
through 0-oville by way Of this Pass 1t is proba-
bic that a route so favorable for both wagon and
railroad will not remain idle. The railroad from
Marysville To Oregon must pass through this coun-
ty. which will in few years be highly favored in
the matter of transportation, having the nlvigable
Sacramento on the western border, the Beckwourth
Pass on the east and the chief coast road through
the middle. STEAMBOATS, have ascended to orovllle,
in times OF high water, but Feather river is not fit
for navigation in ordinary seasons above Marys-
vile. and even the smallest boats have trouble in
going up to that point in the fall.
CHEROKEE DITCH PROJECT.
The county has a large area of rich mining
ground, but much of it is covered deep with lava,
aud other portions cannot be worked for want OF
water. There is no ditch north of the Middle Fork
of Feather river and all the mining at the different
camps on the line OF Table Mountain has been done
with such water could be picked ur during the
rains. If Cherokee were furnished with a cheap
and abundant supply of water it would very soon
become one of the principal hydraulic camps of the
State. The gravel is as extensive as at Gold Run,
Sucker Flat or La Porte the leading piping camps
of the State, and much richer to the ton than at
either of those places. But hydraulic claims are
worth little without bitches, and there are peculiar
difficulties about getting water to Cherokee. After
a careful survey made last year il was ascertaned
that the cheapest plan would be to bring part of the
North Fork of Feather river across the West Fork
in an iron pipe forty inches in diameter. This
would have TO be two miles long, and the middle OF
the crossing of the West Fork would be at least 400
below the level of the ends. The chief use OF pipe
in ditching is to carry water across depressons,
and since its Introduction, the high ilumeS which
were once numerous and were constructed at great
expense are going out of use. A million dollars
wolld not baiid a hume to carry the water oi the
North Feather across the West Feather at an eleva
ton of 400 feet whereas. the same water could be
conveyed in pipe at expense of about 500 ,033.
Al the West Feather. the pipe would have to be
supported by wooden treStlework or suspended
on wires Tor length Of GOO feet, al height OF htty
feet above high water.
As one of the chief results OF the construction of
ditch is usually to give increased value to the
mining ground which it covers" the company
which surveyed the line for the Cherokee ditch
made angements for purchasing $50 acres OF
piping ground. and il reported that the total
cost of the ground and ditch was 10 be $500 600
The magnitude of the operation was probably the
ehlet obstacle to its success for nothing has been
done about it of late, aud the general snppositlor
in Butte county. where it excited much hope at one
time, is that it is abandoned.
BANGOR
Near Bangor, u miles southeast of 0roville, is
the channel OF one of the numerous ancient rivers.
the beds of which. filed with gold bearing
gravel, furnish occupation 10 NEST Of the white pla-
ccr miners of the State. This channel unlike most
others OF lis class, is below the level of the ad-
jacent country. A party of men washing for gold
in ravine, in 1851 found that the bed rock IN one
place dipped down. and as the rule is TO follow the
bed rock, they went as far as they could with an
open cut. and then they started shaft which at
depth OF 65 feet struck rich stratum of auriterous
cement. This was the bottom of the old channel.
across the course of which the surface r2vlne ran.
They made as much as sIG0 per day TO the man,
though the dirt so tough that it was not quite
di>intesrated uutil it had been washed three or
four times. They soon ascertained, from an exam
natioa Of the aurerous deposit. that they were IN
an ancient channel, the OF which was traced
afterwards for several miles but in no other place
did il yield so well as where first opened In some
claims the cost of pumping was great aud IN others
little gold was found. suggesting doubt whether
the main channel was found.--iHd