Year: 1871

'


SIERRA VALLEY, CAL, Jan. Is, u.


Eds. Gazette. This Valley is one of
a series of valleys lying along the Sierra
! Nevada Mountains, from which it de-
rives its name. It is about fifteen miles
wide by thirty in length, and is said to
be about 5000 feet above the level of
! the sea. There are several Gaps or
Passes in the mountains by which the
traveller may enter the Valley, but the
one most practicable and mostly travelled
is the Beckwourth Pass, discovered, I
believe, in 1850 by James Beclzwourth,
an old pioneer, and said to be the first
white settler in the Valley. There are
several small streams running through
the Valley, which form the head waters
of Feather River. The soil along these
streams is equal to the best bottom lands
in Ohio, but back toward the mountains
the soil is a mixture of sand and alkali,
and is covered with sage brush. The
best land is taken up under the pre-
emption and homestead laws, although
there is some very good land yet open
for pre-emption. The Valley has been
settled very fast in the last two or three
years, and now contains about 900
souls. The principal crop of the ranch





been hay, they thinking the altitude too
high for raising grain; but on expert
menting it was found that wheat. oats
and barley would grow and yield bounti-
fully. Since that, many have turned
their attention to raising grain, harvest
ing from 50 to 90 bushels per acre of
oats, 40 to 50 of barley and from 80 to
40 of wheat, so that instead of buying
grain and hauling into the Valley they
have considerable to haul 0Ht Of the
Valley to market, getting on an average
for different kinds of grain about s. per
hundred. There is considerable stock
in the Valley, mostly cattle, several men
owning from three to five hundred head
each. Most of the stock men are in the
dairy business and raise their own stock,
some of them milking from SO to 100
COWS. They nearly all make butter,
claiming it more profitable than cheese.
There is, however, one cheese factory in
operation, and some are going to try
cheese making next season. The ranch
ers here say the railroad has nearly
spoiled their butter market. Before the
railroad was built they got from S. to 90
cents per pound and now they only
average the year round about 30 cents,
in consequence of so much being ship
ped from the East. In the Spring all
stock except diary COWS are branded and
turned out to feed on Uncle Sans pas
ture, and the ranCher's pasture is per-
mitted to grow so that he can cut a good
crop of hay. Many of them cut from
two to three hundred tons in one season.
1t is fine blade grass intermixed with
species Of wild clover and makes splen-
did hay, so good that stock men feed
nothing else to fatten their beef, and
their stock looks better than granted
stock in the States. l am of the opinion,
however, that it is not altogether in the
quality of the grass, but partly owing to
the fact that there is no rain here in the
forePart of the season to bleach and
wash the substance away. In most new
countries there is generally too much
timber or not enough in these noun
tain valleys it is not the case. The val /
leys are generally small and contain no
timber, while the mountains surrounding
them are covered with pine, cedar, &c, |
easy of access. There are several saw
mills in this Valley, that cut an abun-
dance of lumber to supply the settlers
with building material, and they sell |
lumber so cheap that almost any one,
no matter how limited in means, can |
Duy. lney sell very 8OOQ Qudllty OIL
pine for So per thousand feet, and an
extra good quality for from SI2 to SIS
per thousand.


There is an abundance of game here, |
deer and bear on the mountains and |
small game in the valley, such as hare,
geese, ducks, sage hen and grouse, and |
the streams abound in fish, (mountain
trout. Those who like hunting or fish
ing can have fine sport if they will come |
to this country.


Perhaps the greatest drawback to this |
Valley. is the want of schools and |
churches. There are but very few I
school houses and l believe but two |
churches, one in each of the little vii |
lages which the Valley supports. The |
schools are mostly kept up by subscrip-
ton, there not being scholars enough in
the several sub-districts to draw suffi-
Cient amount of public money to pay
their teachers. No doubt these obstacles |
will all be overcome in few years, and /
society will then become improved and |
everybody will attend church on Sun
day instead of going to the stores to do
their trading.


have extended this letter already too
far, and by asking your pardon will
close. J. a.


An exchange tells us that ''in Column