The record-union., 1892-08-16
ISOLATED MODOC.
Far-0f Valleys Where Life is Yet a
Struggle.
Sections That May Some Day Fave a
Railroad and Become Settled
and Productive.

Travelling Correspondent RECoRD-UNIoN.I
CEDARyILLE, Modoc County, Aug. H.
This is the metropolis of Surprise Valley,
whose fertility is the talk of the mount
aims, and whose produce fills the ware
houses of Amedee. Like every other
part of the State, they sing praises loud
and long of its climate.
There is one disease now epidemic IN
California for which this climate seems
to be panacea-railroad-ph Those
who long for the good old days OF the
big teams and the stage-coaches can come
here and buy productive houses for less
than the improvements cost. They Will
find great range country for their stock,
and enjoy a camping trip of fifteen to
twenty-five days whenever they go out
to market Then they have home mar
ket for great deal of their grain and hay,
in feeding the teams that haul the balance
of the produce to market.
AS the people here do not appreciate
the advantages of such isolation, and are
quite ready to surrender them to others,
many good chances for exchanges of
property may be found by such as de-
sire more room for stock and more OF the
freedom of pioneer life.
Since the hope of a railroad is the chief
comfort of the people, letters from this
section will be mainly directed TO items
bearing on that question. The people de-
sire as important and direct a road as
possible, but will welcome any that
brings them one mile nearer TO market
At Madalene Plains my last letter left
me sixty miles from Amedee, the present
terminus of the narrow-gauge from
Reno. a drive over sixteen miles Of not
very difficult mountain road brings one
to station in sagebrush valley OF some
1000 acres of good soil, Watered by some
good springs and by creek NOW dry
whose channel suggests that the valley
might be reclaimed to profitable agrl-
culture by a storage reservoir. From an
old pioneer who once lived there 1t bears
the name of "Tule Dad
About five miles more Of mountain
road brings the traveller to Duck Flat, q
valley of 10000 acres or more. OF this a
good part is Enclosed, and it is the head
quarters of the stock range that William
Scott lately bought of DR.. Patterson for
$G0,0 There were nearly 5000 cattle,
some horses and farm implements and
about 5000 acres of land included in the
purchase.
About four miles along the edges of
this valley ana as many more down Il
canyon brings one into the famous Sur
prise Valley. The altitude is slightly
over LOCO feet and the productions are
stock, grasses, grain and hardy fruits.
The mountains on the west side are
timbered and send water from springs
and streams down to water strip be-
tween the foothills and lakes Of about an
average width of three miles and length
of sixty.
ON the east side are bald hills and range
country The shallow lakes, now nearly
dry for the third time in many years,
extend most of the way through the mid
die of the valley.
There are four towns in the valley
Eagleville, Cedarville. Lake City and
Fort Bidwell-going from south 10 north.
AT each end of the valley and at Eagle
vile water rights seem to be capable Of
economical development in such way as
to double the present production by re-
claiming sagebruSh and foothills. This
year the hay crop is fair, the grain crop
about one-half, the apple crop a little
more than enough for local needs, and
other tree fruits almost Il failure, except
peaches about Fort Bidweu. Berries
are uniformly good.
Estimates of distance vary, but q fair
average would place the lower end Of the
valley ninety miles from Amedee, and
the upper, one hundred and fifty. Col
man Valley, just east from Fort BidWell (
is said to be the furthest from a railroad
of any point in the United States outside
of Alaska. 1t is nearly in the center Of
tue u ian IS iIaOS ny INC NSuGIdI acme,
California and Oregon and the Oregon
Short Line, and about two hundred miles
distant from each.
MIR. Cressler, who began business at
Cedarville in 1866 and founded the firm
that does the principal banking and
mercantile business of the valley, thinks
that the people would be more liberal to
the narrow gauge than others have been,
and has an idea that they would give the
right OF way and a present OF 100000 if a
road were finished through the valley.
FRANK S CHsPiN