Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-10-19
NEW ROUTE OVER THE slERRAs

tions, visit Southern California, the
region of perpetual spring, flowers and
fruits. In their journeying they are
unmindful of the fact that there are
other sections of this great state that
are in many respects as attractive and
in some more interesting than are
found along the beaten paths.
The writer and companion had the
pleasure of venturing during the heat
ed portion of the past summer into
one Of the remote sections of Califor-
mia and by happy chance Toasted up
on the delights of the mountain
heights of the Sierra Nevadas.
In passing it must be acknowledged
that the Southern Pacific Railway Co.
has shown a wonderful amount of fore
sight in securing that great national
highway heretofore known as the Cen
trail Pacific. Mr.. Huntington and his
colleagues have been steadfast in their
confidence in the future of this great
road and have veritably startled the
financial world by performing the al
most incredible task of redeeming this
great property from the burden of the
mortgage held by the United States.
The passenger department of this
road as well as its freight has respond
ed finely to the able management of
Mr.. Mccormack, who accomplished the
great work of building up the Big Four
for the Vanderbilts, and demonstrated
to the world that he was an organizer
of the highest ability.
At Reno our party, by happy
thought, concluded to try new route
to the mountain district of the Gold
en- State, and through the courtesy of
Mr.. E. Gest, manager, and Mr.. f. r.
Lewis, general ticket agent, had the
pleasure of travelling over the new line
of railroad now being rapidly built
nOrthward to and into Oregon, namely,
the California, Nevada and Oregon
Railway. We rode northward over
mountain spur, from whence magnifi-
cent view of the beautiful city of
Reno is had, into and UP Long Valley,
a great and prosperous pastoral re-
gion. This road has a large and in
creasing traffic in stock and merchan-
disc and when extended will open up
and develop fertile agricultural and
an extensive mineral region in the
north.
At Plumas Junction we changed cars
to the Sierra Valleys Railway, and
crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountain
divide over Beckwith Pass, and enter
ed the interesting and prosperous
Feather Valley.
This pass, the most feasible railway
route over this great mountain range,
is but $500 feet above sea level, and is
traversed with the lowest grades of
any of the mountain passes of this or
any other mountain range in the Unit
ed States. 1t seems astonishing that
this natural road over the range should
have been passed over by the projec-
tors of the trans continental railways.
The pass is almost entirely free from
snow, is not exposed to driving storms,
can be approached both from the east
and west by easy and natural grades
and admits one at once to veritable
Eden.
The Feather River Valley is well
developed and attractive country and
seems formed by nature for a great
railroad highway. By a gradual de-
scent from the headwaters of the river
one is conducted down into the great
Sacramento Valley at ,Oroyille, whence
San Francisco harbor is easily access
sible
The country is fairly teeming with
resources and with the requisite CAPT.
tai will respond to the enterprise of
man and yield him wealth like that
flowing from Aladdin's lamp.
After lying vacant for many years,
almost Stunned by man in his blind
ness and perversity, it remained for
Mr.. e. G. Bowen of San Francisco to
take the one all important step of
building a railway over Beckwith Pass
into this magnificent valley. 1t was
rare stroke of enterprise, and upon the
extension of the road down the valley
will yield a splendid and permanent
return to this enterprising man. The
railway is now completed to Glars
vile, Plumas County, California, thirty
miles west of Plumas Junction, and is
already developing fine traffic.
The road is managed by Mr.. Albert
Smith of Clairsville, thoroughly pop
ular man, who appreciates the needs OF
The country, has unbounded confidence
IL its future and has the ability to so
conduct the road as to foster it's mate
rial growth.
The contrast between the old meth
DDS of gaining access to the world and
the modern railway is too well seen by
the people of this section to in
duce them to do anything other
than foster the influence that has con-
tributed so much to their well being.
Mr.. Smith and his able coadjutor, Mr..
Geo. T. Holman, conductor and train
manager, are well known to their
patrons and are universally esteemed
and respected.
From Clairsville stage lines radiate
to all important points and by this
route travellers from the east can pene-
trate the important pastoral and min
ing regions of the Sierras and save
some hours of tedious and dusty travel
and in addition traverse a country that
is destined to play an important part
in the industrial development of our
great country.
In 1S49 California gained the SOU
VI AAuSt VI Tic GOlu6H oIdL1, DuI OF late
years has had to share the honor of
producing the standard of monetary
value with Colorado, Montana and 9th.
er states, which have latterly attract.
ed so much attention by the stream OF
golden wealth they have poured into
the business world.
California has since then depressed
into the field of agriculture and horti
culture and has shown pre-eminence
in these lines, but generations will
come and go and she will continue tc
send forth her gold in abundance. Tn
no section of the state more than that
explored by our party is there SO much
IN store for the world The placers are
but skinned over and her quartz lodes
are simply waiting for mans aid for
the time when they will pour out gold
en- wealth to the world
And last but not of less Importance
to man this section presents almost
ideal climatic conditions for the tired
and almost exhausted denizen of the