200 THE AURIFEROUS GRAVELS OF THE SIERRA NEVADA. 
and locations of the principal mining towns. The highest gravel is at Snow 
Point, on the north side of the lava flow, close by the Middle Yuba, and there 
are three other large areas of the same material in such close proximity to 
that at Snow Point as to be almost continuous with it. These are known as 
Orleans, Moore’s, and Woolsey’s flats, and they with the Snow Point gravel 
are the only uncovered deposits of this kind on the north side of the lava 
flow. On the south side there is a small gravel area at Relief Point, which 
appears to be a detached deposit ; at least it is so represented on Mr. Hoff- 
mann’s map.* From North Bloomfield off to the southwest the gravel 
occupies a broad area, about a mile in width and two miles long, but it nar- 
rows down to much smaller dimensions at Lake City, then extends for five 
miles farther in a westerly direction, with a maximum width of something 
over a mile, turning to the north towards its western end at Cherokee and 
approaching close to the Middle Yuba at Badger Hill. A long branch ex- 
tends also to the south, from Columbia Hill, and terminates on the south 
close to the South Yuba. 
From Cherokee, for a distance of a little over three miles, as far as San 
Juan north, there is a break in the gravel, slate bed-rock occupying the sur- 
face. But from San Juan to French Corral, a distance of about six miles, 
following the winding course of the channel, the gravel is almost continuous. 
At French Corral we are, as already explained, about equally distant from 
the detached lava-capped elevations near the Key-Stone saw-mill, and the one 
called Beckman Hill, the former two miles to the southeast, on the south side 
of the South Yuba; the latter about the same distance to the southwest. 
In regard to the general position of the main channel in this region, there 
can be but little doubt. The lava flow and the masses of gravel are so con- 
nected together and isolated from other such deposits, as is evident from 
inspection of the map, that it would require very strong evidence of an op- 
posite character, to overcome the weight of these proofs of a descent of the 
voleanic and detrital materials in what may be called the normal direc- 
tion, or somewhat nearly at right angles to the crest of the Sierra. Mr. 
Hague gives, in the following words, a statement of the course of the chan- 
nel on this divide, as recognized by those who have the best opportunities to 
become acquainted with the facts. He says: “Commencing at the eastern 
* On the map accompanying Mr. Hague’s Report, and which he refers to as Hoffmann’s map, but which 
bears on its face the name of J. P. Wilson as its compiler, the gravel area at Relief Point is represented 
as extending around so as to connect with that at North Bloomfield, and as occupying a belt a mile or 
more in length along the volcanic belt in the opposite direction, or in the direction of Mount Zion. 
