STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 425 



ALPINE COUNTY. 



The county is a succession of mountain ranges, with high and precipi- 

 tous peaks, interspersed with numerous lakes, rivers, creeks, and beautiful 

 valleys. Silver Mountain is the highest peak in the county, having an 

 altitude of 10,000 feet above the level of the sea, and is located near the 

 western boundary of the county, and about eighteen miles south of Wood- 

 ford's. The town of Silver Mountain is situated at or near the base of this 

 mountain, from which it derives its name. Round Top is another one of 

 Alpine's towering peaks; it is 10,600 feet high, on the summit of which is 

 located one of the Pacific Coast Signal Service Stations, which has been 

 under the supervision of Professor Davidson during the past summer. 

 There are numerous small lakes throughout the county. The waters of 

 those lakes are clear, cold, and the most beautiful of all waters. Of these 

 are Blue Lakes and Caples Lakes, in the western part of the county, near 

 the Amador and Hope Valley wagon road, which are visited by many peo- 

 ple during the summer season. The Carson River heads in the southern 

 part of the county, and flows from south to north through the county. It 

 is fed by numerous streams, viz. : The East Fork of the East Carson River, 

 West Fork of Carson River, Wool Creek, Silver Creek, Monitor Creek, 

 Smith's Creek, Mogul Creek, and Indian Creek. Among these mountains 

 are numerous valleys. The largest and most noted are Diamond, Hermit, 

 Pleasant, Hope, Faith, and Charity Valleys. 



Diamond Valley lies in the northeastern part of the county, and con- 

 tains some very rich, productive ranches, producing wheat, barley, hay, 

 oats, and potatoes, and as there is no great amount of these cereals and 

 vegetables raised in the county, the farmers of Diamond Valley find a 

 ready home market for their produce, at good remunerative prices. The 

 three sister valleys of the county are Hope, Faith, and Charity — valleys 

 which are located in the northwestern part of the county, at an altitude of 

 about 7,500 feet above sea level. 



These valleys are inhabited only during the summer months, and then 

 by stock raisers and dairymen. The dairy interest in these three valleys 

 is of considerable importance, and more than 30,000 pounds of butter of 

 an excellent quality is produced annually, which is readily marketed in 

 the cities of Carson, Gold Hill, Virginia, and other towns of Nevada, which 

 are much better markets for the mountain dairymen than the cities of San 

 Francisco or Sacramento. 



There are many other small valleys throughout different parts of the 

 county, where sheep and cattle are grazed during the summer season. The 

 nutritious bunch grass which grows so luxuriantly in those mountainous 

 regions, is of an excellent quality, and stock fattens very rapidly upon it. 

 The larger amount of the stock which are grazed in Alpine County during 

 the summer months, are migratory, driven here from adjacent counties. 



