Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1873-01-09
SAN FRANCISCO, December 20, 1872

SAN FRANCISCO, December 20, 1872.
| To the Editor of the Herald:
Since my last letter have made the round
of trip to Oregon, going by railroad and
stage coach and returning by ocean steamer
The first day of the trip overland, between
the hours of "a. NJ. and II p. m., is made
on the cars, from Oakland to Redding, dis.
tance of 220 miles. From San Francisco to
Sacramento it is over the Central Railroad.
At the latter city we take the California and
Oregon Railroad, and pass through Marys-
vile, Chico, and several smaller towns.
Marysville is beautiful city, pleasantly To-
Gated on the Yuba river. 1t contains many
fine business blocks and elegant private resi-
dences, and is the largest town in the State
north of Sacramento. The population is es-
timated at 5000. The town is among the
Oldest in the State, having been surveyed in
the fall of 1S49. Originally built up for the
convenience of the placer mines in its vicinity,
Marysville after 1857 began to decline, but
since the completion of the railroad connect
ing it with Oroville, Chico, Sacramento and
Vallejo, it has revived, and is now one of the
most active towns in the State.
1t was after eleven, very dark, and raining
copiously, when we stepped from the car at
Rcdding into the coach of the North West
ern Stage Company, to continue our journey
through the long wilderness that lay between
US and Roseburg, in the land of the Webfoot.
A large, stout, well-seated Concord coach,
and six well conditioned horses, gave assur-
ance that every possible provision had been
made by the company for the comfort of
passengers. The weather was keen, and
snow was falling with the rain, but what
cared we, so long as with plenty of wrap
pings and good curtain fastenings, we could
shut out cold and rain, and compose ourselves
to such slumbers as the jostling springs of
our vehicle allowed In five minutes we were
in forest of pines, from which we did not
emerge until our arrival at Yreka, 14O miles
distant. The rain soon changed to snow,
and the weather became intensely
cold. An occasional peep through the
curtains revealed the fact, in the light of the
lamps, that the ground was covered with a
heavy carpet of snow, and the trees and
on the road side looked pale and
ghost-like amid the falling drapery. The
road for the entire distance is as good as any
made road need be, but being muddy it was
rougher than those fine, natural roads of
Montana An average speed of five miles an
hour was kept up along the entire route. AS
! matter of course, it was humping process
I good part of the way, but then railroads l
nave not been long enough in existence to
'ender the joIts and bruises of stage coach I
anything out of the common experience of
mankind. They are important items in the
contract, and the most he can ask
S to escape without broken head. Horses
we're changed every twelve miles, and drivers
md coaches every forty miles. The line is
lnder admirable management. No delay
vas occasioned at any of the stations. The
neals--and good ones, too-were always
eady upon our arrival, and the drivers were
IL careful, prudent, obliging men, who fully
understood their business. There was need
# it, for the road followed precipitous banks
long many of the streams and mountain
ides, where the least deviation would have
ent coach and contents hundreds of feet
nto the gulf below. Never was more fully
onvinced that stage driving is one of the
me arts than in our descent into thecanyon of
lcCloud river, on our first night out from Red
ing. Becoming conscious of strange
arning and twisting of the coach, l. opened
ne curtains, and by the light of the lamps
'as enabled only to see the road track and the
ppar1ently unfathomable blackness of tbegulf d
eneath it. The 2;ig-zag of the roadway
lrned abruptly every FIVE OF six rods for 4
lstance tan f Of two miles, down the sheer side of
hill which presented an angle of at least so II
egrees. The driving was mastery. We
ent on on full trot, making each turn with a.
'nch regularity as il it were upon, raceI
purse, but \ assure you never WAS aimore Ii
rofound sigh of relief: ever, breathed than lit
'at which greeted our safe descent to the
Jttom of the canyon. {.
The ride through the Northwestern forest
full of interest. For more than one hun 4
ed miles the road follows the SAcsamnto
yer. A little rill was all that was left of Il