St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-08-26
For the Caledonian.
A Vacation Among the Sierra
NeVadas.--II.
BY C. A. SAVAGE.

such place as the Yosemite Valley.
Imagine if you can a mountainous
country in which the river beds are
from 5000 to 5000 feet above the level of
the sea, and with hundreds of peaks
towering skyward, some of them reach
ing the hight of over 1900 feet.
Through this mountain district sup
pose two irregular shaped gigantic
cracks to be made in the earth's crust,
running along for some eight miles i'll
the same general direction, and from
half a mile to Il mile apart. Then by
some sort of internal cOnvulsiOn of the
earth, let this portion between the
cracks suddenly sink down until it
reaches IA level of about 1000 feet, and
you have the Valley of the Yosemite.
All this, you must remember, was thou
sands of ages ago. We are not limit
ed for time. Now give this newly
found valley salt water bath of Il few
thousand years, by submerging the
whole-then raise it again and send
ice-rivers, glaciers, ploughing through
it, wearing off the rough edges, polish
ing the precipices, piling up debris on
the sides, grinding rocks and making
soil. Now let the ice melt away and
the water disappear all but n good
sized river, which OvertiOws the valley
in spring time; wait few hundred
years for the trees to grow, and you
have the modern Yosemite all made to
order, and ready for spring tourists.
! 1t was early June when we reached
the Yosemite and the waterfalls,
though not so high as a month earlier,
were still "bOoming." The air was
pure and mild, and everything was fa-
vorable for
CAMPING OUT.
just where the river Merced makes
a sharp bend to the southwark, under
the Royal Arches and not far from the
junction of the Tenaya Fork, our
camp was located. We had come to
stay, and all our engineering skill was
called into exercise in the arrangement
of our tent village. 1t formed semi
circle on the bank of the river, under
the shade of some gigantic oaks and
pines. 1t was no Bedouin or Indian
encampment, that could be pitched at
nightfall and struck at dawn with ease
| fah hnI
well as bare necessities off there i'll
wilderness. There was the dining
tent-for the first thought of campers
is about eating,-with its benches and
oil cloth covered table the kitchen,
where Annie reigned supreme, under Il
fine old oak, with its stove, patent
range, table, pantry, cupboard etc. I;
| there were cot bedsteads, mattresses
filled with straw, chairs, carpets, mir
rors, full page engravings fresh from
Harper's, and ''things too numerous to
mention" which changed the bare tents
to drawing rooms, sleeping apartments
and boudoirs combined.
And there we stayed, and lived, >
lived as we never did before. For five
weeks that was home, and what time
we were not tramping over the noun
tains, or strOlling about the valley, or
fishing, or bathing, or horseback rid
ing, we were lounging under those old
trees, looking up at the sky, the rocks,
the waterfalls, reading, writing, play
ing games, sleeping, singing songs
about the evening campfire. Care
and dignity and social restrictions were
laid aside, cleft in Oakland" We
were free and unrestrained, like the
birds, the waterfalls and the Indians.
OUR NEIGHBORS.
Our camp was a mile and half from
the base of supplies, and going "dOwn
town. for sugar and crackers, canned
fruit and hair pins was one of the daily
amusements. Our nearest neighbOi
was one Harris, genuine son OF
Jacob, who with unseltish benevolence
furnished us with straw at two cents 4
pound, and milk and eggs in proper
ton. For milk with the most delicious
flavor of onions, commend me to the
dairy of Harris the Jew. His ranch i.
one of two or three which are cultiva-
ted in the valley, being rented from
the state. A few years ago congress.
made a grant of the Yosemite Valley
to the state of California, to be kept
in trust as public park. Its fine old
trees are to be kept inviolate, and q
special guardian, armed with full pow
ers from the board of commissioners
lives in the valley to protect them. Sc
far as possible everything is being pre-
served as nature made it for the bene-
fit of future generations.
The "town" consists of three hotels
with the necessary out buildings, two
stores, meat market, a blacksmith
shop little chapel built by the state
Sunday School association, and half q
dozen houses. In winter the entire
population of the valley only amounts
to about 40, but in the height of tn,
season the hotels are crowded with
/, tourists from all parts of the world
and the suburbs are alive with camp.
ers.
! But the vast majority of Yosemite