Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1890-10-01
NO. s..
MOUNT SHASTA.
a Description Of It in Joaquin Miiler's
Most Picturesque style.

Most t1CtUfC>puc syn
As lone rs God, and white as winter
moon Mount Shasta starts up sudden
ainl solitary from the heart OF the great
block forests Of northern California,
writes Joaquin Miller in My Own
S.ory.
You would hardly call Mount Shastaa
part Of the Sicrras; you would say rather
that it is the great white tower of some
ancient and eternal wall, with nearly all
Of the white walls overthrown.
It has no rival! There Is not even a
snow crowned subject in sight of its
dominion \ shining pyramid in mail OF
everlasting frosts and ice, the sailor some
times. in a day of singular clearness,
catches glimpses of it from the sea,
hundred miles away to the west; and II
NAV lie seen from the dome of the capt.
tsl $40 miles distant The immigrant
coming from the east beholds the snowy,
solitary pillar from afar out ON the arid
sage bush plains, and lifts his hands in
silence as in answer to sign.
Column upon column Of storm
stained tamarack, strong, tossing pines
and warlike looking firs have rallied
herr. They stand with their backs
against this mountain, frowning down
dark browed and confronting the face
of tine Saxon. They defy the advance
of civilization into their ranks. What
if these dark and splendid columns. 100
miles in depth, shoald be the last to go
down in Americal What if it should be
the old guard gathered here, marshaled
around their emperor in plumes and
armor that may die, but not surrender!
Ascend this mountain, stand against
the snow above the upper belt of pines,
and take a glance below. Toward the
sea nothing but the black and unbroken
forest Mountains, it is true, DIP and
divide and break the monotony as tho
waves break up the sea; yet it is still tho
sea, still the unbroken forest, black ana
magnificent To the south the landscape
sinks and declines gradually, but still
maintains its columns Of dark plumed
grenadiers, till the Sacramento Valley Is
reached, nearly hundred miles away.
Silver rivers run here, the sweetest in
the world. They wind and wind among
the rocks and mossy roots, with Call
fornia lilies, and the yew with scarlet
berries dripping in the water, and trout
idling in the eddies and cool places by
the basletful. On the east the forest
still keeps up unbroken rank till the
Pitt River Valley is reached, and even
there it surrounds the valley and locks it
ND tight in its black embrace. To tho
north, it is true, Shasta Valley makes
quito dimple in the sable sea, and men
plow there and Mexicans drive their
mules or herd their mustang ponies on
the open plain. But the valley Is linz
tied, surrounded by the forest, confined
and imprisoned.
Looking intently down among the
black aud rolling hills, 40 miles away to
the west. and here and there you see
haze of cloud or smoke hung up above
the trees; or, driven by the wind that Is
coming from The sea, it may drag and
creep along as If tangled in the tops
These are mining camps Men are
there. down in these dreadful canyons,
outof the sight of the sun, swallowed up,
buried in the impenetrable gloom OF the
forest toiling for gold. Each one of these
camps is world itself. History, ro-
nance, tragedy, poetry, in every one OF
them. They are connected together, and
reach the outer world only by narrow
little pack trail, stretching through tho
timber, stringing round the mountains,
barely wide enough to admit the foot
men and little Mexican mules, with their
apparajos, to pass in single file.
But now the natives Of these forests.
/ lived with them for years. You do
not see the smoke of their wigwams
through the trees They do not smite
the mountain rocks for gold, nor fell tho
pines, nor roll up the waters and ruin
them for the fishermen All this mag
nificent forest is their estate. The great
spirit made this mountain first OF all,
and gave it TO them, they say, and they
have possessed it ever since. They pre-
serve the forest, keep out the fires, for
it is the park of their deer.