Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1870-05-19
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY

| the world is TO be found in the IA
nous Yosemite Valley, in CaliGor-
mia, and many people off wealth
and taste will soon begin to take
advantage Of railroad openings to
visit these grand retreats Of nature,
and think less of visiting the mar.
row, cramped views Of Europe,
surrounded, as they often are, by
the squalor and misery, crime and
4 degradation, attendant upon mon.
arcby. Itnis a rayine of match,
! less cascades and cliffs, with more
scenes Of grandeur and beauty than
can be found elsewhere in the world
within an equal extent OF territory.
Shut in by walls Of rock from two
thousand to five thousand feet
high, it has within a radius Of five
miles five cascades, one Of which is
1000 feet high, another $40, anoth-
er 720, another 600 and another
$50, their waters flowing through a
natural meadow ornamented by
picturesque lakes. graceful trees
and brilliant yerdure. This valley
/ is chasm in the Sierra Nevada,
four thousand feet above the level
of the ocean, and in an air line
about 100 miles east of San Fran
cisco. Through it flows the Merced
River, which above and below,
makes its way amid the mount
aims in deep and dark gorgas, the
bottom of which is rarely seen by
the sunlight. The valley is nearly
ten miles long, and about two and
half wide in the middle, from
which it decreases each way. On
all sides it is bounded by walls of
yelIowish granite, from 1000 to A.
900 feet high, in some places per
pendicular, and everywhere precip-
itous. 1t is only at the ends of the
valley that it is impossible for tray
elers to get in or ont of it; and
even there the entrance and exit
are difficult for horses, and impos-
sible for wagons. No description
can begin to give an adequate and
clear idea cf the great variety of
the scenery in the valley. There
are hundred hooks and dells full
Of enchanting views. The tremen-
dous precipices, inspire awe, the
cliffs having manifold form of pyr-
amids, castles, domes, chimneys
and spires. The river and lakes
are q constant source of beauty, the
clear water abounding with trout,
The air is also bracing and inspir-
ing. In June the atmosphere is
transparent, making the distances
look less than they are A cores
Ipondent writes from there the fol
lowing eloquent description Of its
grandeur: "At two O'Clock we
were but mile from Inspiration
I H
Point-the rocky spur on which
you can stand and throw a stone
into the valley 300 feet below. l
think the dullest heart of us all
throbbed then with some strange
pulsation. Three or four of the
party broke out into a joyful hal
loo. AS for me, l had no voice
but ferfect dumbness. For this
coming vision, more than for any
thing else, had trpyeled my $500
miles from the Atlantic seaboard !;
of this I-had thought and dreamed
for-seeking to come to fit man
hood for its appreciation-for feel
ing something of its divine sub
Unity. We left the mountain range
ofour days work behind us two
or three miles before we reached
the meadows, and for an hour and
half had been riding over a roll
| ing plateau.like country. The sun
shone hot in the sky, but we had
an occasional ripping breeze, and
all our way was cooled by grateful
shade of beautiful trees. Sudden
!ly as rode slowly along, | heard
a shout. / knew the valley had re-
yealed itself to those who were at
the front of the line. | turned my
head away-I coaldn't look till |
had tied my horse, Then walked
down to the ledge and got out up
on the overhqnging rocks. l be-
| lieye some men walk out there
| it's a dull clod ola soul who can
do that, In all my life, let it lead
me whereit may,vI think IDshall
see nothing else so grand, SO aw-
! full, so sublime, SO beautiful y
Beautiful with a beauty not Of the
earthLas that Vision Of the Val
Hey 1t was only yesterday even
ing-I cannot write of it yet. How
long / sat there on the rocks ney-
re shall know. / brought the pic
ture away with mel have only
to shut my eyes and | see it as !
saw it in that hour Of hours-l
thinkI shall see nothing else so.
sublime and so beautiful till, hap
lily, | stand within the gates OF the
Heavenly City" Not only have
the correspondents made tue yals
lev familiar to Eastern readers, but
tthe artists have been busy as well.
Hills grand painting, which was
recently sold for ten thousand dol,
liars, took in one of the most pic,
Ituresaue views of it, and has been
seen bv thousands, and the great
demand for Prang's copy oft, in
chrome, shows how well the val
IIey's poetic grandeur is apprecia,
ted. In regard to the formation
of this wonderful and beautiful val