380 



RIVERS OF CALIFORNIA. 



through a region at present very little known or valued, yet future 

 explorations may show it to be valuable. Its deep colored waters, 

 similar to those of the Missouri and Red rivers east of the moun- 

 tains, indicate that it probably has not passed through an entirely 

 ungenerous soil. The valley of the Gila, whose waters are clear, is 

 known to be barren. 



SCENERY ON THE GILA. 



The Sacramento runs from north to south through an inclined 

 alluvial prairie, and is described as a deep, broad and beautiful 

 stream. It flows through a fine region, and is navigable for vessels 

 of considerable draught as high as the settlements in the neighbor- 

 hood of Sutter's original location. The principal tributaries of 

 this river, also, originate in the melting snows of the Eastern Sierra, 

 and are known as the Antelope, Deer, Mill and Chico creeks, and 

 the Butte, Dorado, Plumas or Feather, Yuba, Bear and American 

 rivers. Cottonwood creek and some other smaller streams are dis- 

 gorged into it from the slopes of the Western or Coast Range. 

 The Trinity and a few at the north, run into the Pacific. 



In order to comprehend the agricultural and mineral value of 

 California, it is necessary to glance at the structure of the region. 

 Upon the forty-first parallel of latitude, in a fork of the Sierra Ne- 



