The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-05-04
California to Oregon, Overland.


LoMo, SUFFER- Co, Calf, April Is,
1899 We arrived here Friday afternoon
aud found plenty of feed for the horses;
and have camped to give them some much
needed rest Lomo is only way station
on the s. P. r. Il. for shipping the grain
in this locality and is about 7 1-2 miles
from Marysville We are now about $40
miles on our journey We have not
more as there is plenty of feed for the
team along the road and it saves us the
trouble of hauling the hay beside paying
a cent a pound for it.
This is quite fruit country. Apricots,
peaches, plums, and berries of all kinds
are raised here, and two canneries make a
one at Yuba City.
This week we came up through level
country devoted principally to grain and
and hay, wheat being the leading grain
throughout the whole valley There are
more OF less orchards, and vegetables are
raised about the towns, but to no large
extent.
We came through Sacramento, the capt.
tai of the state, and stopped one night and
part of the day 1t is a nice, clean city,
with some very fine blocks and is busy
capitol, which is a fine gray stone build
ing, situated in beautiful grounds and
kept in excellent order. The legislature
is not in session OF we would have stopped
longer Here we crossed Feather River
and came ont on level plain, which is
dyked to keep the waters of This and the
Sacramento river in bounds. After get
ting out few miles We could see where the
Sacramento had flooded the country for
miles around. About three weeks ago
they had heavy rains here and the river
dyke, and flooded miles OF country.
There are places in this flooded district
that VIII lie wet and muddy n July.
a great deal of blowing is still going on
foi the fall and winter sowing a man
does not want ranch in this whole san
J0aquin valley Of less than a half section
The more he has the better. But stiIl
with al the grain here, Oregon can ship
wheat down hele now and sell it for "a
cents peI hundred, which is less than you
can buy it out If the warehouse where we
are cnuped to day We camped one night
at MlIysvil e. lich j. / : miles south of
MS. 1T is a town OF ) 900 or 6, 900 iuhabi-
tant>, and years ago was running over
with business. 1T was quite mining cen
TIRE. as we'll as grain section, aud large
amount Of freighting was done in all di-
rections. But since the boom il las pro
gressed backwards. To show the differ
ence, man has ranch here for which he
was offered 500 per acre in the palmy days
of the fruit boom, and now can not get
over $35 per acre.
We are camped about miles from the
three Butte mountains, a pile of hills
thrown up in the middle of the valley,
which can be seen for 10 miles away We
have travelled through IS counties on our
Journey thus far and have more 10 pass
through before we leave California We
are all well and enjoying our journey fine
ly. Our number is reduced now to four. A
man and his wife and two children left us
in Stockton; and the other team with two
men left US at Marysville. All being
we'll we shall continue on our way to- NOR
row, and ii the snow does not stop us we
will lie well through the mountains again
by next Sunday We have to cross the
Sierra Nevada mountains on our way to
Susauvilie, aud some tell us that we can
not get through for the snow. | can tell
you better later. We have found the big
gest liars on earth in our travels up the
State, and l shall be glad when we strike
something new. We are all happy as
larks, and aIe getting to be such gypsies
that you may see us some day drive into
Belfast with our f. horse caravan. | would
like to see the good old town and the
beautiful bay.
CLARENCE H. LUTHER.