The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-05-26
CALIFORNIA LETTER,

CALIFORNIA LETTER.
We are permitted to copy the fol-
lowing from letter from G. r. Har-
mon, now in California, to his friends
in Aurora, descriptive of the mag
nificent scenery that abounds in that
region: to 5.
One can scarcely realize that three
thousand miles now intervene since l
left you. Oh, that you might have
been with me, and viewed the mag
nifesntly grand and beautiful sights
that have seen, yesterday and to-day.
On leaving Salt Lake we pass down
the western slope of the Rocky noun
tains, down the valley of the Hum
boldt, winding down the serpentine
course of Weber, Bear, and Humboldt
rivers, dashing through mountain
peaks thousands of feet above us, over
trestle bridges spanning chasms hum
dreds of feet below, winding along
sides of deep gorges, where the skill
of the engineer has overcome difficult
ties which would seem almost beyond
the power of mortal. After leaving
the mountain slope we pass along
some hundreds of miles of barren,
desert, sandy plain, whitened all over
with alkali, on which no ~green
thing" can grow except small shrub
called Desert Sage" Although this
valley is SO barren, the mountain
slopes produce grasses which are said
to be the richest, and best in the world
for fattening stock, an evidence of
which, were the thousands of cattle
horses and sheep visible on almost
our entire route. One enormous
drove of cattle we pursue1-being
driven west-which stretched along
in sight, for eight or ten miles.
We can judge of the fertility and
productiveness of this region by the
immense herds of Buffalo, Antelope.
mountain Sheep and various others Of
the bovine species of animals, which
have always subsisted on its rich
grasses. We have seen no buffaloes,
they not having returned from their
winter quarters far to the south of us,
but we saw hundreds of Antelopes
and prairie dogs ON the Rocky Noun
tain eastern slope. There is but little
timber on the whole route from the
Missouri, and that of dwarf species,
until we reach the eastern slope of the
Sierre-Nevada. Here we begin to find
pine and redwood which gradually
increase in size, as we ascend the
mountain till they become " giants of
the forest" six or eight feet in diam
eter, towering away up the mountain
peaks, straight as am arrow, one hun
dred and fifty to two hundred feet in
| height.
To describe the romantic wildness
of this mountain range is utterly i'm
possible. Here are the railroad COM
pany's forty miles of snow sheds, with
timber enough in everey hundred teet
to build a larger Church than ever
Aurora will.
Snow is now laying on the lower
sides of these sheds to an immense
depth. To inhale the air on the pas
sage of those mountains is truly lux
ury. can assure you 1 almost felt
like a new man. Here, ON the Nevada
summit we discover the first sGold
diggings," the mountain having been
tunneled, washed and cut up in every
direction. Here, in the early morning
was sweetly reminded of home and
its dear surroundings by the clear,
shrill notes of my favorite songster-
the Robin-it being the first time
had heard one since crossing the
Missouri. All the birds we see on the
whole route are the crow and the
blackbird.
We arrived at Sacramento at 8 80
P. NJ, Eastern time, frequently in sight
of gold diggings all down the western
slope of the mountain.
Strawberries and Cherries are now
plenty as well as all kinds of vegeta-
bles.
We now pass down the Sacramento
valley to San Francisco, arriving lust
in time 10 see the sun sink down be-
hind the rocky barriers of the Golden
Gate into the great Pacific. This Val
| ley is perhaps one of the finest in the
world, reaching from Sacramento to
this city, 143 miles, with the excep-
ton of perhaps twenty miles of rocky
coast range, which we pass through
some five miles before we reach this
place. 1-n.
This season has been an exception
to its productiveness, they having had
no rain for three months past, in the
| upper part of the valley. They are
cutting their hay, which is a species of
wild oats. Crop very light in the up-
per part of the valley, but of immense
growth as we approach this city. For
five miles back as we approach this
place it is a perfect garden. Peas are
ripe; potatoes nearly SO, onions and
cabbage by the acre. / cannot describe
the beauty of it.
Taylor and Harry are snoring loud
ly. Jim and Kent stopped back of
here nine miles, at their Nieces, Mac
Baldwin stopped at Sacramento. Some
of them are rather tired out, but /
have not felt better for a long time,
my head and side feeling all right, but
you may think my head not clear, SO
I will close with good night.