| 150

of which afford pasturage and water at
intervals. We are leaving the barren
sands behind us, and the coun
more capable of supporting animal life.

Continuing the up-grade—over 550 feet
within the next 9.6 miles—we arrive at

Loray—a station of little importance
to the traveler.

From Loray, up we go for 7.1 miles
further to

‘Toano—auntil recently the end of the
division.

The company have here erected work-
shops and a 14-stall round-house. Toano is
centrally located as regards many mining
districts in Eastern Nevada, among which
are E Canyon, Kinsley, Kern, Patter-
son, Ely, Pahranagat and Deep Creek—all
of which are under rapid development. A
stage line is in operation from this place to
Egan Canyon and the Cherry Creek mines,
a distance of 90 miles south.
leaving Toano we begin the ascent of Ce-
dar Pass, which divides the Desert from
Humboldt Valley. The country is more
broken, but possessing more vegetation,
We have passed the western line of the
desert, where, in early days, the travel-
worn emigrant wearily toiled through the
burning sand, his journey unenlivened by
the sight of water or vegetation. One word
more, re ing this desert: The term sand
is generally applied, when speaking of the
soil of the barren wastes which occur at
intervals along the road. With one or two
exceptions it is a misnomer, though it well
applies to the desert we have crossed.
Most of the surface of this waste is sand,
fine, hard and grey, mixed with marine
shelis and fossilized fragments of another
age. There is no evidence on which to
found a hope that this portion of the
country could be rendered subservient to
the use of man, consisting, as it does, of beds
of sand and alkali, overlaying a heavy
gravel deposit. Ages must pass away
before nature’s wondrous changes shall
render this desert fit for the habitation of
man. Continuing on up the ridge, 9.91
miles, we pass

Peq tuop—and 5.83 miles further

Otege - both side-tracks of little im-
portance. Then we commence to descend,
and 5.6 miles further arrive at

Endepend en c¢e-— Independence
Springs, from which this station derives its
hame, are near by, and supply an abun-
dance of very good cold water.

Independence, Clover and Ruby valleys,

looks |

Soon after

CROFUTT S NEW OVERLAND TOURIST

lie to the southward. Thetwo first named
are small and valueless except for grazing
purposes. From Cedar Pass a spur, or
rather a low range of hills, extends far to
thesouthward. About0 or 80 miles south
of the pass, is the South Fork of the Hum-
boldt which canyons through this range,
running to the east and north of another
range until it reaches the main Humboldt.
Although the range first mentioned, after
having united with the western range south
of the South Fork, extends much farther
south, we will follow it only to Fort Ruby,
which is situated in the south end of Ruby
Valley, near to the South Fork. From |
this fort to the pass is about 65 miles,
which may be taken as the length of the
valley. The average width is ten miles
from the western range mentioned to the
foot-hills of Ruby Range, which. hems in
the valley to the east. A large portion of
this valley is very productive ard is occu-
pied by settlers—mostly discharged sol-
diers from Fort Ruby. In the southeast-
ern portion of the valley is Ruby and
Franklin lakes, which are spoken of un-
der the general term of Ruby Lake, for in
high water they are united, forming a
brackish sheet of water about 15 miles
long by seven in width, which has no out-
let. It is—like Humboldt, Carson and Pyr-
amid lakes in the Truckee Desert—merely
a reservoir, where the floods accumulate to
evaporate in the dry summer. The old
stage road, from Salt Lake to Austin,
crosses the foot of the valley at Ruby sta-
tion. About 20 miles east of the Ruby
Range lies Goshoot Lake, another brackish
pond, with two small tributaries and no
outlet, rather wider and about the same
length as Ruby Lake. About half-way be-
tween Goshoot and the railroad lies Snow
Lake, about five miles in diameter, possess-
ing the same general characteristics as the
others. With the exception of the valleys
around these lakes and along the water-
courses, the country is valueless except for
stock-raising. In the Ruby Range rich
silver lodes have been discovered, some
rock of which has been found to assay as
high as $600 per ton.

Returning to Independence, we again
proceed westward—the country is rolling
and broken—and the up-grade continues
6.1 miles to

Moore’s—on the summit of Cedar
Pass. We now have down-grade for 311
miles to the Nevada Desert.

In general outline this pass resembles a