Trout Planting. 



67 



coadjutor that takes an active interest in what future genera- 

 tions will point to as work well done; every dollar that your 

 Club expends in a work such as this must bring good results 

 somewhere, sooner or later. Fish and game when properly 

 understood and conserved become a valuable asset, both from 

 a utilitarian standpoint and as an attraction to any community 

 or country. 



The State Fish and Game Commission is to be congratulated 

 in having such an ally as the Sierra Club, an organization that 

 takes an active interest in everything pertaining to the upbuild- 

 ing of the fish and game interests of our great commonwealth, 

 and in this respect your work and assistance cannot be over- 

 estimated. Let me thank you and your Club on behalf of the 

 Commission and the people of Inyo County, both of which it is 

 my honor to represent in this matter, for your kind and thought- 

 ful consideration of this section ; Inyo County is fast becoming 

 noted for its sporting facilities and more people resort here 

 annually for the fishing and hunting; in the near future, when 

 the railroad from the south connects with us, we expect to see a 

 still larger yearly influx of pleasure seekers and campers who 

 will avail themselves of the many unsurpassed opportunities and 

 natural facilities here. 



On my trip for the golden trout I had with me excellent as- 

 sistants in Mr. S. G. McMurry and Mr. Geo. W. Hall, both of 

 this place. Our outfit consisted of four pack mules and three 

 saddle horses. The fish were packed in four ten-gallon milk 

 cans and our start was made from Big Pine on the morning of 

 September 19th under perfect conditions. We reached Inde- 

 pendence, twenty-eight miles south, on the evening of the same 

 day and outfitted there for the trip. At this particular time of 

 the year, especially in the high altitudes, the forage for stock is 

 rather meager and we found it necessary to pack one mule with 

 grain. On the morning of the 20th we left Independence after 

 getting some of our stock shod and passed through Lone Pine, 

 stopping there for lunch. I desire to state here that we paid each 

 town along our route the courtesy of our patronage, so far as 

 possible. The night of the 20th we lit our first camp-fire at the 

 Lubkin ranch, eight miles southwest of Lone Pine ; on the morn- 

 ing of the 2ist, at 6:00 a. m., we started over the Hockett trail, 

 arriving at Volcano Creek at 6:30 p. m., after a very rigorous 

 and hard trip on both stock and men. The Hockett trail is by no 

 means a good one, and seems to me to have been built in a place 

 where the Almighty never intended that there should be a trail, 

 but had neglected to advertise the fact. 



On the morning of the 22d we proceeded to turn a small por- 



