274 W. LINDGREN — TWO NEOCENE RIVERS OF CALIFORNIA. 



Grade : 



From Orleans flat to Forest City, 51 miles, 70 feet per mile. 



Snow Point to Milton. — Mr Pettee regarded it as improbable that any 

 stream ever came down to Snow Point from an easterly or northeasterly 

 direction,* and evidently considered the Forest City channel as the main 

 Neocene Middle Yuba. He states, regarding the country to the north- 

 east of Snow Point,t that " it is thought b} r some that a channel will be 

 traced from Haskell peak by way of Chips hill v. near Sierra City) to a 

 junction with another channel coming from a more easterly direction, 

 and that the two united follow a course under the lava by way of Amer- 

 ican hill and Nebraska to some point near Forest City. . . . Others 

 think that the high channel followed an independent course toward the 

 south anil crossed the line of the present Yuba river near Milton with- 

 out making any connection at all with the lower channel, which passes 

 by Forest City." Mr C. W. Hendel, who is intimately acquainted with 

 the mining industries of Sierra and Plumas counties, appears to have 

 been the first to announce the former view as long ago as 1872, J but he 

 carries his channel down from Plumas county by Beckwith pass and Cold 

 lake somewhat regardless of grades and intervening bed-rock ranges. 



Mr Pettee states that his examination was hardly sufficiently extended 

 to warrant the expression of any decided opinion, hut that, while he was 

 not ready to assert that there were no old gravel channels, he did not 

 think it proved that any existed in this vicinity. ^ 



The careful examination of the country between American hill and 

 Milton cannot fail to convince any one of the existence of a decided 

 trough or depression below the lava, so deep as to justify the conclusion 

 that it represents the principal Middle Yuba during Neocene times. 



The outlet of this channel is undoubtedly found at or near American 

 hill, on the southern bank of Wolf creek, while Nebraska and the gravels 

 between the forks of Wolf creek represent tributaries to the main river. 

 The gravel banks exposed at Bunker hill (near American hill) are 

 about three hundred feet high, and the dee}) trough-like channel is 

 clearly indicated. From the outlet at American lull there is hardly any 

 other course possible, down stream, than across the eroded canyon of 

 the Middle Yuba toward Snow Point. That a large channel ever passed 

 across the Craniteville gap at Shand's hotel is, for a great number of 

 reasons, not at all likely. The elevation of this gap is 4,625 feet. 



For at least ten miles above American hill the channel is hidden under 

 the lava flow on tin- north side of the Middle Yuha. On the north- 



* Auriferous Gravels, i>. 401. 

 flbid., p. 442. 

 I [bid., p. 210. 



J Ibid., p. 44li. 



