The Month of June at Big Meadows [pp. 295-301]

The.Month of June at Big Meadows.
THE MONTH OF JUNE AT BIG MEADOWS.
THE Big Meadows lie in
.!,;c Fir,st. one of those out of the way
places in California which
few people have heard of and still fewer
have visited. In a basin in the north U.Tefil il- ern Sierras, between the
forl, a t 1o,l eastern and western sumgtlhered et mits, they forever lie in revoy((ge. pose, their quiet placidity
suggesting peace on earth and good will
to man.
Three tributaries unite near the outlet of the Meadows to form the west
branch of the Feather River. One of
them enters at the upper end. The
other two arise on the plain. No infancy have these streams, for they start
into being from springs, the largest of
which has sufficient volume of water to
.oat a ship. The other is, relatively, a
small affair, but up through white and
dancing sands it bubbles forever and forever.
Slowly and silently, like beings under
restraint, these waters meander through
the valley, but when they reach the outlet they plunge with wild glee into a caron, and, impatient for their ocean home,
rush forward in a mad race till they leave
the Sierras far behind. The monotony
of the vast expanse of green grass is relieved by glints of the river, that gleam
through openings in their fringes of willows. Where the valley and the uplands meet, the leaves of many clumps
of silver poplars, in the very joy of existence, dance in the breeze, or quiver
when not a breath of air is stirring. The
immediate shores on either side rise abruptly into high hills, clothed to the very
top with evergreen trees, of a hue contrasting with and relieving that of the
meadows below.
Beyond the first range of hills, but in
distance not remote, Mount Lassen rears
his crest eleven thousand feet into the
blue above. There he reigns
"On a throne of rocks in a robe of clouds,
With a diadem of snow."
To the north of Lassen the Black
Buttes, six or seven in number, lifting
their jagged, worn peaks in air, tell of
volcanic throes and later elemental wars.
Will some genius in a
happy moment coin a word Jone te,oud.
to serve as a substitute for
"Big "? Let us have a word that will
express magnitude, and extent, and at
the same time be musical to the ear,
one that may be woven into poetry without damning the poem, or that can be
written in prose without suggesting the
absence of linguistic ability on the part
of the writer?
We are almost there.
Yes: Big Meadowscontaining many thousand Jote Third.
acres of grazing land
balmily sleeps in a deep basin encircled
by a chain of mountains; over its surface ripple hues and expressions varied
as those of the sea. The long grass, luxuriant in growth and rich in sustenance,
affords food for many head of cattle, and
as they wade knee-deep in First ir:its dank verdure they add Pe'ess ionanother feature to a land- Mo.
scape unsurpassed in beauty. Twentyfive miles away, Mount Lassen shows
his snowy side dazzling in the morning
rays, and further on the Black Buttes
rear their sombre heads -- shifting their
tints to suit the moods of the sun. The
Feather River flows silently through
1889.]
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