Imperial Valley press., 1913-05-07
THE GREAT MOUNTAIN
or LOWER CALIFORNIA


l.. w. Green in Redlands Review ::
The Coast range eliminates in the
peaks of San Gorgonio and San Bernar-
dino of the San Bernardino mountains,
with San Antonio and San Jacinto only
a little lower on either side. Then the
range makes decided drop to the
south and shows heights of quite a
different character, with blunt tops
instead OF sharp peaks. Palomar and
Cajon mountains are bold and conspic-
uous, but not high, as mountains on the
coast go. Still farther south, however.
in the peninsula of Lower California,
the range makes another lunge up
ward and produces the great San Pedro
Martir mountain. more than 5000 feet
high. That is its last great effort, for
in its more southern reaches it is much
broken, with plenty Of peaks, to be
sure, but no high ones.
While some Of the mountains OF the
upper part OF the range are higher
than San Pedro Martir, none other pre-
sents so huge bulk. Seen from San
Telmo it is an unbroken wall forty or
iifty miles long, which at the north
end is first cut down sharply, and then
beyond it almost completely demol-
ished, as mountains rank; and at the
south end is torn into gaps and has had
its crest knocked Off.
There are two piachOs, sharp, nee
die like, OF pure white granite, but they
are so near the eastern side Of the
mountain that they cannot be seen
at all from the west, and not from the
south until one has reached San Juan
De Dios, then they appear pointing
heavenwards. shining white like great
icebergs.
The cattle and horses are not the
only ones that grow fat from a sum
mer on San Pedro; the herders also are
in clover, for the great forests are the
home of innumerable deer, and bighorn
az well, though not In so great num-
bers as the deer. Two Mexican friends
Of mine who were tanding herd Of
cattle on the summit in two weeks shot
fifty deer and might easily have shot
more, but they could not take care Of
and transport any more jerked meat.
Another man had a standing offer
from San Francisco firm Of S25 for
every head of male bighorn, and he
shipped a good many. That traffic Of
course was stopped when Mexican law
declared closed season for mountain
sheep. 1t was high time that such
protection was given them, too, for
they were wantonly destroyed, some
times not even for their heads and
skins, but merely for the pleasure of
slaughter. l think If American MINI
rods had understood how easily those
reached, by boat to San Quiniin, where
an efficient Mexican guide with excel
lent saddle and packed mules was to
be procured, the slaughter would have
proceeded more merrily still. l heard
Of one American, and he from distant
Boston, who had discovered this hunt
er's Ell Dorado, and who made period
ical trips to it. That was before Mex
leo, in fear Of insurrectos, forbade the
importation Of firearms into the penin-
sula.
1t is not strange that San Pedro
should harbor 80 much game, for 1t Is
the only really wooded mountain on
the peninsula. and the timber here is
very fine. In the days of the Frailes,
those energetic Christianizers, many a
straight pine log was carried down on
the backs Of Indians to take its place
as a viga In one of the missions of the
distant valleys. Deer and bighorn are
not the only game; other animals there
are, not so harmless, and that may
even play the role Of hunter instead Of
hunted. Mountain lions are so numer-
fbof nn1f ,r,ht oh
slider the most delicious Of tidbits, have
a hard time trying to become horses
A man living on the western slope Of
the mountain showed me corral fully
five feet from which mountain lion
took a three-year old fllly, leaping the
fence with ease with the colt in his
mouth and dragging the carcass mile
up the side Of the, mountain before he
stopped for his meal.
On the eastern slope there are
streams that start bravely from the
mountains, but they are Immediately
sucked up by the sands Of the desert.
Canyon DiablO is an excellent example
OF this; liz the time Of rains the water
rushes from the mouth Of the extreme
ly narrow rocky canyon. which is a
illClC SIit III tllC Wdlis III
tumultuous flood. 1t entirely fills the
narrow opening, so that the canyon
cannot bascended beyond its mouth and
it cannot be crossed, such raging
torrent is it. Yet in less than mile
it has disappeared, and not only is
there no stream, but the rounded Orroyo
sides are of smooth sand as though
years had passed since water flowed
between them. Many streams Of abun-
DAFT flow start out in this way from
the east side Of the mountain, but all
promptly disappear. And as the noun
tain acts as barrier to check the
rains that come in from the Pacific, the
strip of land between San Pedro and
the Gulf Of California remains absO-
lutely desert.
On the western side, however, the
streams flow with greater assurance.
One Of them is turned from its channel
and is carried along the skirt Of the
mountain for nearly twenty miles to
wash the gold from the soil Of So
cOrrO. 1t is clear case, however, Of
robbing Peter to pay Paul, for by di
verting the water the bread was &C
tually taken from the mouths of the
contented farmers in the great San
Rafael arroyo below. believe the poo
farmers carried the matter into the
courts, but probably the policy Of
"manana" was brought to bear on it
for l never heard that a decision was
rendered.
San Antonio creek is fairly typical
mountain stream, rushing little river,
flowing through It's own dense growth
Of alders and alamos. 1t proves the
mountain quality Of its water, too, by
sheltering speckled trout that reach the
very respectable size Of twelve inches.
They were the only trout that l ever
saw in Lower California; indeed, San
Antonio is the only stream in the north
ern half of the peninsula that can
successfully resist long continued
drought and even that fails by many
miles Of reaching the ocean except in
time Of flood. In one fertile little cove
in its deep rocky canyon it nOurShes