Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-01
THE WESTERN EMPIRE.
SOME OF THE VAST RESOURCES
OF THE GOLDEN STATE.
An Interesting Article Regarding
the Past, Present and Future
of California.

the 3Sth and 47th meridians west from
Washington, and bounded on the north by
Oregon. on the east by Nevada and Arizona
on the south by the Mexican Department
of Lower California, and on the west by the
Pacific ocean, on which it has coast line
1907 miles in length Measured along its
greatest longitudinal axis, which bears
nearly northwest and southeast, the State
is a little over 700 miles long, and, having
an average width of nearly 200 miles, its
area approximates 10000 square miles
in round numbers, 100, 000, 900 acres of land.
OF this land, about SO 100000 acres may be
said 10 be, in its natural state, well adapted
to agricultural pursuits of almost every
kind, nearly all of it being equally well
suited for stock-raising; 100000 acres,
producing a variety of nutritious native
grasses. constitute good grazing, and for the
most part. also, good fruit-growing lands,
though little fitted for farming purposes;
% 600 900 acres are mountainous and OF not
much value for farming or grazing, though
nearly the whole of it is heavily umbered;
100000 acres are composed OF tule TENS
and overAowed lands, capable OF easy re-
clamation. and which possessing deep,
rich soil must ultimately become exceed
inglv productive; the balance, 100000
acres-consists of alkali flats lava beds
and sage plains, too saline, arid and barren
to ever be worth much for agriculture,
though some portions of them may answer
for sheep and cattle ranges.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF MOUNTAINS.
The nrincipal mountains Of California
consist of the Sierra Nevada, the lnyo, and
the Coast Range; the latter, which is made
up of a series of parallel ridges and outiy-
ing spurs, extending along the western
border Of the State throughout nearly its
entire length The Sierra Nevada, on the
other hand, stretches along the eastern
border of the State for at least two-thlrds OF
its length. the Inyo mountains lying be-
vond and running parallel with part OF
the Sierra. In both the northern and south
ern portions of California occur various
cross ranges and groups CT mountains,
together with numerous isolated peaks,
buttes and clusters Of rugged hills; some OF
which are connected with, while others are
wholly separated from, the dominating
mountain chains To the most OF these
lateral spurs, ridges and outstanding groups
distinct names have been given. Some por-
tons of the Sierra Nevada are very lofty,
Mount Whitney, the most elevated peak IN
the chain, being over $1,000 feet high, and,
with two or three exceptions, the highest
land in North America. There are several
other peaks here that reach an altitude OF
1000 feet, there being many III the Sierra
with some also in the lnyo range that vary
from 900 to 1900 feet in hight. A num-
Der of peaks and ridges in the Coast Range
approximate a hight of 5000 feet. The
lower slopes of the main mountain ranges
having been eroded by the swift descend
ing streams into long ridges, unduiating
prairies and lawn-like dells, are known as
the fOothill regions of the State
THE VALLEYS OF CALIFORNIA
Are numerous and occur under widely va
ried conditions. Some are small and era
died far up III the mountains; some are
larger and inclosed by hills of gentle &C
cliyity, while others are of great extent, eX-
banding into vast plains, little elevated
above tide water, the immense depression
living between the Coast Range and the
Sierra Nevada, 400 miles long and 80 miles
wide, the southern half known as the san
Joaquin and the northern as the Sacra-
mento valley, furnishing the best example
of these yalley-ike plains 10 be found in
the Stale. The valleys Of California are all
fertile. and, while the smaller ones are for
the most part tolerably well watered and
timbered, the larger are apt to be deficient
ginning to be practiced everywhere and
water can be supplied to the most of these
valleys by artcsian boring, or be brought in
from the neighbOring mountains, the above
defects Will in course Of time be medsurably
remedied.
HYDROGRAPHY.
About one and half million acres of
California territory are covered with lakes,
bavs. and nayigable rivers the bay OF san
Francisco constituting the largest body OF
water in the State Besides this California
contains only two other wholly land-lOcked
bavs-Humboldt and San Diego. Tahoe,
One-third of which lies in Nevada, Is the
largest and deepest lake III California. being
81 miles long, u wide, and 500 feet deep.
Ii lies at an altitude of 5000 feet is fed by
numerous streams from the. adjacent
mountains. and through the Truckee river
discharges an immense quantity of water
The other considerable lakes in the State
are Tulare, Mono Clear, klamath, Goose
Wright, Modoc and Owens Besides these
there are many small deep lakes in the
Sierra Nevada, and to the east Of that range
Others so extremely shallow that some OF
them dry up in the summer, for which
reason they are usually called mud lakes.
Mono. Owens. and some other of these
California lakes are so saturated with the
carbonate and sulphate of soda, the chloride
of sodium. bOrax, etc, that bathers float
readily on the surface of their waters
Some, like Tulare and Honey lakes. cover
q large area in the spring and early sum
mer, when the snow meitS on the mount
aims but shrink to comparatively small
dimensions later in the season.
The principal rivers of California are the
Klamath aud Trinity in the northern part
of the State, and the Sacramento and the
San Joaquin, formed by great number OF
tributaries having their sources in tho
Sierra Nevada, and some Of which are
themselves streams Of large size. These
two rivers. flowing the one south and the
other north, meet in the middle of the great
basin to which they give drainage, and
making a detection to the west, deboucl
through the Golden Gate into the Pacific
ocean The southern third of California
contains no lakes or large rivers or ever
streams that in most countries would bt
called rivers at all, none OF them being
navigable while many nearly or wholly
dry up during the summer season.
THB FORESTS AND PARTIALLY WOODED LANDS
While some parts of California are wei
timbered others are but sparsely wooded o.
entirely TeeleSs The Sierra Nevada to
hight OF 5000 feet n also its higher foot
hills and some portions of the Coast Range
are clothed with magnificent forests ofpine
fir, spruce and cedar much oak up to 4 90,
or :, 900 feet growing in these forests TIT
higher foothills of the Sierra Nevada con
Stitute the habitat of the so-called " Bis
Trees" !SeVloiE giqaIuea, some of which
measure AZ the base over 100 feet in circum
ference and so feet in hight. Being
species Of cedar these trees make 4 superio
article of lumber.
Along the northern coast occurs a belt lO
miles long. and from ten TO fifteen wide
covered with 4 growth of redwood. TheS
trees, also species of cedar reach gigantic
dimensions. some of them yielding from
10000 10 10000 feet of lumber The foot
hills, up to a hight of about 1000 feet, ar
covered with a scattered growth of OAK anC
Scrubby pine that burn well when dry, bu
are worth little for lumber These oak
generally extend in the form of scattered
groves down into the valleys, being abou
the only trees found there. The most o
the larger valleys are, in fact, but sparsely
wooded what few trees they contain grow
ing along the margins of the watercourses
These valley oaks often attain large pro
portions. single trees when cut up maxim,
as much as thirty or forty cords Of fire
wood. They do not, however, grow 10
great hight, but have a short thick trunl
which throws out many large branches
one of these trees sometimes shading nearl,
an acre of land. On the sage plains an,
dosartS IT, tho soufhp oStprr, mart of the Stat