MORMON BAR. 
71 
t 
river. The road was good; but little timber; and the soil 
appearing well adapted to agriculture. It was soon evident 
that we were in close proximity to the river—the ravines all 
tending in the same direction ; frequent rocks of enormous size, 
and from the more elevated points we could see a range of 
mountains rising on the other side. Having left the team 
behind, we pressed forward, eager to get a glimpse of the river 
and those employed in the golden pursuit; we soon arrived 
among the pines which stud the banks, but were still obliged 
to climb a slight ascent forming the immediate bank. 
We soon gained the summit, and stood enraptured with the 
scene around us. The river, saluting our ears with its restless 
murmurs, meandered at the base of the mountain which had 
lifted us a mile above it. The banks were dotted with tents 
and teeming with the Liliputian owners. On the opposite side 
were mountains piled one above the other, terminating in a 
range covered with eternal snow, presenting a scene of grand¬ 
eur and sublimity nothing can excel. The whitened peaks, 
reflecting the sun, resembled the domes of some vast cathedral. 
Looking back, the entire valley of the Sacramento was stretched 
out before us, bounded by the coast range of mountains, beyond 
which we could look upon the Pacific ocean—presenting a scene 
which, in extent, diversity, and grandeur is rarely if ever 
equalled. In the valley we could see extensive fertile plains, 
deserts of white sand, marshes, numerous lakes, dense forests, 
marking the water courses; and no doubt, with a glass of suffi¬ 
cient power, could have seen herds of elk, deer, antelope, and 
wild cattle. There is but little vapor in the atmosphere at this 
season of the year, and the vision is almost unbounded. Our 
team soon came up, and we prepared to descend the mountain, 
which was very precipitous, and the only place within ten miles 
at which the river can be • reached with a team. Our teamster 
chained the wheel and with much difficulty descended the first 
step. He having been engaged in the same capacity during the 
Mexican war, managed the descent with much skill, and reached 
the base without accident. 
We found ourselves at the “ Mormon Bar,” forty-five miles 
from Sacramento city. We pitched our tent and cooked dinner 
after which I paid the teamster seventy-five dollars for three 
