Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean: Vol. 2, Pt. 2

CHAPTER IV.
eroan the crossing of Humboldt river via the -Iadelin Pasg, to the junction of 1all river
with the Sacramentto, and back to the shore of Hon~ey lake, eastern base of the Sierra
I Nevada-June 10 to July 4, 1854.
Crossing Humboldt river.-Droves of cattle and sheep.-Lassen's meadows, and termination of the western course of the Hum boldt river.-Country and passages to the west.-Willows and water. —Mud lakes.-Noble's road.-Railroad grades.-Mud
lakes, or plains and deserts.; their passage. —Frc'mont's trail of 1844.-Similarity in geological character of some of the
mountain spurs and plains.-Examination of the Sierra Nevada; their broad, massive, and terrace char'acter.-Marshes, ponds,
and stony surface.-Indians.-Madelin Pass examined.-View of Mount Shasta. —Grades and altitude of pass Country
southeast of the broad plains of Madelin Pass.-Light, miry, and stony soil.-Indians.-Basin character of the broad plains of
the summit of the Sierra.-Game.-Error in location of Feather river on the best authenticated maps.-Forests.-Descent
to Round valley; waters of the Sacramento.-Practicability of this descent for a railway -Indians, (Pah Utahs?).-Grave. Emigrant road (Lassen's) and Oregon road.-Source of the Sacramento; its first canion.-Grades.-Pitt river; Pah Utah or
Digger Indian women digging roots.-Making arrow-heads.-Indian pantomime -Impracticability of descending the Sacramento
with wagons; its examination to the mouth of Fall river.-Impassable volcanic rocky fields.-Character of the river banks. Timber.-Grades.-Reference to itinerary, from July 15 to 21, for a description of the Sacramento below Fall river.-Re crossing the Sierra Nevada.-View of peaks of the coast range.-Graves of emigrants.-Pine creek.-Noble's Pass road --
Summit creek. —Susan river.-Eagle lake. —Roop's farm in Honey Lake valley.
June 10.-We crossed the river by a small wagon-boat brought with us for the purpose,
and descended the stream 3.51 miles to camp. Fine droves of cattle, which had been wintered
near Great Salt lake, passed to-day on their way to California, and one or two large flocks of
sheep are but a few miles behind them. Latitude of camp, 40~ 42' 03".
June 11.-Our last camp was in a large bottom of coarse grass-the last found on this river
above its sink-known to emigrants as Lassen's Meadows, in which the river terminates its
general western course, and turns south for 40 miles, where it reaches the marshy lake in which
it disappears. Immediately north of the meadows there is a detached mountain range,
a few miles in length, behind which there is said to be a favorable passage to the west,
leaving the river, of course, a few miles above where we returned to it, but in sight. The
same passage is entered by the west end of the mountain by a northwest course from yesterday's
camp. It is by this line that Noble's route to California, followed to some extent by emigrants,
leads to Mud Iake, and it is believed to be the most favorable route for reaching that lake from
the river; but its eastern portion did not appear so favorable to us as one further to the south,
which we followed after ascending the highest mountain in the vicinity, and examining the
connections of the respective passes westward. By the one we followed We descended the
course of the river for 9.64 miles, and then bore off to the southwest over the foot-hils of a
mountain just west of this part of the river. Still further to the south, the country becomes
more open, and no obstacle could be seen to approaching Pyramid lake on the general level
of the Basin; but this would have taken us too far to the south for our present purposes, if it
could be avoided, and we therefore followed what appeared the best route. The soil of the
valley and foot-hills was of ash-heap friability; but as we ascended the broad, open mountain
depression it became firm, being formed from the disintegrations of granite rocks. The ascending grades to the summit of this pass are, for the first 9.64 miles from our morning camp,
16.20 feet per mile; but, from the formation of the hills, the distance can be increased to
dliminish the succeeding grades, which average 23.20 feet per mile for 7.86 miles; 64.30feet per
"