VOLCANIC ACTIVITY OF LASSEN PEAK 293 



I was in that regiou in 1R04 colk't-tiug for Field Museum of Natural History, 

 Cliicago, department anthropology, and heard much of Lassen Butte. An old 

 Indian told me that Avhen a child and living some sixteen miles northAvest of 

 Cinder Cone, there came an earthquake at Lassen one summer day. The sun 

 arose, but gradually faded to the darkest night and ashes came down like a 

 heavy snowfall. Its weight finally broke in the bark houses and the natives 

 rushed out into the darkness. The boy was taken by a grandmother to a hollow 

 pine log where they remained till nearly famished. When the sun reappeared he was 

 carried many miles before drinkable water was found. I presumed at that time 

 my informant was near seventy years old and about six on the above occasion, 

 thus approximating the date 1850 for this eruption. In many localities along 

 the Pit river water shed I heard similar reports amongst the aged Indians. The 

 name of this volcano in Palaiuihan tongue is " Am blii'-kai " " Mountain 

 ripped apart." 



The region about Lasst'n Peak for many miles is very rugged, the 

 few valleys suitable for agriculture lying at an elevation of from 5,000 

 to 7,000 feet. Xatnrally it is sparsely settled, and this year, on the 

 date of the first eruption, the snow was still very deep, obscuring all 

 roads and trails down to the six-thousand-foot level. On account of the 

 unusually late season, the summer influx of cattlemen, lumbermen and 

 campers had not yet begun ; probably the nearest occupied house was at 

 least eight miles distant from the mountain top. 



Prompt investigation of the first eruption is due to the fortunate 

 fact that the mountain is included in the Lassen Peak National Forest 

 and that the United States Forest Service^ had built a fire look-out sta- 

 tion on the topmost crag of Lassen Peak itself. The summer head- 

 quarters of the forest supervisor, ]\Ir. W. J. Rushing, are in Battle Creek 

 Meadows, near Mineral postoffice, a little more than ten miles in an air 

 line from the top of the mountain. The look-out house on Lassen and 

 the other stations also are connected with the supervisor's headquarters 

 by the government telej)hone lines which extend to the town of Eed Bluff, 

 nearly fifty miles to the westward, giving direct communication with 

 )San Francisco. When the eruptions began the fire look-out station on 

 Lassen had not yet been occupied for the summer season of 1914, but it 

 was the property of the Forest Service and a station of importance. It 

 will be seen then that the interests and resources of the Forestry Service 

 as indicated above were such that reports of volcanic activity on Lassen 

 were investigated at once and definite records kept of the reports brought 

 in to headquarters. 



The following extracts are from the report of Forest Supervisor W. 

 J. Pushing to the District Forester at San Francisco, made June 9. 



Such wild stories are beiiiy circnhited concerning Mt. Lassen that I am 



3 The writer wishes to express his appreciation of the assistance and cour- 

 tesies extended him in connection with his field work not only by District Forester 

 DuBois, of San Francisco, and Supervisor Eushiug, of Mineral, but also by var- 

 ious members of the staff in each place. 



