TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN BUTTE 



COUNTY 



DUNCAN C. McCALLUM 

 Secretary OrovUIe Chamber of Commerce 



BUTTE COUNTY lies in the western portion of the Sacramento 

 Valley. The territory embraced within its boundaries is about one- 

 half valley land, the other half ascending the Sierra Nevada Moun- 

 tains to their summit. An eighty-mile ride northward from Sacra- 

 mento City, the State Capital, on one of the Northern Electric cars or on 

 the Southern Pacific steam-cars, lands you in Oroville, the county seat of 

 Butte, accessible over three lines of railroad — the Southern Pacific, North- 

 ern Electric, and the Western Pacific, now under construction. The Sac- 

 ramento River, forming the county's western boundary is navigable from 

 tidewater during all the year. Oroville is the present northern terminal of 

 the Southern Pacific lines on the eastern side of the valley, and is the 

 eastern terminal of the Northern Electric lines, which are rapidly connecting 

 all the principal towns of the northern part of California. 



Oroville is on the dividing line between the Sierra Nevadas and the 

 Sacramento Valley, at a point where the roar of the picturesque Feather 

 River can be heard as it tumbles out of its mountain channel and is trans- 

 formed from a mad, dashing river into a peaceful stream that sluggishly 

 winds its way southward through the Sacramento Valley, contributing all 

 along its course water with which to irrigate the fertile valley lands. 



For the first forty miles eastward into the mountains from Oroville 

 the new Western Pacific Railroad follows the course of the Feather. The 

 entire route over the mountains is a winding panorama of beautiful scenery 

 and is a virgin field for hunting and fishing. At almost every curve in the 

 road and river is a change of scenery, and nestled in the heavily timbered 

 mountain alcoves are shaded pools, well stocked with mountain trout. 

 Along the route are the Fall River Falls, 606 feet high, which, excepting 

 the Niagara, is the highest fall in the United States for an equal amount 

 of water. Very recently a traveler through these Butte County mountains, 

 amazed at the timber growth, dismounted from his horse and near the 

 roadside measured 40,000 feet of No. 1 timber on one square rod of land. 



As for hunting, this is a veritable realization of a "Roosevelt" dream. 

 Bears — cinnamon, black, and brown, with an occasional grizzly — are to be 

 found. Deer are plentiful; there are a few mountain lions, innumerable 

 foxes, raccoons, civet cats, bob cats, coyotes, and gray squirrels, — also 

 skunks, if one cares to locate them. Mountain and valley quail are 

 abundant, and blue grouse are to be found at the 4000-foot elevation. 



The mountain waters of the Feather and its tributaries furnish an 

 immense electric power to the extent that the combined electric power 

 now being developed in Butte County is exceeded only by that of the Niagara 

 Falls, giving the county an exceedingly cheap power. The county is 

 attractive to tourists for many other of its exclusive features, among which 

 is the only diamond mine to be found in America. It is known as the Oro- 

 ville Diamond Mine, situated about one and one-half miles from the city of 

 Oroville. 



The Oroville gold-dredging field is the largest in America — possibly in 

 the world. In this section of California may be seen mining in all its 

 branches, from the very primitive methods of '49 to the most improved 

 methods of the present day. 



Here may be seen the largest olive-pickling plant in the United States, 

 from which pickled olives and oil are exported to all parts of the civilized 

 world. The largest navel orange orchard in California under one fence 

 and ownership (160 acres) is located within one-half mile of the city of 

 Oroville. Orange-growing is becoming an important industry. Over five 



