188

CROFUTT’S NEW OVERLAND TOURIST

 

and beautiful cascades; large rivers,
and tiny sparkling creeks; dark and

gloomy gorges, and fruitladen orchards;
old placer diggings, new diggings, and
immense quartz mines. But come along,
and take a look. The train stands juston
the south side of the depot at Colfax, and
leaves on the arrival of the overland train.

Passing along to the eastward, we gradu-
ally descend the canyon with the track of
the C. P. road away above us on the left,
and again to the right, where it curves
around Cape Horn,a beautiful view of
which is obtained. Following on up, we
pass under the high bridge of the Central,
one and a-half miles from Colfax, and
reach the Divide, where the waters run to
the north, to Bear River—which we soon
reach and cross on a bridge 750 feet long,
and 97 feet high; amid towering pine and
spruce trees and the most romantic scen-
ery—then, 4.5 miles from Colfax, we come
to the side-track station of

You Brer—the town of which is four
miles to the east—heretofore described.
We now come to the Greenhorn. Follow-
ing it up through a 350-foot tunnel, we
cross that creek on a trestle and bridge 700
feet long; on, up and over another 450 feet
trestle, along the side of the mountain,
overlooking the Greenhorn, around the

eat “S$” curve, on a grade of 105 feet to
the mile; through heavy rock cuts, almost
doubling back on our route.

Srorms—another side-track, by a great
saw-mill, is four miles further, but the
trains stop only on signal. The moun-
tains on the route up to this station are
covered with pines, spruce and oaks. The
chasms are fearfully grand in places on
the left.

Buena Vista—another side-track, in the
Noonday Valley, is four miles from Storms,
from whence, continuing on up two miles,
we reach

Kress Summir—with an altitude of
2,851 feet. From the summit the descent
is rapid, 151 feet to the mile; the moun-
tains are here covered with small pines
and manzanitas, the big timber that once
covered them having long since been cut
off, and used to a great extent in the mines
at Grass Valley. On the road down, we
pass many evidences of placer mining, and,
doubtless, will see some Chinamen work-
ing over the old placers near Union Hill.
On the left are several old mills, and just
before reaching Grass Valley, away to the
right, across a low place in the ridge, can

be seen two great Quartz Mills—the Idaho
and Eureka. Those mills, although now
on our right, will be on our after we
pass the next station, The distance across
from track to track is 1,200 feet; around, it
is three miles.

Grass VaLLEY—This is an old and still
a thriving mining town of full 7,500 in-
habitants. It is situated 17 miles from
Colfax, 35 miles east of Marysville, and
five and a-half miles west of Nevada; on
the sides of the hills, along the ravines,
with comfortable little residences scattered
about the nooks and gulches promiscu-
ously. It contains some good business
blocks, and some fine private residences.
The private dwellings, generally, are en-
closed in fine orchards and gardens, which
give them an air of comfort and home-like
beauty. The town derives its prominence
from the quartz mines in and around it.
No town in the State has produced an
equal amount of gold from quartz, and
none has added more real wealth to the
State at large.

In September, 1850, a miner picked up
a piece of gold-bearing quartz on Gold
Hill. From this, prospecting commenced,
and soon several valuable mines were
opened. In 1851, the first quartz mill was
erected in Boston Ravine, now one of the
most populous portions of the town.

Grass Valley now contains 19 quartz
mills, agregating 305 stamps, besides
three large de-sulphurising works. The
city is luminated with gas, has two good
hotels—the Exchange and the Wisconsin,
one daily newspaper, the Grass Valley
Union, and the Foothill Tidings, a weekly.
Of the quartz mills, one is worthy of special
note—the Idaho. Up to January, 1877,
this mill had never failed to pay a divi-
dend for 100 months in succession, varying
from $5 to $25 per share. There are 3,100
shares of a par value of $100; and these
shares have sold as high as $750 each. The
total receipts for nine years were $4,589,-
255; dividends paid, $2,270,750.

Stages leave Grass Valley for Marys-
ville, west 385 miles. Leaving the depot,
which is on the south side and overlooking
the town, we turn east, leaving the Idaho
mill and the old Eureka mill, (now aban-
doned), on our left, and follow up through
a section of country where are long flumes,
and many signs of placer mining, as well
as old washed out diggings. e pass
some orchards of fruit, a little meadow-
land, cross Wolff Creek, see the Chinamen