Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-10-03
A TRIP TO THE sIRRRAs.

high Sierras which 80 charmed my boylsh
fancy in 1850. Accordingly. on the 22d Of
August left the beautiful valley OF lone
and wendell my way to the eastern limits
of Placer county, tarrying the first night
at the Brentwood Hotel, in the little vii
lage of Alta. Here l met with Mr.. Hunt
ley, Sheriff of Placer county, on his way
to Bear Valley, where he had some official
business to transact, and | determined at
once to accompany him on his trip. Leav-
ing the Alta hotel at 5 o'clock A NJ. Au-
gust 23d, we enjoyed the fresh morning air
in walk of a mile and half to the juno
ton of the Towle Bros Narrow Gauge
Railroad with the Central Pacific Railroad.
Our route lay over this narrow gauge, but
as the train would not leave for an hour we
made brief visit to the ToWle Bros. pulp
mill, a new and novel process of grinding
wood into pulpy mass for the purpose OF
manufacturing it into paper, and the ma
cninery for which is complete in all its
parts. At 6:20 we found ourselves sitting
astride fruit box on one of the Hat cars
of the narrow gauge and were soon speed
ing away over gorge and dell, through
weird forests and among gray rocks. Never
since my sojourn in these mountains in
| 1850 had inhaled such pure, fresh air or
enjoyed such health-invigorating tide as
on this occasion. This little toy railroad
was built by the Towle Bros. for the pur-
pose of freighting lumber from their saw
mills, at the head of Bear river, to the
Central Pacific Railroad. 1t is about 20
miles long, and intersects the Central Pa
cific about three miles above the old mining
town of Dutoh Flat. 1t passes through
Bear Valley and near that historic camp
ing place of the Bonner party in January,
lS47.
Being somewhat familiar with the his
tory of the unfortunate families that were
! imprisoned among the SHOWS at that place,
and, moreover, being acquainted with
some of the survivors, the surroundings be-
came doubly interesting to me. As looked
| upon the tall mountains that hem in this
dolefui place, and listened to the rumbling
OF the iron car-wheels as they thumped
and bumped over the rough road, l thought
OF the great contrast between this busy
clatter of human civilization and the faint
cries of the suffering women and children,
whose feeble voices could scarcely pro-
duce an echo on the icy air that surrounded
this Inflated camp of AZ. Every echo of
the car. wheels, as it came back from the
mountain canyons, seemed to bring with
it those cries and means so long ago utter
ed by members of the Bonner, Reed and
Murphy families. Every tree seemed to
reflect the shades of ghost; every rock
to hide starving child, and every mound
seemed grave-so weird was the place.
A little further on and we arrived at the
first or Bear valley mill, where we found that
the train which plies between this and an
other mill near the head of Bear river had
gone. Here Sheriff Huntley ascertained
that some of the parties whom it was
necessary for him to see were at the upper
mill, and the question arose, how was ne to
get there in time for the returning train,
which was to take him to Alta that night q?
Easy enough" was the response of an
iron-muscled millman; "walk with me
over that mountain you see before you. 1t
is only two miles up and one mile down on
the other side to the mill. D What climb
that sky piercing cliff yonder?" exclaimed
the Sheriff in semi-dramatic voice ga
coyote would tremble at the thought !"
had not been feeling well for some weeks,
but improved and invigorated by the
splendid mountain air, was tempted to
try the feat of scaling that frowning
little hill, " and accordingly informed Mr..
H. that if ne wanted to go would accom-
pany him as far as | could and take
the chances of rolling back into the
chasm below. In couple of hours we
stood at the top: and while resting for
moment beneath the shade OF an ancient
pine, we saw far down in the deep can
yon to the north of us the tiny forms of
hurrying millmen, and heard the whir of
the busy saws. What a novel sight to
denizen of the valley. That noisy mill,
and those busy men, standing alone in that
weird forest, and in strange contrast with
the solemn silence that reigned in the
neighboring canyons, reminded us of the
first act in the drama of civilization.
Descending to the mill, we stood in the
midst of a seemingly endless forest of
spruce and fir. The sparkling waters of
the (herel tiny Bear river, as they leaped
and splashed over rocks that impeded
their flow, seemed to be chanting mel
sncholy dirge over the prospective de-
parture from the surrounding grandeur.
As we observed the busy saws and watched
the woodlands ak, we thought of how
soon these factors of civilization would rob
this primeval forest of its glory, and how
soon, too, these mountains, thus made
bare, would subject the valleys to annual
overflows by exposing the SHOWS to the
rays of the sun.
He who thirsteth for the grand and SUBJ
lime in nature, let him visit these grand
forests that surround the mills of the
D. L L ]
have despoiled them of their wild beauty.
If California has excelled the world in the
fertility of her valleys, so alike is she I'M
excelled in the unparalleled grandeur of
her mountain scenery. Her great canyons,
fathoms deep her mountains, miles high (;
her castellated peaks of granite rock, and
her steeple-like pines, are the admiration OF
every beholder.
My next visit was to Blue Canyon. 1t
is not necessary to describe this little vii
lage, as it is summer resort for hundreds
of tourists. Its health.giving mountain
air its clear, pure water, cold as the SHOWS
from which it comes; its two cosy hotels,
with their accommodating hosts and host
esses, have given it a notoriety that needs
no Endorsement at my hands. As summer
resorts, both Alta aud Blue Canyon possess
qualities that the people of the valleys, in
search of health or rest, would do well to
inspect At these places the air and water
are all that heart could wish. The scenery
as the latter is quite romantic, and one
cannot conceive of anything in nature
more truly blending the beautiful with the
grand than is furnished in the surround
inga of this little village. The hotel accom-
modations are good, and combine to make
this truly enjoyable and restful spot.
The next halt made was at Bonner Lake,
most beautiful crystal sheet of water,
and most romantic. Relics of the ruined
cabins of the Reeds, Murphys, Graves,
Keisburgs and Fosters are still to be found
at the lower end of this lake. The now
fast-decaying stumps, cut off from four to
twenty-five feet above the ground, still
stand to remind the now prosperous people
of California and Nevada of the despair
and suffering encountered by these Inflated
pioneers of 1916. l would like to describe
the uniqueness of this lake, but cannot in