110 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
by ice bringing débris to the lower end of the lake, which it does even now, the lake, 
which is quite shallow, being less than 16 feet deep anywhere within 15 miles of the 
southern end.* On account of the evident recent connection between Goose Lake 
and Pitt River, as well as the identity of their faunas, the fishes of the lake are 
listed with those of the Sacramento—San Joaquin Basin. 
North Fork of Pitt River, when seen in September, 1898, was a small stream, 
almost dry. There were a few pools where fishes lived, where even trout were 
found, but it was a very insignificant stream. A sawmill near its source fills the 
water with sawdust and doubtless does much damage to the fishes, though it is 
doubtful whether there are ever many valuable fishes in the stream. 
South Fork of Pitt River is a larger stream, with pure water, but it is almost 
drained by irrigation ditches. 
The upper Pitt River, above the mouth of Fall River, was nearly dry in August, 
1898. What water it contained was of a slightly milky color. The rocks on the 
bottom were covered with a spongy slime. Such fishes as trout or salmon would 
not live in it at that time of year. This portion of the river traverses a high 
barren table-land. On the south are hills covered with sagebrush and scattered 
junipers; on the north are the lava beds known as the Devil’s Garden. <A hot 
spring is found near Canby, about 20 miles below Alturus. 
At Fall River Mills, Pitt River receives Fall River, a stream about 100 feet 
wide and 4 feet deep, with a strong current, but only about 15 miles long. Fall 
River takes its rise in two or three large springs near Dana, and flows several times 
as much water as Pitt River above their union. The water is clear and cool and the 
bottom gravelly, making an excellent spawning stream for salmon, but difficult to 
attain on account of the steep rapid at its mouth as well as the fall in Pitt River. 
Above the mouth of Fall River for a few miles, Pitt River is broad and deep, 
but without any perceptible current. Below the mouth of Fall River its character 
changes entirely. It is broad but shallow, very swift, with many rapids, and makes 
a rapid descent to the falls. Pitt River Falls, which are 65 feet high, are thought 
by many to rival in beauty any to be seen in the Yosemite Valley. The middle 
portion is a sheer fall, but each side is broken by ledges, so that it is possible in 
high water for fish to pass. A fish ladder has been blasted out of the rock near 
the left bank, and salmon now go over the falls in considerable numbers. 
From the falls to its junction with the Sacramento a few miles above Redding, 
Pitt River has much the same character as the upper Sacramento, but is a much 
larger stream. A few miles below the falls Pitt River receives Hat Creek and Burney 
Creek. The former is a salmon stream of some importance, but it has a number of 
rapids that make its ascent difficult. Burney Creek has a fall near its mouth about 
180 feet high. 
McCloud River is the largest tributary of Pitt River. It is a clear and cool 
stream, twice the size of the upper Sacramento, and receives the southern and 
eastern drainage of Mount Shasta. There are three falls in the middle portion of 
aThe above statements concerning Goose Lake are made on the authority of several persons living near its southern 
end, some claiming that the barrier is only 3 feet high. In the account of the explorations of the Wheeler Survey in 1877, 
the following statement is made: ‘‘Goose Lake is merely a sink, as it has not run out by its old outlet, Pitt River, for 
many years. From the best evidence I could obtain, I found that it did run out through the river eight years ago [1869].”” 
