Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1896-08-14
LETT Err FROM CALIFORNIA
Seth ID. Jones Writes Entertain
ingiy OF his Trip Overland
to the Golden State.

Seth u. Jones Writes Entertain
ingiy Of his Trip Overland
to the Golden State.
MADRoNE SPRINGS, Santa Clara
county, California, July %, 1896.
Editor FREE PREss.-Our Jour-
ney to California with team began
on May 8, 1906. After three days
plodding through mud we reached
Lewiston, (and let me now say one
of the prettiest and liveliest towns
through which we passed.) There
we rem aimed two days resting, for
the real journey would begin when
Idaho was left behind. From
Lewiston to Pendleton we passed
through very broken country,
devoted mainly to farming. Fruit
also does we'll in favorable lOcali-
tiee. From PendletOn we crossed
the Blue mountains to La Grande,
q thriving town situated on the
west side of the beautiful Grand
R0nd valley. This valley very
much resembles Camas prairie, ex-
cept that it is quite level. 1t is
an emerald plain surrounded by
snow-capped mountains; but we
cannot stop here. From La
Grande to Baker City the road led
over another spur of the Blue
mountains; thence across the Pow
der river valley, which is merely a
sage br ush plain where the snow
lays three feet deep in winter.
We then crossed another (the LAST
snow-capped mountain to Bridge
port, a small town on Burnt river.
For the next four hundred miles
our route lay across broken plains,
their natural production being
sage brush, rocks, jack rabbits and
scrubby juniper trees. The NAL
heur, Harvey and Goose Lake val
leys have an elevation of from
$500 to 5000 feet. This section is
called a great stock raising coun-
try, although in two weeks travel
we did not see as much stock or
grass as can be seen In one day on
an Idaho stock range. We passed
Alkali, Albert and Goose lakes.
The latter is situated in fertile
valley and its shores dotted with
pretty homes. There are numer-
GUS hot springs here. Albert and
Alkali lakes, each about % miles
In length, are purely alkaline.
The former has several clear water
springs along it's shores; the latter
only one, q large spring of clear,
cold water, and filed with thous-
ands of fish varying in length from
two to ten inches. Being clear,
the bottom of this spring is appa-
rently clearly defined; but on try
ing its depth no bottom is found.
A man who was travelling this road
once, stopped at this spring, and
his wa on tire being loose, he
rolled the wheel into the spring to
soak it; the wheel disappeared and
was never found. The surround
ing country is now called "Wagon-
tire plain" After leaving Goose
Lake valley the road ran through
q more mountainous country until
near Red Bluff, on the Sacramento
river; here we saw the first rail-
road since leaving Baker City, a
distance of about six hundred
miles. Until now the weather had
been cool and pleasant for travel
ing, but from the foot of the Sierra
Nevada's to Sacramento it was
quite warm. The Sacramento val
10y is level and apparently very
fertile, grain fruit and vegetables
being grown in abundance. The
machine used here for cutting
grain ID q combined harvester.
1t cuts, threshes and sacks the
grain as it goes, dropping from
three to five sacks in . bunch;
from twenty-four to thirty-six
horses are required to draw it, and
six men to operate it. We reached
San Jose, Santa Clara county, on
June 20, having travelled thirty
five days of the time since leaving
home, and covered q distance Of
nearly 1900 miles. We are now ut
Madrone Mineral Springs, a ia
nous health resort about thirty
miles southeast of San Jose, and
fifteen miles south of Mt. Hamilton,
where the great Lick Observatory
is locate ID. Here we have "pitched
our tent" for the summer, in the
shade of the spreading oaks, beside
o running brook, etc.
Yours, 8. d. JONES.
Why Was 1t Rejected?