Tuolumne County 



THE entire surface of Tuolumne County is of a rugged character, vary- 

 ing from the rolling hill country that descends toward the San 

 Joaquin Valley to the snow-covered peaks of the western Sierras. 

 There are many small and fertile valleys and meadows, and eastward, 

 splendid mountain flanks covered with heavy timber. 



In the old days Tuolumne County was known as the "Southern Mines." 

 The famous Mother Lode traverses the entire western portion of the county. 

 All east of the Mother Lode is what is known as the "East Belt," upon which 

 are situated many fine producing mines. This East belt has made quite a 

 record and is the principal mining section of the Southern mines. Besides 

 gold, the minerals of the county include silver, copper, arsenic, antimony, 

 galena, zinc, iron, asbestos, manganese, and marble. The annual output of 

 the mines is nearly two million dollars, and some of the greatest gold pro- 

 ducing mines of the state are here. 



The timber industry of the county is fast coming to the front. The 

 town of Tuolumne has grown up around the great plant of the West Side 

 Flume and Lumber Company. A railroad extends from this point far into 

 the heavily timbered mountains. The timber belt of this county is of great 

 extent and comprises sixty per cent of sugar pine, twenty per cent of yellow 

 pine, and the balance cedar and fir. Upon some tracts the timber will run 

 300,000 feet to the acre, many of the trees measuring thirty-three feet in 

 circumference and three hundred feet in height. The Tuolumne grove con- 

 tains about thirteen hundred sequoias. 



In many places the soil is admirably adapted to fruit-growing, and in 

 the foothills some of the finest apples of the State are grown. Vines and 

 semi-tropical fruits of every variety are cultivated, and yield an abundance 

 of fruit of excellent quality. Lemon and orange trees do well in the southern 

 portion, and almonds and walnuts are also grown. Large quantities of 

 grapes are shipped each year, while the second quality are made into a 

 high grade of wine. The champagne cider manufactured here has a reputa- 

 tion throughout the United States. 



Stock-raising is controlled mostly by feed — by those who have ranges 

 in the mountains for the summer and pastures in the foothills for the winter. 

 In the mountains in certain sections there are meadows upon which grows 

 the finest kind of bunchgrass, while upon the hillsides wild oats and timothy 

 afford a splendid feed. 



The water supply is ample for all requirements, being used for mining 

 and irrigation. It is furnished by a system of dams, reservoirs, and canals. 

 The towns of the county are furnished with electric lights from power 

 generated by a plant on the south fork of the Stanislaus River. 



The grand scenic aspects of the eastern half of the county make it 

 pre-eminently the resort of the summer camper and sportsman. The grand 

 canyon of the Tuolumne and the famous Hetch Hetchy Valley belong to this 

 section, which is dotted with a great number of most beautiful mountain 

 lakelets and lakes, among them the charming Lake Eleanor. All the lakes 

 and water-courses are alive with trout, and big game, in the shape of deer, 

 bear, mountain lions, and other four-footed denizens of the wild, frequent 

 the vicinity. 



Sonora, the county seat, has an elevation of about 1,825 feet, and is 

 considered an exceptionally good business town. It has an absolutely fire- 

 proof courthouse. Four miles to the north is Columbia, one of California's 

 famous old mining towns. Carters and the prosperous new lumber town of 

 Tuolumne lie ten miles to the east of the county seat, in the center of the 

 wonderful East Belt mining district. They have an exceptionally bright 

 future, being the terminus of the Sierra Railway and the junction of the 

 Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valley Railroad. 



