110 
NARRATIVE AND ITINERARY—YREKA—FORT JONES. 
November 1.—To-day we travelled about seventeen miles to Yreka, through a rolling prairie 
country. Most of the hills were covered with hunch grass, and entirely devoid of trees. We 
passed several houses near the road, and a saw mill on Shasta river, a small but deep stream 
crossed by a bridge. Yreka is beautifully situated in a little basin surrounded by high hills. 
Near it, Shasta Butte, the largest and grandest peak of the Cascade Range, rises abruptly from 
the valley, and, with its double summit, towers far into the region of eternal snow. This little 
city, which already contains several brick stores and dwelling houses, is a great depot of the 
northern mines, and gold digging is actually carried on in its streets. It is, however, divided 
from the settled portion of the Sacramento valley by such precipitous mountain chains that 
all its supplies are transported by pack trains ; and until very recently a wagon road to Shasta 
has been considered impracticable. Two routes have lately been found, however, which, it is 
thought, will prove to be feasible. 
November 8.—This morning we followed the course of a little tributary of Shasta river, 
through a rather stony, gold-bearing plain, to Little Scott’s mountains, the divide between 
Shasta and Scott’s valleys. The ascent and descent were very abrupt for a wagon road. After 
crossing the ridge, we soon struck a small branch of Scott’s river, and passed down its valley ; 
which, although not more than a mile in width, has a rich and fertile soil. We encamped at 
Fort Jones, distant about sixteen miles from Yreka. The fort is finely situated in an open 
valley surrounded by high and wooded mountains ; the buildings are made of logs. The soil 
abounds in silica, but gold has not been discovered in the immediate vicinity in sufficient 
quantities to pay for working. The altitude of the post above the sea, determined by careful 
observations, is 2,887 feet. The latitude is 41° 35' 42".4. 
November 9.—To-day we remained in camp to recruit the animals, and to transact business 
with Lieut. Crook, the quartermaster and commissary of the expedition, who had been detached 
by Captain II. M. Judah, 4th infantry, commanding the post. This officer, who passed us on 
his way to Fort Lane, ordered Lieut. Crook to remain at Fort Jones, on account of the exigen¬ 
cies of the public service. I greatly regretted this order ; for it obliged me to discharge the 
duties of quartermaster and commissary, both for my topographical party and for Lieut. Crook’s 
train, which accompanied me to Fort Reading. This circumstance prevented me from leaving 
the command, and examining, with a detached party, the Sacramento river route ; which, it is 
thought, might have been shown to be practicable for a railroad. The want of an escort, and 
the great uncertainty of obtaining forage, rendered it impossible to travel over this route with 
the whole train of nearly broken down animals ; and the design of surveying it was necessarily 
abandoned. 
November 10.—-Last night it snowed. We remained in camp again to-day to finish the 
business with Lieut. Crook. John Mellen, one of our best men, was discharged at his own 
request. 
November 11. —This morning we travelled about twenty-three miles up Scott’s valley, and 
encamped at the foot of the high mountain chain which separates it from Trinity valley. Scott’s 
valley is a very beautiful and fertile opening, lying among forest-clad ridges about two thousand 
feet in height. It varies from one to eight or ten miles in width, and is nearly destitute of 
timber, except on the banks of the stream. The soil is rich, and gold is found in some localities. 
It rained a little in the valley, and snowed upon the mountains during the day. 
November 12.—To-day Scott’s mountain, the highest summit upon our return route, was 
crossed by a pack trail. We toiled up a steep and rocky ascent covered with trees, until an 
