St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-03-28
California. NO. Is.
SACRAMENTO.

Dear Caledonian: The men who were
boys about the year 1S49 have not for
gotten the excitement brought on by
the discovery of gold in California,
and the song then on every boys lips,
the chorus of which run,
Ho boys no! to California; go,
There's plenty of gold in the world we are told
On the banks of the Sacramento!
This song was freshly brought to
mind as we steamed up this golden
banked river on the boat S. II. Whip
Pile. 1t is a pleasant trip by a day-boat
between these two cities, The ride is
out from the shipping about San-Fran-
cisco, past the Golden Gate, Angel Is
land, and up the San Pablo bay to Val
LILO pronounced Val-lay- ho)-a city OF
about 1000 people, with Government
works on Mare Island, nearby-thrOugh
the straits of Carquinez, past Benicia,
once the state capital, but now very
quiet little town.
After passing Benicia the waters
widen out again, forming what is called
Suisun bay pronounced Soo-soOn.
Both this and San Pablo bay are but
an extension of the bay of San Francis
co in a orth-easterly direction. Both
the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers
discharge their water into Suisun bay,
the former running in south-westerly
direction al the latter nearly north.
They are both navigable rivers.
THE SACRAMENTO RIVER
is very high and muddy at this season
of the year the country through which
it flows. is very low and fiat. The
banks are overlooked in many places,
and much of the country presents the
appearance of great lake. In fact the
steamer we were on did not follow the
channel all the way, but saved some
ten miles of distance 10y cutting across
lots" through what is termed i'll this
country Il slough.
| The valley of the Sacramento, be-
tween the city of that name and the
mouth of the river, is an unintereSting
monotonous country. The land Is low
and wet. covered with rank rush OF
reed called tule (tu-ly), and these reeds
! give name To the land, as they are ev-
cry where known aS "tule lands" AL
/ though the soil is very rich and deep
/ this vast tract of country has been
worthless until quite lately, when por-
/ lions are being reclaimed by levecs, OF
/ high banks of earth to keep out the
water. These lcVecs are built at Il
heavy expense but as the soil is
/ thought 10 he ineXhaustihle there are
not wanting those who believe it will
pay. And some enthusiasts expect IL
| live to see these tule lands one vast
rice field.
This enterprise of rcclaimimg the
tule lands of the Sacramento valley
looks to me like Il big job. The entire
country is cut up by sloughs and arms
running back into it from the bay and
river, every bank of which must he
diked before the floods will be effectu-
ally shut out. But time will tell.
SACRAMENTO CITY.
The city of Sacramento is the Capt.
tai of California. 1t lies on the east
bank of the river OF that name, just be
low the mouth of the American river
one hundred and thirty miles from
San Francisco by overland route, but
considerably nearer 10y way of railroad
to Nalliio, and thence by steamer TWEEN
ty-tive miles to the metropolis. The
city is regularly laid out, has abundant
shade, about seventeen thousand in
habitants. and i'll some respects is the
is marked illustration of what man
can do. with nature and the elements all
against him. When Sacramento city
was first located, the river that flows
by it was quiet and we'll behaved
stream. But this
Gold Gold Gold. Gold
Bright and yellow. hard and cold
Price of many a crime untold,
no POLITICALLY described by Hood, caus-
ed rush of many thousands to this
coast. They swarmed along the banks
of this river like bees about their hive.
They dug over the mountains and hills,
washing out the rich dust and throw
ing the dirt into the river. The effect
of this was not perceptihle ut once, but
in course of years this debris thrown in
to the stream by the miners up among
the mountains, was carried by the
floods down upon the plains, and now
the bed of the Sacramento river is from
ten to sixteen feet higher than it was
twentythree years ago.
FIRE AND WATER.
OF course the river must run some
where, and when the big flood, of 1862
came, the waters spread over the entire
valley. including the city of Sacrament
to. This calamity nearly ruined the
city, and two disastrous contlagrations
! have not encouraged the people much.
After the flood, with an exhibition of
wonderful energy, the people under
took to levee the river banks about
their town, and also raise the entire
| city above HIGH wafer mark The for