CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 47 



the City Department of Water and Power assisted in the erection of 

 the fence, on their own time. He also arranged to supply a large 

 truck for hauling the crates to Yosemite and the elk back to Owens 

 Valley and arranged to come himself to. Yosemite for the loading and 

 then accompany the animals home. Dow personally expended several 

 hundred dollars in connection with this venture in which he was 

 assisted by a $100 appropriation from the County of Inyo. The 

 Division of Fish and Game donated the use of one of its large fish 

 planting trucks for hauling the elk, and the services of Fish Planting 

 Assistant E. L. Walker and Game Warden C. J. Walters. The Gov- 

 ernment supplied a third truck from the Civilian Conservation Corps 

 and a driver for same, Lee Rust. 



This equipment was assembled in Yosemite the evening of October 

 9 and the work of loading the elk was commenced at 8 a.m. the follow- 

 ing morning under the supervision of Chief Ranger Townsley (see 

 Fig'. 11). Six of the bulls were loaded into individual crates which 

 were placed on the Division's truck and left the valley at 3.30 p.m. 

 (see Fig. 12). By 6.30 p.m., 16 more animals were individually crated 

 and loaded on the larg'e semitrailer type of truck furnished by Dow. 

 This truck left Yosemite an hour later, escorted by Dow in his private 

 sedan. The remaining elk, five calves, were loaded into two crates on 

 the C. C. C. Chevrolet truck which left the valley at 9 p.m. Ranger 

 W. K. Merrill and Assistant Park Naturalist A. E. Borell accom- 

 panied Rust in this truck. 



The trip from Yosemite to Owens Valley is well described in 

 Ranger Merrill's report from which the following is quoted: 



Ranger Naturalist Borell, Lee Rust and I left at 9 p.m. in a truck with 

 five young elk. 



We arrived at Fresno at 1.15 a.m., inspected the elk, gassed the truck 

 and left at 1.30 a.m. I relieved Rust from driving from Fresno to Bakersfield. 



We overhauled the second load of elk about twenty-five miles this side 

 of Bakersfield. We arrived at Bakersfield at 5 a.m. Borell relieved Mr. 

 Dow at the wheel and Rust relieved me. 



Arrived at Mojave at 9 a.m., had breakfast, inspected the elk and tried 

 to water them, but they would not drink. We left at 9.35 a.m. I relieved 

 Rust to Olancha. 



We arrived at Lone Pine at 1.30 p.m., unloaded some of onr things, got 

 some more help to unload the elk and left Lone Pine for the elk refuge, which is 

 some forty miles beyond Lone Pine, at 2 p.m. We arrived at the refuge, which 

 is some three miles off from the main highway, at 3.15 p.m. 



Assistant Park Naturalist Borell's report of tlie transfer contains 

 some information relative to the animars new home in Owens Valley 

 that is of interest and is quoted, in part, as follows: 



The 27 elk (7 bulls, 3 yearlings, 11 cows, and 6 calves) were crated, 

 under supervision of Chief Ranger Townsley and hauled from Yosemite Valley 

 to Owens Valley under escort of Merrill and Borell. Each adult animal and 

 two of the largest calves were in separate crates which were furnished by 

 Mr. Dow. Some of the bulls fought viciously during the crating and as a 

 result were rather badly bruised and skinned up by the time we got them 

 loaded. Once on the road the animals were quiet and I believe received no 

 further injury. We tried to water thorn at Mojave, but they refused to drink. 

 It was cloudy and cool, there was no car trouble or other delay en route. 

 All except one old bull was delivered in good condition. 



The paddock into which we released them is on the Owens River near 

 Aberdeen, which is 14^ miles northeast of Independence. Inyo County. The 

 new home of the elk seems to be ideal, plenty of water, abundance of willow, 



