Year: 1864

3
applied to by many of my friends to give my
experience and observations of the trip to
Puebla silver district, beg leave to state
that as custom and propriety has given the
right to voyager to furnish the press with
notes and observations Of his travels, you
would not think me ostentatious if / give a
plain, brief statement of my experience and
impressions of the country over which l
passed.


California is land of beauty and attract
i've landscapes. How few there are who can
realize the great change in the outward ap-
pearance of the earth's formation after you
descend the eastern slope of the Sierra Neva-
da Mountains Alkali plains and barren
mountains extend the whole length and
breadth of Nevada Territory. Whilst cross
inr the Black Rock Desert there is nothing
revealed to our vision pleasing to look upon,
unless it is the mountains, which rise abrupt
~ from the plain to considerable height,
and not a tree nor shrub could be seen to re-
lieve the eye from the dark belt of volcanic
rocks which circle one above the other around
the mountains. With this exception there is
nothing to relieve the monotony, except an
occasional adobe cabin where there is a
spring and one hundred and sixty acres of
sage brush have been pre-empted. Every
where the high parchei plains, covered with
sagebrush and greasewood, and shining,
cleaning. ash-colored earth, are barren in
the extreme. Patches of sage brush are
scattered along on either side Of the desert,
near the foot hills, whilst wide belt of alkali
extends through the centre of the desert,
whose surface is as level as a floor and as
white as snow.


Ga several occasions, while crossing this
plain, l have witnessed mrages of fantastic
images, resembling at times an army with
banners and cleaning bayonets, and at 9TH
ers changing to splendid city, with its pal
the sun beams. Then again can be seen u
beautiful lake, which appeared lear at hand,
surrounded by trees, and so distinct to the
eve that the ripples Of the water were plainly
discernible. These illusions are owing to the





different densities, occasioned by the radia-
ton of heat from the arid soil.


Before you set out in the morning the way
is clear from distractions, and your eye
stretches far away over over the ard plain,
and YOU see some landmark which you think
you will soon approach; but you travel mile
after mile, and you become thirsty and ia
tigued, and apparently the object seems nc
nearer than wnen you first started. And as
you pass along, the suns hot rays. rejecting
upon the still hotter aIkali sands. is disa
greeable in the extreme. Yonder in the dis
tance sand spouts, tall and thread like, are
seen Waiting to and fro over the desert alkali
plains. These are large columns of sand
carried high into the air by the whirlwinds
Sometimes but single column is visible :;
again there will be ten fifteen in sight,
stealing about like the ghosts of as many
giants, all from ten to thirty miles away
These are seen during the afternoon, rising
up from the level plain, regularly about two
o'clock. during the summer season.


Passing around Black Rock to the cast and
northward. we took up the plain over which
Queens river flows, sinking and rising, and
finally Disappearing beneath the surface =
The plain narrowed as we asccnded. and
thirty miles brought US to the great south
bend in Queens river, where Puebla Valley
intersecis it from the northwarJ Puebla
Valley commences to rise gradually after
leaving Qleens river, for fifteen miles, till
l,w divide, with good pass for wagon road
is reached thence fifteen miles further we
descended over gradual inclined plain to
Puebla Valley, which extends north and
south, and on the west side of which Puebla
Mountain is located, But there is better
and nearer way to Puebla, and it can be
reached within two hundred and fifty miles,
The point of starting is from Shasta, by the
way of Fort Crook, thence to Goose Lake.
which is about fifteen miles from Surprise
Valley. Passing through Surprise Valley,
the wagon road follows Lasscn's old emigrant
road south east towards Black Rock some
thirty miles, to the north end of Mud Lake,
where you strike valley leading northeast
to Puebla Valley, making the distance some
sixty miles from Surprise Valley to Puebla
Valley. This route can be Travelled at all
seasons, being through a succession of valleys
between mountains, and supplied with an
abundance of grass and water the whole dis
tance.


After crossing the Sierra Navada Noun
tains twice, my impressions are that still a
nearer and better route from this point can
pc opcucu uiiSSt I" sur PRISE NdifeN, Uy
leaving the road at Black Butte Valley and
keeping in a north-easterly direction to Sur
prise Valley thence to Puebla, which will
shorten the road from twenty-five to fifty
miles, with little expense.


The geological formation of Puebla Noun
tain is little remarkable. slate, limestone
and granite seeming to form confused mass;
sometimes the one, and again the other pre-
dominating. 1t extends continuously about
fifteen miles. The crest is sharp and regular
and rising about five thousand feet above the
plain. This is the most regular mountain in
its formation | have ever seen. 1t has the
appearance of having been upheaved by some
volcanic force in front Of another mountain.
All the lodges and outcroppings of granite.
limestone. slate and quartz preserve a par.
allel course the whole length of the range.
and pitch to the east. am persuaded that
taking the mines here generally. they can be
worked to better advantage, with much less
expense, and with greater relative profit than
any mines found elsewhere, even if the facil.
tiles are not SO good as in other districts
There are many rich mines in other districts
which have only paid expenses of working
from the commencement. This is owing to
the large expenditures in thoroughly derel-
oping the mine y sinking shafts. running
tunnels, &C.. to find the ledge. But this is
NOT the case with the Puebla mines. They
can be traced for miles by their outcroppings
and will pay for working from the top. Suf.
ticient work has been done upon MANY of the