TEJON PASS AND CANADA DE LAS UVAS. 
21 
creek, the other westwardly towards the Tejon. The western extremity of the last of these 
prairies was only 240 feet lower than the water-shed in the Tah-ee-chay-pah prairie, and the 
descent to the Tejon was made in less than five miles. The prairie abounded in springs, and 
the water, collecting at its western extremity, flowed through a precipitous ravine to the prairie. 
This ravine I examined with care, and subsequently went through it with the level; for I 
thought, if the calculations of the observations taken on Tah-ee-chay-pah creek should prove 
the grade down that creek to he too steep for a railroad, and it became necessary to resort to 
inclined planes with stationary engines, that this would he an excellent location for such 
constructions. I found the descent very steep, in some places over a thousand feet to the mile, 
and the average for a mile and a quarter was over 900 feet. 
The Tejon is really a beautiful place. It receives several small streams, all of which sink 
shortly after leaving the mountains; hut the ground being moist, produces fine groves of oak, 
and abundance of grass, and the green and fresh appearance of the spot presents a striking 
contrast to the parched and barren plain north of it. 
Plate YI represents a part of the Tejon, with its timber, in which our camp was made. The 
gap in the mountains in the background is the entrance to the pass. The Indians here are 
semi-civilized; many of them speak Spanish ; and they cultivate melons, pumpkins, and a 
little corn. 
Three white men had also squatted here. They had made no improvement, however, hut 
were waiting till they could perfect a title to the land. Northwest of the Tejon are two small 
lakes, known as Kern and Buena Vista lakes. The former receives the waters of Kern river, 
and discharges itself into the latter. These lakes are doubtless connected with the larger 
Tulare lakes. In fact, the middle of the valley from these lakes northward, to within 10 miles 
of the San Joaquin river, is, where it is not covered with water, a marsh, and is only passable 
during the dry season. Kern lake may properly he considered the head of the Tulare valley, 
and from it the ground slopes rapidly to the base of the mountains, where it has an altitud} of 
from 1,500 to 2,000 feet above tide. I sent a barometer to the lake, and ascertained its altitude 
to he 398 feet. 
Near the eastern extremity of the Tejon is a break in the mountains, known as the Tejon 
Pass. Through this break a wagon-road has been made leading to Los Angeles, and it is one 
of the worst roads I ever saw. This pass had been much and favorably spoken of as a railroad 
pass. About 15 miles to the westward is another pass, known as the Canada de las Uvas, 
through which is a pack-trail, also leading to Los Angeles. We were assured by all, that 
between the two the mountains were much higher than at either of them. I therefore deter¬ 
mined to go through the Canada, and afterwards skirting the southeastern base of the Sierra, 
enter the Tejon Pass, and, following the wagon-road through it, return to the Tejon. 
The Canada de las Uvas appeared to the eye to he an excellent pass, and the barometer 
indicated its altitude to he much less than most of those previously examined. The Tejon Pass 
is a peculiar one. The altitude is quite great; hut the ascent and descent appeared to he 
gentle, except very near the summit. It was hence supposed that, by means of a tunnel, the 
pass might he found to he a good one. From these considerations, and from the fact that the 
Tejon was confidently asserted to he an excellent railroad pass, I selected these two points for 
my experiment with the spirit-level, to get accurate profiles, and test the value of those from 
observations with the barometer. 
The Canada was supposed to he the last pass in the Sierra, as at or near this point it united 
