Morning journal and courier., 1891-07-17
KINGS RIVER CANYON.
A Region that is Said TO Rival the Yo
semitic in Natural Beauty.

from the San Francisco Examiner.l
Except in the matter of waterfalls, Yo-
semitic isn't in it when compared with the
great Kings River canon, said Artist c. D.
Robinson. He returned recently from
trip to the great canon.
HJohn P. Irish said that the beauty of
the Yosemite valley was its oneness" re-
sumed Mr.. Robinson. az cannot under
stand what he means by that. If he means
the oneness of the Yosemite Ring, he is
just about right, but If he means that the
Yosemite valley stands alone by itself he
is away in the background. He does not
know anything at all about the Yosemite,
and don't think he ever saw the valley
until he was appointed one of its commits
sioners.
"John Muir can offer indisputable evi-
dence that the Yosemite valley repeats
itself time and again all through the Sieir-
ras, with the exception of the Hetchy-
Hetchy valley. You can see the Hetchy-
there is nothing to jar upon the scene of
harmony. But some of the peaks in the
great Kings River canon are equally as
high. You can set the Yosemite and
Hetchy- -Hetchy valleys together in the
Kings River canon, and there will be plen-
ty of room to move them up and down
iengthwise.
1.-THE canon increases in Importance and
magnitude as you 60 up the valley, but the
broadest spaces are found near its mouth.
The narrowest part, where the glaciers
| end, and there its walls are the 1oftiest.
"J. M. Hutchings, the pioneer, was the
| original explorer of Kings River canon, as
he was of the Yosemite valley. All the
| trails and other improvements in the Yo-
| semitic valley were designed by him, and
| the Yosemite commissioners have simply
reharrowed his ground"
Mr.. Robinson was loud in his praise OF
| the scenic beauty of the Kings River can
on. He exhibited several oil sketches in
| proof of his statement, and the sketc hes
| are remarkable for the emerald meadows,
the lofty peaks, and the deep blue skies
they portray. In fact, this deep blueness,
| verging on indigo, seems to be an exagger-
alton, but Mr.. Robinson declares that his
| sky tint is as true to nature as his art could
make it.
One of the sketches portrays Mount
| Hutchings, bold peak rising between
1000 and &, ZOO feet above the floor of the
| valley, through which flows the picturesque
stream known as the south fork of the
| Kings river. The only waterfall of any
| great magnitude is the Roaring River falls
| It appears to be not more than twenty-five
feet wide and fifty feet high, but by meas
ursments made by surveyors it Is fifty feet
wide by 100 feet high.
| Its appearance is deceptive because of
| the lofty cliffs that close in on it on the
sides and in the rear. The water falls over
a precipice, making q beautiful fan of
foam, and spreading out in o turbulent,
| eddying mass into Roaring river The
4 wall back of it stands {, 200 feet above the
level of the river and on the left-hand side
rises peak on whose top the snow falls
| while it rains on the river below.
| The Muir Dome, about half way mp the
valley, is an imposing mountain, and very
much resembles the north dome of the Yo-
semitic. 1t stands nearly 5000 feet above
the level of the valley. It is really an ele-
vated ridge, the front face of which bears
/ Q very strong resemblance to FL Captain in
the Yosemite valley.
Another sketch in oil portrays q sombre,
4 towering wall of blue granite, roughly fur
| rowed by the storms of centuries.
Mr.. Muir has named it the Seven Gables,
on account of it's remarkable resemblance
to the gables of an immense building. AT
the foot of this mountain Is q beautiful
emerald meadow whose sides are studded
with gaint sequoias.
i The highest summit CROSSED BY Msssrs