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Show 1254 REPORT OP THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS. a rectangular quadrilateral were it not that long- necked spars project from the sonth and east, converting it into a right- angle triangle. This valley embraces abont 140 square miles. At the southern vertex of the triangle is a little town, Sierraville; at the eastern, is Summit Post office. Between these two is Loyalton. At the northwest corner of the valley is Beckworth's Post office. The western and sonthern walls are heavily timbered with pine; the northern and eastern are partially bare. The valley is entirely taken up by settlers. At Sierraville, the head of the valley, the altitude is 4,880 feet. Near the head of the valley, vegetables, wheat, and even fruit can be grown with some success. Farther out from th « timber and stream free radiation and accumulation of cold air at night prevent this. About three- fifths of the valley supplies good grass, from which large quantities of hay are secured for winter's needs. The meadows are situated along and near to the streams which flow along the north and west sides of the valley. The waters uuite near Beckworth's Post office, to form the head of the Middle Fork of Feather River, passing to the west of the cation of that stream. In the northern section the mountain ridges are nearer together, the valleys long and narrow, with a descending northwest trend. The valleyB grow narrower with the descent, soon canon, and empty their waters into Indian Creek, which here flows nearly west along parallel 40° 5'. Beyond this creek the spurs have a northeast direction to the eastern wall. No attempts are made to grow vegetables, fruits, or cereals in these valleys. A single day's ride, however, down the streams will take one to a region where fruits and vegetables can be grown with partial success. The difference of altitude between the points makes a marked difference, but other causes, easily understood, also facilitate such efforts. The heads of the valleys of this section are above the sea, on an average, about 5,500 feet. The wagon- road leading to Taylor-ville, which follows along the waters of one of these valleys, ( Clover Valley,) descends 1,500 feet in the last three miles before reaching Indian Creek. There are claimants to all the grass- growing lands. Considerable herds of cattle are grazed here during the summer, but, as a rule, removed in winter. Only a few of the ranchmen remain here during the winter. This section, with exception of the small valleys, is well- timbered with pine. Common to the entire mountaiu area embraced above is the appearance of the surface- rock. It is all of volcanic origin. The entire area has once been flooded with melted rock. The transverse divide between the middle and northern section of my work is a mountain mass of solidified waves of lava, embracing beautiful specimens of the columnar structure. These rocks are generally of trachytic classes. In this region, and all others that I have ever visited where the surface- rook is of like nature, loose fragments are widely spread. Travel is always slow and tedious in such places. In order to account for this universal distribution of fragments, it is only necessary to suppose that surfaces resulting from volcanic action were usually uneven, with sudden ascents and descents from one level to another. The continued action of gravity and the weather would then accomplish what we now see. In places, the surface- rock is cut through by canons, and the primary formations displayed. I can give no definite information as to the rain- fall in this region. Numerous statements were received npou this point, but the discordancy was correspondingly great. The amount of rain is not, probably, over 12.1 inches. The daily range of temperature was usually very great. On the 19th of September, at a camp on the northern section, at night, the minimum thermometer recorded 19°; the same day the maximum was 77° in the shade, and 112° in the sun; the maximum difference between the wet and dry bulbs for the same day was 20°. During the season, the wet and dry bulbs differed by from 6° to 20°. Iu the northern section there is usually 6 to 10 feet of snow during the winter, ( this not included in the estimated rain- fall.) The inhabitants who attempt to remain at their ranches during winter use snow- shoes from 8 to 12 feet long, and are confined to very limited journeys from December to April. In Sierra Valley and the flats of the southern section the snow- fall is considerably less. The streams of the entire region abound in fish- in the northern sections the brooks are almost alive with mountain- trout. In this section, too, frequent indications of deer were seen, but not so in the middle and southern sections. In addition to the mountain areas described above, party 1 covered a small stretch of country east of the Sierras, extending from Reno along the eastern base of the mountains to the most northern parallel visited. To the east of the Sierras the axes of the ridges lie more nearly north and south. The valleys between them are deserts of sand and sagebrush. A narrow slip of land close in to the eastern wall of the Sierras f urnishes^ good grazing, and is occupied by settlers. The growth of timber ceases entirely at the eastern base of the Sierras. The routes of commnnication traversing the region of our work may be briefly stated as follows: From Reno, which is the most eastern point, a road leads nearly directly west across the eastern wall into the southern section. It then divides ; one branch continues nearly due west across the second ridge; the other branch turns to the south, and runs near to and parallel with the railroad, crossing the summit- line of the Sierras at the same point. Another road leads from Reno along the eastern base of the mountains to Susan ville, beyoud the limits of my work. A branch from the road |
