Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-09-28
A CALIFORNIA; DESERT.

The klamath is narrow, cold, blue river.
There are few farms on its banks, but the
country for the most part is desert upheaved
into hills and hollows and covered with sting
ing bushes and unwholesome weeds. Along
the creeks running into the river are some
green belts of settlement with grain fields,
grass and willow trees. A little gold mining
is still done in this region. Isaw three grave
faced, plodding Cinnamon washing red dirt
in sluice- way. They had dug out hole in
the ground ten feet deep and about two acres
in extent. No doubt they had been at work
for years. In other places [ saw diggings
abandoned in the summer for want OF water.
There is nothing attractive about placer min
ing. It is hard work in dirt and muddy Wa
ter, under the broiling sun of California
summer or in the winter rains and winds, and
it rarely yields the miners more golden parti-
cles than amount to the wages of day la
bOrer
Toward noon of the fifth days drive came
upon an excellent example of what can be ac-
compished with little work and a little
water in a California desert. For two
hours the road had led over sandy waste,
sparsely covered by 4 growth of dwarf ce-
dars. Here and there were strewn pieces
of lava rock, reminders of Mount Shasta's
former volcanic activity. The sand itself
looked like ashes, and the whole region SEEM
ed hopeless for any agricultural purpose: AS
the hot hours dragged on and the horses tolled
more and more wearily through the sand,
the question of dinner and monday rest
began to grow serious. A cabin came in
sight, and strangely enough right in the mid
die of the desert there was a big pond cover
ing perhaps five acres of ground, that was one
immense long spring of cold water. An Irish
bachelor lived in the cabin in as rude fash
ion as any of his bog-trOtting kindred in the
Green Isle There was 10 thought Of asking
hospitality in his dirty hoorless hut, but he
gave the cheering information the "foinest
place We iver saw was only two miles further
on ; and sure enough, there in sandy waste
soon opened a vision of trees, grain fields and
meadows, and of pretty, white house with
wide piaZzas and a flower garden in front 1t
was like the shadow of great rock in weary
land to get out of the glare of the sun into
a pretty sitting ro0m--a neat rag carpet on
the floor, pictures on the walls, volumes OF
history and poetry on the table, e,-and rest in
big rocking chair, while friendly, gray
haired lady made good her hospital offer OF
dinner ''if you will put up with what we
haye.n What they had proved to be an ex-
cellent meal Of venison stew, eggs and corn
bread, with such accessories Of cake and pre-
serves as good housewives usually keep on
hand. The owner of the farm told how he
made it out of the desert by the aid of water
brought fve miles in ditch. He raised ex-
cellent crops of wheat, barley, Indian corn,
and timothy; he had all kinds of fruit trees
and bushes his cattle thrived on the noun
tains the year round, and whenever he wanted
fresh meat he had only to 60 out in the cedars
early in the morning and wait for a deer to pass.
These good people lived hundred miles from
a railroad, with neither school nor church
nearer than fifty miles, but they were bright,
we'll informed, and contented and enjoyed
nearly all the comforts to be got out OF coun-
try living anywhere Correspondence Of The
Nam York Irihunp