Litchfield enquirer., 1870-05-05
"OOEAN TO OCEAN"

"OOEAN TO OCEAN"
Y.
lUnluckily our printers lost part of q
page OF the manuscript giving an account
of the journey of our contributors party
after leaving the Lake House. Their next
stopping place was a farming house where
they were Hospitality entertained. as will
be seen by what follows:l
| THE s1ERRAs.
The lady of the house greeted us kindly
and asked us up stairs remarking 'they
had removed from the ground floor, fear
ing they might be showed in at any mo-
ment." really began to thing was even
in worse place than Norway. After a
splendid repast of veaison and mountain
trout, we adjourned to the sittin groom,
furnished and supplied with books of rare
selection. and New York and San Francis.
CO papers. The ladies Of our party being
tired. conversation with our host and
hostess all devolved upon me. found
him man of superior culture; allured by
the inducements held out in California, he
had immigrated early in 1854. His wife
was a woman of great personal attractions
and endowed with more than an ordinary
share of perseverance and good sense. See.
ing some bright little children led me to.
ask, ''How for are you from SCHOOL," The
mother replied, ''We live so far from town
that I instruct them myself" '.You ara
some distaNOe from neighbors2" Eyes sir,
our nearest one is fourteen miles" My
surprise knew no bounds, still was pre-
pairing myself for anything. The lady told
me that during the summer months the
stage passed twice week, but in winter
there had been times they had not seen
human face for nipety-eight days. She
was perfectly happy here in the solitudes,
rearing her little family, and sincerely re-
grettad that any of her sex should so far
forget themselves as to leave their spheres
and want to mingle in the political world.
To which responded satisfactorily.
Their occupation was farming and lum-
bering. The valley contained some two
hundred acres, he being sole proprietor
The scene that presented itself in the NOR.
ming was truly beautiful. For some two
hours before the rays of the sua penetrat-
ed the valley you could see it gliding the
mountain tops aud casting weird shadows
down their sides and through the valley.
I was 10th to leave what seemed to
be their paradise OF contentment, as
compared it with the turmoils of
city life and society. Still onward
was our destination, and after promising
to return OF some future time we soon
found ourselves going down the canyon
into the sierra valley. The scenery was OF
the same awe-inspiring kind, diversified by
glimpses of deer fleeing at our approach,
while the cayotes-a small species of wolf
would stare at us, looking as if they
wanted to to attack us, while high among
the top-most branches of lofty pine sits
q species of condor, devouring his noon.
day meal. We reached Loyalton soon Of.
ter. and partook OF our scamp dinner,
there being no hotels in this hamlet amid
the Sierras.
BECKwoRTH VALLEY.
We here reach the wide. world
famed, Beckworth valley, known as
the Orange County of California. II is
about forty miles long by eight wide, and
very fertile, although thinly settled. A
good portion of the land is known as''tules
and tules land" These are covered by wa
j terra part of the year, but by little drain
age could be made tillable. The soil is ex-
ceedingly fertile. This, like many other
portions of the state. is annoyed by land
grabbers, claiming it as swamp and over
dow." The United States have donated
''swamp and overflow" to the state for
state jurisdiction, and they, in turn, sell
any amount to in dividuals. Anyone first
fling upon those lands acquires the title to
them. ignoring all peremptory rights. &c.
The result is that spectators got the start
OF the mountain people, and farmers in
those sections are obliged to vacate or pay
any price they may fix. They only had to
pay the state $1.OO per acre. One man
''filed" upon As, 900 acres in this valley. an
injustice scarcely paralleled. We started
to cross this valley, partly lengthwise, about
two o'clock. The distance seemed about