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Show • • 128 NATIONAL WAGON ROAD GUIDE. these springs you soon cross a portion of the dried bed of Mud Lake, and on to Granite Creek, a stream of tepid water, running frorn the mountains on the northwest side ; then again over a portion of Mud Lake bed, a perfect desert, and on to near some large boiling springs, surrounded by tule (rushes) and coarse alkali grass, then ... over low foothills to DEEP SPRINGS ............. •· •. ··.••• •. · .......... 24~ These springs afford an abundance of pure water; here is a meadow of about six hundred acres of good grass. You will now pass over another eight miles of the dried bed of Mud Lake, then over a dry, sandy, sage plain, to Buffalo Springs ; some coarse grass here ; then on to Dry Creek, over sage plains and low hills to SMOirE CREEl{.................. . . . . . . . . . . . ...... 28 Here you will find some good grass. You pass up the creek through a narrow, rocky canon, to extensive grass and clover meadows, to RUSH VALLEY .........•.•...........•............ 5~ Good grass and 'vater here. Now a barren soil, light, ashy, dusty, road, to MUD SPRINGS ..........•......................•... 8~ Pure, cool water ; but only about three acres of grass. N O\V through a wild sage country, undulating, and much of the road rough, stony, and tedious, and without water till you r.each Breed's trading post on SUSAN RIVER-HONEY LAKE VALLEY ......... 17~ Abundance of grass and good water. From this point on Susan River, it is some three or four miles to Honey Lake, following down the river. At a point not far from the Lake, and near Susan River, is the place of beginning of the survey and location of the national wagon road, and near the State line between California and Utah. The distance from Mud Springs to the initial point is only sixteen and three-fourths miles. From Su· san River to I. Roop's house and trading post NATIONAL WAGON ROAD GUIDE. 129 WEST END OF HONEY LAKE VALLEY ......... 20 This is one of the finest agricultural and stock feeding valleys in eastern California, or western Utah. There is already quite a settlement here. Th'e route from the Humboldt to this point is undoubt- . edly the most direct that can be traveled by emigrants who are desirous of reaching either Plumas, Shasta, Colusi, Tehama, Trinity, Humboldt, l{lamath, or Siskiyou counties ; or indeed any part of Northern California or Southern Oregon. You are now about to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains through Noble's-more properly Lassen's-Pass; but if you expect to find anything like a difficult mountain, you will be disappointed, for there is really no mountain at all; and what little there is of ascent toward the summit is so gradual, you really hardly know when you have fully gained it, and commenced your descent. And now that we are able to leave you in such comfortable circumstances, at the summit of all there is of the Sierras at this point, we guide you no further, but leave you to obtain such further advice, counsel, or guidance, as you may need, to the noble- hearted, whole-souled, frontier settlers of Honey Lake Valley. THUfJK.EE ROUTE. From south end of Humboldt Lake take your right, and pass over a low ridge and marsh to SULPHUR WELLS ..................... . ......... . 12 ~ In seasons of high water these wells are covered by the waters of the slough, and not available. You now enter upon the desert, without grass or water, the road uneven and a part of the way stony, to HOT SPRINGS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .................. 19 Here are several large springs of hot sulphur water, or if \ , ' |