Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-02-06
SIGHTS IN THE s,ERRAs.
the Great sisquoc Falls, the Thunder Of
which Rarely Strikes Mans E.ar.

the Great sisquoc Falls, the Thunder. Of
Shich Rarely Strikes Mans Ear.
having heard so many conflicting
reports about the wonderful scenery at
the headwaters of the Sisquoc creek,
we, IN company with Messrs. Wheat
ana FORESTER, concluded to make a
thorough exploration of that section,
whlch has, until lately, been almost a
terra lncognita to even the oldest set
tiers. owing to the dense chaparral
which covered the mountains on all
SIDES and made it almost inaccessible
until an extensive fire swept over sew
eral hundred square miles about three
years ago. making it possible to get in
there. We supplied ourselves with a
necessary outfit, mainly blankets, Win
chester rifle and salt, mounted the hur-
a deck of our favorite caballo and
the hrst day reached Mr.. Wheat's
ranch, thirty-five miles from Santa
MARIA. After passing the narrows we
mad to cut a trail for miles until reach
ing the burned country above the main
FORKS OF the river, Ascending the
southeast fork about twelve miles from
the river we came to Ventura Fall-as
we named it-from the great number
of them about there. The gorge at the
loot of the fall was wild and pictur-
esque in the extreme. Huge boulders
and fallen trees. with. occasionally a
cascade varying in height from ten to
one bundled feet to climb around.
Grizzly beas tracks were quite plenty,
but no grizzlies came in sight ON the
top Q we've we hunting any. We
climbed abovp and measured the main
fall and fouid it to be $50 feet in
height-a sheer descent, with about
80 miners inches of water flowing over
1t. The stream falls about 1000 feet in
two miles andIa half, making a great
number of beautiful cascades. The
pool below the fall is 80 feet long, 40
feet wide and upwards of thirty feet in
depth, clear and cold as ice,. and SO
sheltered by the overhanging bluffs
that the sun rarely shines in it.
Climbing the mountain above the fall
we found to be terrific work; the dense
chaparral, PARTLY burned and PARTLY
grown up again, was impossible to get
through without chopping for miles.
The slope is soIsteep that we could find
no place level enough to spread our
blankets without shoveling, except at
the extreme summit of the mountain.
There we had a magnificent view of
the whole surrounding country. To
the south and west lay the Santa Bar
bara Islands. Far out across the Mo
have desert, upwards of two hundred
miles distant, the Providence Noun
tains were plainly. seen. To the north
west the wide sweep of the San Joaquin
Valley, on the further side the Sierra
Nevadas, the sn~ow-capped summit of
Mt. Whitney and other lesser peaks,
while in the northwest lay the coast
range, a succession of sharp ridges and
deep canons, covered with dense
%chaparral for hundreds of miles, with
here and there a beautiful valley nest
ling below. The day was exceptionally
clear and the prospect well repaid us
for all the trouble of getting there.
The following day we tried to ascend
the main south fork of the creek, which
is even a rougher and wider gorge than
the other, if possible. After climbing
a mile and a-half we came in sight 81
another fall from two hundred and fifty
to three hundred feet high, consider
able water flowing over it. We had to
give it up as a bad job that day, and
we advise any one undertaking the trip
to take along a sheet-iron suit Of
clothes. Those falls are about sixty
five miles from Santa Maria. and the
timber belt spoken of about seventy
miles. On coming back to camp we
found one of the party, Mr.. Roberts,
in chasing a wounded deer had broken
a bone in his foot, compelling us to
start out as soon as possible Santa
Maria Times.