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174 



THE AUEIFEEOUS GEAVELS OE THE SIEEEA NEVADA. 



tant where I had seen what looked like the same white deposit which is so prominent a feature on 

 the Sugar Loaf and Chalk Bluffs. The two deposits were so nearly on the same level that I at 

 first supposed they marked the water-line of an ancient lake. The one above McLeod's, however, 

 proved to be made up of volcanic ashes, — or some similar material not deposited by water. While 

 near the top of the ridge I saw small patches of washed pebbles, which were clearly too high to 

 have belonged to the main deposits by Eed Dog, and may have been the remnants of some smaller 

 stream down the bed of which the lava flowed. 



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To the southeast of McLeod's house there is a ravine emptying into Greenhorn about three 

 eighths of a mile above the Nevada City road crossing. On the right bank of the ravine there is 

 nothing but slate, while on the left there are two or three gravel claims. Strangely enough, as I 

 was assured by Mr. McLeod, that ravine has never been found rich in gold. It would seem as if 

 the rim within which the channel or the gravel was confined lay just to the northeast of the pres- 

 ent line of the ravine. 



The only other point in this neighborhood where I saw gravel was half a mile south of Mc- 

 Leod's, at the divide between Eocky Eavine and the small ravine which empties into Greenhorn 

 quite near the Nevada road crossing. The amount was not large, and the elevation was not so 

 great as to shut out the probability of these few pebbles having once belonged to the main Eed 

 Dog gravel, at the time when the greatest extent of country was covered. At least, they can 

 hardly be taken as evidence that the grand outlet was at or near that place. 



If time had allowed I should have made a more extended examination of the Greenhorn slope 

 of the ridge between that creek and Deer Creek, but, as it was, shall be obliged to stop with this 

 imperfect sketch of only a small portion of the ground. 



A very few inquiries showed that it would be impracticable for us to ascertain with, even a 

 decent degree of approximation the total gold production of the district, and no steps were taken 

 to estimate with any degree of precision the number of cubic yards of gravel which have been re- 

 moved, or the amount left. On those points I have no estimates to offer. Neither will it be worth 

 while now to attempt an explanation of the reason of so many claims lying idle, or to discuss the 

 general economic relations of the gravel industry at You Bet. Such a discussion would require 

 too much time and space, and the data for making it really valuable are not at hand in proper 

 amount and shape. 





3. Loioell Hill and Remington Hill. 



The most direct road from You Bet and Liberty Hill is by way of Little York, and thence up 

 the ridge between Bear Eiver and Steep Hollow. The road is good, and the ascent from Little 

 York gradual, excepting for a short distance at the Camel's Hump. The ordinary slate of bed- 

 rock is visible nearly all the way up. The small patch of gravel on the upper side of the Camel's 

 Hump has already been referred to (ante, page 157). Near Liberty Hill the character of the bed- 



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rock changes somewhat ; all that is necessary to be said in reference to the gravel at that locality 

 has been given in connection with the description of the adjacent Elmore Hill, on the opposite of 



Bear Eiver. 



There is a prominent elevation about a mile and a half northeast of Liberty Hill, called on the 



map Maguire's Mountain. Its summit is capped with lava, which has a thickness of several hun- 

 dred feet. The altitude of this mountain was found to be 4,460 feet, which is 1,110 feet higher 

 than the bed-rock at Liberty Hill. The descent on its eastern side into the canon of Bear Eiver 

 is almost precipitous. Erom its summit the ridge above Dutch Elat and Alta, on the opposite 

 side of the canon, was in full view for a number of miles, and its smoothness and regular grade 

 pointed unmistakably to a lava flow. Directly opposite our point of view the Dutch Elat ridge 

 appeared decidedly higher than the one on which we were standing, and there seemed to be a con- 

 siderable extent of table-land on its summit. The point of the ridge on the same level with us 

 was three or four miles distant, and bearing about south-southeast. 



