6 
CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER III. 
From the valley of Franklin river, east base of the Humboldt mountains, to the crossing of the Humboldt 
river—May 24 to June 9, 1854. 
Journey along the eastern base of the Humboldt mountains.—Forty hot springs.—Mountain chiefly granite.—Eclipse 
of the sun.—Lakes.—Shore-lines.—Digger Indians.—Fevers.—Numerous springs.—Outlet of subterranean river.— 
Passage of the Humboldt mountains to the southern branch of Humboldt river.—Interior or secondary basin.—Dig¬ 
ger methods of catching gophers and marmots.—'Indian singing, lodges, and wardrobes.—Quartz mountain.— 
Agate Pass.—Rheumatic fevers.—Snow-storm.—Difficult mountain passage.—-Lake and miry plain.—Edible roots.— 
Return to proposed railroad line.—Description of the valley of the Humboldt.—Character of the vegetation of a 
large portion of the country between the Rocky mountains and the Sierra Nevada.—Humboldt river.—Bad character 
of its water and grass.—Cause of the loss of stock; how avoided. 
CHAPTER IV. 
From the crossing of Humboldt river, via the Madelin Pass, to the junction of Fall river with the Sacra¬ 
mento, and back to the shore of Honey lake, eastern base of the Sierra Nevada—June 10 to July 
4, 1854. 
Crossing Humboldt river.—Droves of cattle and sheep.—Lassen’s meadows, and termination of the western course of 
the Humboldt river.—Country and passages to the west.—Willows and water.—Mud lakes.—Noble’s road.—Rail¬ 
road grades.—Mud lakes, or plains and deserts; their passage.—Fremont’s trail of 1844.—Similarity in geological 
character of some of the mountain spurs and plains.—Examination of the Sierra Nevada; their broad, massive, and 
terrace character.—Marshes, ponds, and stony surface.—Indians.—Madelin Pass examined.—View of Mount Shasta.— 
Grades and altitude of pass.—Country southeast of the broad plains of Madelin Pass.—Light, miry, and stony soil.— 
Indians.—Basin character of the broad plains of the summit of the Sierra.—Game.—Error in location of Feather 
river in the best authenticated maps.—Forests.—Descent to Round valley; waters of the Sacramento.—Practica¬ 
bility of this descent for a railway.—Indians, (Pah Utahs ?).—Grave.—Emigrant road (Lassen’s) and Oregon road.— 
Source of the Sacramento; its first canon.—Grades.—Pitt river; Pah Utah or Digger Indian women digging 
roots.—Making arrow-heads.—Indian pantomime.—Impracticability of descending the Sacramento with wagons ; 
its examination to the mouth of Fall river.—Second canon of the Sacramento.—Impassable volcanic rocky fields.— 
Character of the river banks.—Timber.—Grades.—Reference to itinerary, from July 15 to 21, for a description 
of the Sacramento below Fall river.—Recrossing the Sierra Nevada.—View of peaks of the coast range.—Graves 
of emigrants.—Pine creek.—Noble’s Pass road.—Summit creek.—Susan river.—Eagle lake.—Roop’s farm in Honey 
Lake valley . 
CHAPTER V. 
From the valley of Mud lake, via Honey lake and Noble's Pass, to Fort Reading, at the junction of Cow 
creek with the Sacramento river, California—July 5 to 12, 1854. 
From Mud to Honey and Pyramid lakes.—Honey Lake valley —Noble’s road.—Boiling springs.—Northern limit of the 
sources of Feather river.—Reascending the Sierra Nevada via Susan river.—Plain from Summit to Pine creek.— 
Character of the mountain from Susan river to Pine creek.—Grades.—Broad trunk of the mountain.—From Pine 
creek to Black Butte creek.—Grades.—Country directly west from camp on Black Butte creek ; its impracticability 
for roads.—Ascending Black Butte creek.—Lava field.—Black Butte.—Distribution of sand.—Grades.—Hat creek.— 
Head of Canoe Creek valley.—Line west from Hat creek.—Crossing Wolf creek to the western summit of the Sierra 
Nevada.—Grades.—Western descent of the Sierra.—Battle creek.—Deer flats.—Hill’s rancho.—McCumber’s mill.— 
Shingletown.—Narrow ridge and steep descent.—Table of grades and altitudes.—Difficulties of the pass for a rail¬ 
road.—Arrival at Fort Reading.. 
CHAPTER VI. 
Ascent of the Sacramento river from Fort Reading to the mouth of Fall river, (line of the Madelin Pass,) 
and thence by the valley of Canoe creek to Noble’s Pass, and return to Fort Reading—July 15 to 26, 
1854. 
Character of the Sacramento valley above Fort Reading.—Mining village.—Sacramento river enclosed by mountains; 
its character.—Trail to Yreka.—Stream known as the Sacramento.—McCloud’s Fork.—Salmon.—Pittsburg ferries.— 
Snows and freshets.—Ascent of the river.—Rapids.—Hot spring.—Re-ascent of mountain.—River still shut in by pre¬ 
cipitous mountains.—Valley at the mouth of Canoe creek.—Second canon of the Sacramento ; its character.—Table 
of grades from Fall river to Fort Reading.—Completion of the survey of Madelin Pass.—Return to Black Butte 
creek, Noble’s Pass.—Numbers of Indians daily seen.—Fields of lava.—Valley of Canoe creek; difficulty of its pas¬ 
sage.—Disappointed in the course of Black Butte creek.—Night march.—Return to Fort Reading.—Sacramento 
valley.—Party disbanded. 
