54 [APPENDIX 



* 



but none that were sufficiently perfect for cabinet specimens could be 

 obtained at the time I visited! the locality from which the above speci 

 mens were taken. These monstrous bivalves retain the animal in a pet 

 rified state most perfectly preserved, and it is evident from their distri 

 bution and appearance that they must have been elevated above the 

 surface of the waters during life ; the evidence of this exists in the fact 

 that nearly every shell contains the animal, which if they had been 

 raised above the surface after life had been destroyed the probabilities 

 are that very few animals would be found. 



The route from this valley to the San Joaquin plains lays through a 

 narrow pass emerging from the southwestern side of the valley- The 

 pass retains the name of the valley into which it enters, and is about 

 sixteen miles (inclusive of that part of the valley . through which it 

 passes,) in length : at this point you enter the San Joaquin Valley at a 

 point .known as the. Elk Horn. The house at this place is two hundred 

 and twenty feet above the sea. A gentle rise of the land occurs here for 

 about half a mile, and then the valley slopes gently towards the river. 

 The road to the river follows the course of the tule bottoms for about 

 twelve miles, and then enters an Encinal of oaks, which continue to the 

 river. 



One of the chief points of interest in this vicinity is the extensive 

 area covered by tule ; they commence near the junction of the river and 

 Suisun bay, and extend to a point about eighteen miles south of Castoria 

 on the west sicj.e of the river; having an average breadth of about, 

 twelve miles. From the appearance of the country in which they are 

 situated, I had formed an opinion that a large proportion of these lands 

 might be easily reclaimed, and if so, they must ultimately become valu 

 able property. With this view the altitude above the sea was taken in 

 several places, on my return to the mountains to the west, and the aver 

 age of those results gave the sum of eighty feet above tide level. 

 Should it prove that this level is maintained to any considerable distance 

 and the general character of those lands favor this presumtion, or should 

 there be a depression to the amount of twenty -five feet from their border 

 to their centre, which is rather improbable, there will still remain fifty- 

 five feet fall to reclaim them by drainage. 



If properly drained, these lands could be applied to the culture of rice 

 or other vegetable productions, and judging from the character of the 

 soils immediately about them, they would prove highly prolific. And 

 here in passing I will mention one incident in relation to the capacity of 

 the soil for production, that may prove not only interesting but useful, 

 in illustration of erroneous opinions heretofore expressed relative to 

 lands on the San Joaquin Valley, and which perhaps has exerted as 

 great an influence in preventing the permanent settlement of these plains 

 as perhaps anything that has been urged against them. Toward the 

 foot-hills of the mountains to the west, is a low table of the valley ap 

 parently destitute of water, either for the support of vegetation or 

 animal life, in some parts this land^has a slight gravelly appearance, but 

 this is not general ; on one ranch situated on this plateau there ha* been 

 two full crops of barley harvested from the same piece- of ground, and 

 when I visited this place in October the third crop was then being har- 



