Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-11-07
OUR CALIFORNIA LETTER
YrnA C1rY. OcL. 10. 1s7o.

diptheria in the district, again fnd time
to write few lines. There have been two
cases of this dreadful disease In the district,
one OF which proved fatal, but the other
is getting better, and hope soon TO be on
duty again.
Since last wrote you, there has been
quite temperance wave moving over SUIT
ter county. Mrs. Stephens of San f., has
been lecturing IN the school houses and
churches of our county. She il Que of the
most thorough and earnest temperance
workers | ever heard speak, AMI succeeded
in pledging nearly all the young, and a
great many of the older people against the
Use Of ardent spirits To all Of these she
appended the Little Bow Of Blue" and
organized them into standing blue ribbon
societies. She also rgmized at our school
house IL Band Of Hope, which pledges its
members against "SItans Trinity" i. e.
Tobacco, Profanity and Ardent Spirits.
We have Il society here of go members.
Your humble servant plead guilty of using
" the weed" and pledged, aud has already
gained some 15 his of flesh, besides sweet
BREATH clean mouth and an approving
conscience.
have again been rambling n little,
and ii may be that can give some inform
alton that will be Of benefit to your many
intelligent readers.
On the 10Th OF Sept. started in company
with my son Willie and a neighbor,on a trip
to the Coast Range Mountains-th to hunt
deer, and | to feast on the land through
which passed We took our course west
ward to the Sacramento, which we crossed
A.. IL
two high banks which rise above the gen
eral level as il built on purpose to guide
this great water to the sea- The water in
the river is full as high as the level furm
land outside along its banks and consider
able above the large Tule strip that lies
on either side. Nothing can be seen of the
river, nor even OF the steamboats, on its
bosom until rising on this bank, when you
ut once look down upon the whole scene.
Across the river, we passed through Colusa,
II smart city OF some 1000 inhabitants and
the county seat of CUlusa Co. From here
we took our way to the northwest, across
the Colusa plain. For some miles this
plain is highly fertile, but gradually all
signs Of fertility vanish and the whole
country seems one vast basin on which the
melted snow from the mountains stands
and eyaporates, after which the ground
cracks open and parehes in the hot sun for
the remainder Of the season. Nearer the
mountains the surface again rises, and the
beautiful dwellings and the vast fields Of
wheat stubbe and fallow denote a rich soil.
Soon we come to what all the while has
seemed like huge wall, and we find it to
be range of low, naked, sunburned hills.
AS we rise to the summit We see Just be-
yond, another range, much higher and
more rugged, upon whose sides you bask
in the hot sunshine. This vast country,
doubtless becomes covered with water dur
ing the wet season, and lying lower than
the river, the water must evaporats. Be-
yond this, however, is a beautiful strip OF
some 10 miles i'll width, between this and
the foothills. The first range of hills seems
as II row OF mounds running regularly
| along, these are all bare of trees, and but
| little rock, and one curious feature of them
| is, that occasionally you will see the points
Of rocks cropping from l to 3 feet out of
the sell, and you will see those points in a
straight line, due north and south, over
| hilltops and through the valleys, rs ii
some one had laid foundation for stone
wall. There are many of these across
these hills. Beyond these hills is range
of mountains called Grapevine range
oaks, giving them the appearance of vast
fruit orchards Beyond this range is a
narrow, but highly fertile valley, through
which Elk creek, a clear, cold stream, full
of fine trout, and cold and refreshing to
drink. Here we had to lean the head we'll
back to see the horizon, as we were now
really at the foot of the summit ridge OF
the cascades. The upper Mountains here
appear like vast ridge, washed from the
summit TO the foot into deep dark gulies
between which are ridges running at reg
ular grade to the top, like rafters on an
uncovered bulldog. Along the side of one
OF these ridges called Sheperds ridge is a
grade cut Tor the purpose OF getting up in
to the beautiful timber which covers the
sides OF these mountains near the summit
We found but Iittle difficulty IN ascending
this ridge to the timber, ~ the grade,
wound gradually Up the side of IL tremend
Gus gulch called the Pocket But once VI
in the timber, we came to Il saw mill where
the grade ceased and we had to climb the
balance OF the way as we could. There
was a track however to the summit; and
which we followed, but it was so steep some
times that although we all walked, il wa.
with difficulty that our horses could ascend
Il rod at time. After travelling in thi,
way for day and half we reached the
summit, along which we Travelled for six
hours, around the head OF gulches that, by
appearance, seemed bottomeas. At last we
reached the Black Butte. Here we decend-
ed from the main ridge into n beautiful
basin, forming natural meadow, watered
by numerous springs from all around, which
after winding across this broad beaulifu
glade take I'm abrupt tumble down through
a canyon westward, being the source of Eel
river. Here by a fine gushing spring We
embarrassed our team and put them tC
Craze upon the fine grass and struck oul
tent. The boys hunted the wild deer on
the mountiin tops while ], gun IN hand
penetrated the dismal canyons and climbed
the ragged rocks to contemplate nature il
her hidden recesses. Here | rambled fol
three days, and SLEPT, gun in hand, fol
lour nights, (for we were far out from civ
iliZatIon) ate venison and drank the hes
beverage on earth, and to my last days
will remember this place with pleasure.
The Coast Range Mountains in this par
are well covered with soil. There IS bu
little rock on the surface, and this is nj
OF the same character, being somewhat o
a slaty character, and they are all leaning
from the s. E. zenith to the n. w. azimuth
az MY "HBlS Va ~ lcdhl ~ ueBIees. IN
northern and western slopes showing bu
little bare rock There are many mic,
springs, and beautiful glades along tn,
sides OF these mountlins, which will SOM
day be occupied as building spots by hap
py people who will live here aud prospe
by keeping ilocks and herds. The climat
of these Mountains Is much milder THAI
that OF the Sierra Nevadas, on account o
their proximity to the Pacific. There ar
many beautiful valleys among these noun
tains which are yet unoccupied or eve
unsurveyed, and really believe that fe,
families might occupy the very valley il
: which we camped and by saving the gros
that would grow in these meadows for fee
, when the snow was deep, might raise a
immense herd of cattle, and in few yeaI
get II deed for S20 acres OF grazing IAN
each, which they would be slow to pal
2 I'll