The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1903-07-30
AMONG THE BIG TREES.
DR.. J. w. Morgan Gives Interesting
Account of Yosemite.

DR.. j. w. Morgan, who has just re-
turned from a delightful trip to the
west, talks entertainirgly Of his jour-
ney. Importuned by a Herald report
er the other evening he gave the fol-
lowing account u his visit to the Yo-
semitic Valley. the home Of the great
trees:
"On July left the railroad at
MERGED and took seat with four 9TH
ers in typical California stage with
four horses and an experienced driv-
er had charge of the lines. Under
our seat was a key of drinking water
and an ak, SO that in case tree had
fallen across the road we could cut it
out. With all in our seats and dust
blankets on our laps, we started for a
ninety-mile stage drive. The first
nine miles over a perfectly level road
was made in little over an hour. We
thought the road very dusty, but it
was nothing to what we saw later on.
Our driver would pop his long whip
and keep his horses in a constant lope.
After changing horses twice we reach.
ed the foot hills Of the mountains,
about 80 miles from the railroad.
With a fresh team of four mules and
more dust in the roads we began
climbing the mountains and were soon
passing around and over very deep
and dangerous precipices, and as the
driver would make the mules whirl
around sharp corner in full gallop,
we were clinging to the seats with
breath almost suspended for fear the
stage would turn over and make a
fearful leap Of hundreds Of feet below,
which would be the ending Of our
trip to the Yosemite and the entering
of the valley Of the shadow CT death.
After a ride Of 80 miles Of this kind,
the last eight miles of which was after
dark, we reached Coulterville, an old
mining town where in early days
much gold was found. Here we spent
the night and were very we'll cared for.
While stopping here many sensation
! al stories were told us Of former days
and places shown where several men
were hung Many robbers came to
the town to steal the gold which the
miners had found. They would often
hide it in the brick wall of house by
removing brick and placing the gold
behind 1t and then replacing the
brick. While here tried hard to find
some fragments of gold, but my hunt
was in vain. After a nights rest we
started again in the stage for the rest
of the journey to the valley.
Every mile became more noun
famous, with sharp curves and deep
gorges on one side and high, over
hanging rocks on the other. The
never-ending dust became deeper and
deeper and thicker on our clothing,
penetrating our ears, eyes, nose and
mouth, until it was almost intolerable.
About D. m. we began to enter the
pine forests and soon passed the park
lines. After this the roads were not
so dusty. Soon we were driving
through a forest of very large pine
trees, varying from two to four feet
in diameter and a hundred to hundred
and fifty feet high. Finally we found
ourselves among the big Trees Of
California" In order that might
show my friends just how big one of
the great trees was | took a spool of
thread, which l had secured in Los
Angeles, and wound it around one of
them, and tied the ends to piece OF
bark from the tree, and when l meas
ured the thread found it was 60 feet
long, which would make the tree %
\ feet in diameter, and it was said to be
$50 feet high. Further on we came
to another grove of giant trees. One
was so large that a tunnel had been
cut through it for the passage of the
| stage road. 1t was a very strange
sight to see the big stage and the four
horses go through the tree. After
the stage emerged from the tree the
. driver stopped long enough for me to
: take snap shot with my kodac. This
/ tree is about forty feet in diameter
and is called the king of Big Trees"
> "As we entered the valley, which Is
} about three thousand feet below the
general level of the country, our driV'
: er let the horses go In lope and we
turned many sharp corners where II
seemed lmpOSSlDlS W AnohO ShO wa
in safety. Long before we reached
the bottom we could see the MERGED
river, which flows through the valley
rushing through narrow gorge at
. fearful rate over cascades, and II
looked like a white ribbon wound
around great clumps Of huge rocks
a The river is so clear that we could
Q see the bottom covered with white
t pebbles and pure sand. A hotel and
: some other buildings stand near the
+ center of the valley, but the most TO
1 mantle places of entertainment are
y the Camp Hotels" took a cosy
tent in a group of cots in a circle neal
: the east end of the valley, which IL
t about eight miles long and from hal
!. to a mile wide. My tent was close
to and under the Glacier Point, which
towers above the camp, an almost per
pendicular wall $3.50 feet-oyer hal
= mile high.
"The valley is comparatively level
sandy soil, and covered with thicl
i