SOIL OF THE* TULARE PLAINS—-TULARE LAKES. 
191 
miry nature during the wet season has been noticed. (Chapter III.) South of the Four Creeks 
the portions of the valley near the foot hills have a gravelly and sandy surface, apparently 
formed by the wash from the adjoining high grounds. The gravelly character is observable at 
the slopes of the Tejon and the vicinity of the ridges of the Canada de las IJvas, and it is probable 
that the valley is surrounded by a belt of coarse soil, flanking the mountains. Its central por¬ 
tions have a finer and a more clayey character, which naturally results from the decrease in the 
velocity and transporting power of the streams as they pass from the high slopes near the 
mountains to those of a more gentle inclination lower down. All the central parts of the valley 
have an alluvial aspect, and at the time of my visit, in August, the soil was extremely light 
and dusty. It was also completely undermined in all directions by thousands of burrowing 
animals, (rabbits and squirrels,) so that the feet of my mule were continually breaking through, 
rendering it extremely difficult to proceed, and dangerous to travel faster than a walk. The 
animals often sank suddenly up to their shoulders in these places. 
The clay has a gray or bluish-gray color, and seems to have been deposited by water ; this is 
not only indicated by its appearance and chemical constitution, but by the remains of water¬ 
courses or sloughs, that, although then perfectly dry, had evidently been once filled with 
water. Numerous fresh water shells, especially those of the genus Planorbis, common in fresh 
water lakes, are spread over large areas of the surface many miles from any trace of water, and 
nearer to the foot-hills of the mountains than any overflows from the lakes in the lowest part of 
this valley now extend. 
In some of the lower parts of the valley, there are groves of cotton-wood trees that have attained 
their full size, but do not appear to flourish. They are found on the borders of some of the 
ditches or dry water-courses, and around shallow, basin-shaped depressions, that had evidently 
been once occupied by water, but which were then entirely dry. These trees were rapidly 
decaying and breaking down, and it appeared as if the conditions under which they had attained 
their growth had changed, and that they were then suffering for want of sufficient water at 
their roots. 
It is probable that during unusually wet seasons this portion of the valley is overflowed ; but 
I believe the facts warrant the conclusion that a gradual dessication of the whole valley is in 
progress. 
Tulare Lakes .—The lower portion of the broad valley is occupied by a chain of shallow lakes, 
that are connected together by shallow sloughs or canals. These sheets of water are of con¬ 
siderable extent, but they cover only a small part of the valley. It appears that there are three 
principal lakes, called Tulare, Buena Vista, and Kern Lake. The Indian names are said to be 
Tache, Clin-tache , Cholam , and To-lum-ne. Tulare Lake is the largest, and is the most northern 
of the series. It is west of King’s River and the Four Creeks, whose waters it receives. The 
banks of this lake and of the others are low and marshy, and in most places are covered with a 
dense growth of rank grass and tule. 1 This forms a wide green margin about a portion of the 
principal lake, and the growth is so luxuriant and the ground so soft that it is almost impossible 
to reach the water. The width of this belt of green tule is variable. I am informed by 
Lieutenant Williamson, who has visited the northern end of the lake, that in some places it is 
over three miles. The plant grows partly in the water, but only where it is shallow, and in 
1 Tu-le is the Mexican name of the great rush, Scirpus laeustris, of the lakes and swamps. It is used by the Indians to 
make mats, and also for forming rafts, with which they take heavy loads across the rivers. For this purpose it is gathered 
in quantities, and tied in thick bundles. Its buoyancy is due to the air contained in the cellular tissue. 
