Year: 1874

EDITOR HERALD: / took the cars
for Merced, en- route for the Yosemite
valley, and had not been seated long
before / learned there was to be
famous greyhound race at Merced on
the following morning. | should
think there were forty greyhounds on
the cars and about twenty men as
signed to take care of them. Many of
the dogs were beautiful. They were
blanketed nearly all the way and care
fully guarded by their attendants. The
whole conversation was on the coming
race, and there was the usual betting
on which would win. 1t seems the
mode of procedure is to let loose two
dogs at the same time on the open
fields when hare is seen, and the dog
that turns the hare the most wins the
race. The whole affair was so novel
thatI became quite interested, but not
enough to defer my trip. We all re-
manned over night at Merced at the
I saw the dog club start out They
veyances, many in pretentious four
in-hands.


Merced is quite pretty place. 1t is
only about two years old, and has 1000
inhabitants. / noticed a fine court
house almost completed.


The usual stages from Merced to
Yosemite had been taken off; so [ en-
ployed mule. I met an Englishman
at the livery stable who spoke of walk
ing the distance and thought he would
get there as soon as | could. | tried to
prevail upon him to change his mind,
but he said he was not accustomed to
ride and insisted that he preferred to
walk. Of course | soon passed him,
but not until it began to rain. Neither
Of us, however, were deten ed. The
grass was just beginning to start, and
the green plain and foothills dotted
with farm houses, formed pretty
sight. At one place we passed way
side school-house and heard merry
voices inside. / reached Indian Gulch
in the afternoon. 1t is a pretty little
place in the midst of cottonwood trees.
The number of Indians still there ex-
plains the origin of the name. Ispent
the night at Fremonts Grant at the
toll house. 1t rained hard all night
and | was told that when it rained
there lit was showing hard on the trails
to Yosemite and that it would be i'm
possible to go there. The next day
about noon the sun shone out little
and ATTAINED q fine view from hill
back of the house. There were the
plains in the distance with their broad
expanse of green; near by the noun
tains were covered with oaks and pines
and those in the distance with snow;
there were the caf1ons with their
lovely lights and shades, and above
the clouds were rolling and tumbling
before the wind. | returned to the
house, ate dinner and determined to
set out for Mariposa, distant ten miles.
AS was about to start my English
friend came up, and we set out again
together. This time / induced him
to take turns with me in riding the
mule. We saw many indica-
tions of mining done on the
Fremont Ranch, and the scenery
from here was fine. AS we crossed
Bear Greek beautiful deer came
down to the stream to drink. He
stood and looked at US and seemed
not in the least afraid at first, but the
instant we moved he took to his
heels and was soon out of sight. Pres
emily we reached Princeton, a place of





and hotels and deserted cabins. We
saw q school house along the way Gu
riously perforated with holes made by
| the wood -peckers in which to conceal
| acorns. In tree near by hung a
large bell, which we rang until we all
most imagined we were in some little
village in civilization; but not so the
mule. He was evidently not accus-
toned to halls of learning, but became
terribly scared, and came near getting
away. fo E1 s1f fg.an Hrr ~


Late in the evening we reached
| Mariposa and heard big stories about
snow on the way to the valley. We
were told that we could not find the
way without guide, that we would
probably get showed in, ETC., but we
set out in the morning, We had
plenty of climbing as we were going
towards the high Sierras. Here and
there along the road we saw,a mum.
Der of miners cabins made of logs
and shakes with big stone chimneys
.t.n