, 1872-10-18
T'lls Old Home Of Joaquin fIiEler---
"Reminiscences OF tile Poet of
:. The Si6rTaS.
Romantic Beauties of the h!eGIoud River
1.-The Ascent of Shasta Butte,
Handsome Indian Women
Go1d-Diggings---
Yreka.

he lived wild and romantic life among the
Shasta Mountains, and he is well remembered
by the early settlers.
After having travelled over almost the whole OF
the Pacific Coast, YVES of the opinion that the
finest view in California wes Clear Lake, from
the C1oyerda1e Road, until arrived in this To-
cality. The natural attractions here are even
SUPERIOR TO THE YOSEMITE VALLEY,
and, when the country becomes accessible By
railway it will be visited BY thousands Of tour
lists from all parts Of the world This is q region
Of lofty mountaineering, Of peaks white with
eternal snow, Of fatLomless mountain-gorges, OF
boundlcss oceans Of mountain pines; and, above
all, Mount Shasta lifts his mighty bulk, Il 442
feet, into sky as cloudless as that Of Italy.
The romantic beauties of the A1cCloud River,
which ese so well described BY Joaquin
Miller in his Songs OF the sierraH, are
WITHOUT PARAL1EL IN AMERICA;
and the exquisite coloring Of it's wGters is only
equalled by tho Rhine as it rushes from Lake
Zurich, or the river that hows southward from
the great glacier on the Doyrejeld, in Norway
Hundreds Of Indians live along its banks, and
subsist upon the fish with which it teens.
United States Commissioner Stone, who has been
examining the waters Of the whole country, and
even Canada, for the purpose Of procuring the
eggs of salmon for reproduction, reports: that
the AIcCoud is the most suitable for his purposes
Of. any stream lle has seen anywhere, and pre-
parations are being made to engage in the bus
mess on gigantic scale. Four kinds Of sal
naonide inhabit the McCloud,- e., the larger
and smaller varieties Of salmon proper, salmon
trout. and speckled mountain trout. The aver
age weight Of salmon caught is about 20 pounds.
They maybe seen jumping out of the water con-
tinually, and are speared by the Indians in vast
numbers. The day is not distant when English
sportsmen, instead of tie annual migrations to
mon-iehing beneath the shadows of Mount
Shasta.
An English critic, in reviewing the
POEMS OF JOAQUIN MILLER,
expressed Ills wonder that any oae could Trito
such descriptions without having breathed the
air Of Switzerland, Should be ever be fortunate
enough to visit Siakiyou County, Cal, the myB-
terry will be explained. In this lofty region,
Rivers spring from tie eternal glaziers OF Mount
Shasta, and the summit Of the ''Red D1cCloud" "
is loTeled of into bare and treeless plain, and
splintered mountain-peaks are stationed about,
like sentinels uplifting their crimson 1ances to
the eky, he passed several years Of his early
Genius OF the Mountains. In fact, his Songs Of
the Sierras arc 6uide-book to all the grand fea-
lures Of the country, and it is difficult to refrain
from quoting from them, 30 complete aud per-
tECL aIe ulS AeSG41pLAo4p. ILLS 1AAAA AlA Lib
whole mountain region seem to be q reflex Of
each other It ia fit that he should sing its raises
to the world, for he is it's legitimate offspring,
and it may claim him az parent claims it's child.
It is his right to say:
Hare not sung thy scenes, surprising skies,
Till Europe lifted up her face,
And marveled ct thy n1atchless grace,
With eager and inquiring eyes7
When joaquin Miller lived here be was less
than 20 years Of ege but even then be was looked
upon as q character with whom
IT WAS DANGEROUS TO INTERFERE.
The rich gold digglngs in the valleys had not
yet been worked out, and the entire population
wore rough, long-bearded miners, many Of
Of the cities Of the world These men we're al
ways armed, and bloody hand o-hand encounters
were common. joaquin Miller, who WAS much
Of . recluse and very eccentric, was for while
q butt for the ridicule Of these men. Although
usually dressed in rough buckskin he took es-
pecial care OF his long flowing locks, which
reached almost to his shoulders, and he inEaria-
BILE wore gloves, On one occasion, he WAS in
suited and attacked by several Of these fellows
in bar-room pistols we're drawn, and a regu-
lar conflict ensued, in which he came of victori-.
GUS, after having disabled two Of his antago-
nists. After this, his reputation for courage
was established, and he was not molssted.
am informed by printer in the Office OF noTs-
sent in verses for publication, which we're invar
iably thrown into the waste-basket by the editor,
with the observation, .'There is more trash
from that absurd 1unatic."
It is evident that the occasion Of his betaking
himself to the fastnesses Of the mountains and
living among the Indians became the founda-
ton Of his poem, & Californian" He Was in
tho employ of a farmer in Shasta Valley and,
for some cause or other, the man fatty refused
to pay him his wages. He at oncc saddled one
Of his employers best horses, and
PROCEEDED 70 RIDE OFF.
He was followed On horseback BY the owner,
the Sheriff Of the county, and two other nloa,
and was o7ertakon on the brow of hill. Re-
III which the Sheriff was badly wounded, and
Joaquin Miller dashed down the hill, with his
clothes full Of bulletholes, and escaped into the
lofty mountains beyond the McCloud River,
dams for more than year, although the Sheriff
subsequently recovered, aud A1il1er's conduct
was sustained by the community at large, who
knew the circumstances.
The Shasta Indians, like all other American
Indians, are simply sayages; but, II they have
any distinctive features, it ia in
THE BEAUTY OF THE WOMEN.
Instead OF the low, squat figure and beastly
couutenances Of the squa,gs upon the Plains, or
in the valleys Of y9 SEE ade nhe
and feet. saw one young girl, ct the base Of
Mount Shasta, who would be considered beauti-
full anywhere. Sine was extremely tel and very
slender; her black hair was in two broad plalts,
aI0 AuLE tno~t444AAo VI t1E Hdf W tAC SAo4AA3
abe wore bracelets and aaklets upon her limbs,
and barbaric ornaments in her ears; and her
flashing eyes and the purple flush upon her
cheeks bespoke all the passion and fiery glow OF
the Orient. As she and her mate stood by the
bank of the bright McCloud, beneath the shadow
of stately pine, IN tho setting sun, I wondered
if joaquin Miller did net have in his mind some
other such being when be wrote:
Let red lips lift, proud cur1ed, to kiss,
And round limbs lean, and raisc and reach,
In love too passionate for speech,
Too full Of blcssedness an, bliss
For anything but this and this.
At any rate. in a ekirnish that took
place between the Shasta Indians and the
whites. RoEao months after, he was found among
the Indians, with whom ho sided for some ro-
mantle reason, and was captured and Imprisoned
in the town Of Shasta; and this adventure, no
doubt. furnished the material from which he
wove the magnificent ''Tale Of the Tall Al
caIde.''
MOUNT SHASTA.
OF Shastc Butte, IS it is styled here, is an e1-
tinct volcano. There are, in fact two peaks;
but orc is several thousand feet the highest,
and is three miles distant from the lower one,
which is an immense Inactive crater, filed with
- T.