50 
BLACK BUTTE. 
July 10.—From our last camp the road ascends Black Butte creek, which, for several miles, 
descends a broad valley, enclosed by high, rolling mountains to the northwest, and a more 
abrupt, hut less elevated ridge, to the southeast. But to the west of that camp, passing north 
of the first-mentioned mountains, the view is unobstructed, except by timber. I therefore 
divided my party, examining the more southern route by the creek myself, and directing Mr. 
Egloffstein to pursue a general western course, by the most favorable route he could discover, 
to the most western ridge of the mountains. He proceeded through the dense pine forest, 
gradually ascending, hut without obstruction, for five miles, hut immediately afterwards came 
upon a precipitous rocky descent, increasing in height to the south, where it unites with the 
elevated mountain in that direction, and extending to the north far into the valley of the 
Sacramento towards Fall river, and nowhere presenting a practicable point for the descent of a 
wagon-road even, and much less of a railroad; and it was only after the most persevering efforts,, 
and repeated failures, that he succeeded in effecting the descent with his" party—descending 
967 feet at an angle of nearly forty-five degrees, into the large, rocky valley of Canoe creek. 
This valley extends north to the Sacramento, and in some parts is several miles broad, but 
in others narrow; and is occupied, at intervals, by extensive beds of volcanic rocks, with 
intervening grassy spaces and pine forests, in which game is very abundant. Two considerable 
creeks enter it at its bead, from the vicinity of Mount Saint Joseph, and unite to form Canoe 
creek; but it is probable that this stream sinks and reappears several times in its rocky 
Course before reaching the Sacramento. For three miles up Black Butte creek our route followed 
immediately upon the banks of the stream, and thence followed the open, rolling pine woods, 
for 5.90 miles, to where the creek descends from high hills to the south. For several miles of 
this ascent the ground was covered with black, cindery sand, thin at first, but becoming very 
heavy as we progressed. 
After leaving the creek we passed two or three small ponds, and entered one of the most 
recently formed and strongly marked volcanic fields we have seen in these mountains. It occu¬ 
pies a valley of three or four miles in length, by one or one and a half in width. The lava 
rocks are black, and about 100 feet high, occupying the valley in a confused mass, which it 
would be difficult to cross on foot. On the north side of this field stands the Black Butte, some 
800 or 1,000 feet high. It is conical from its base upwards for several hundred feet, and is 
terminated in a peak with a semi-spherical outline; and its whole surface, as black as the 
darkest iron ore, is covered with a coarse, pebbly sand, formed from its crumbling mass, which 
has so smoothed its surface that a pebble would roll from its summit uninterruptedly to its 
base. The sand over which we approached this butte is uniformly distributed around it, 
as from a central crater, becoming thin towards the edges, and then disappearing. The width 
of the valley of Black Butte creek, and the broad, ascending base of the range enclosing it to the 
northwest, are such, that, in the construction of a railway, they will admit of a uniform grade, 
which will necessarily be heavy until passing the Black Butte, or for twelve miles. The road 
should ascend by the line indicated, for nine miles, to the small ponds at the foot of the lava- 
field ; and thence be continued to the south and west, passing around it, and, returning north¬ 
ward, pass a short distance to the west of Black Butte. This line will increase the distance and 
improve the grade given in the profile. The distance from our morning camp to this point, by 
the road, is 11.69 miles, and the average grade 101.80 feet to the mile; and the greatest 
distance which could be gained, would not probably diminish it below 80 feet to the mile. 
From the point thus gained, in a broad depression, west for 1.87 miles, the descent is 25.10 feet 
per mile ; and 19 feet per mile thence for 1.53 miles to the west, to a small spring; with an as¬ 
cent of 5.80 feet per mile for 3.75 miles, to where the road should cross Hat creek. This point 
is reached by following the present emigrant road, west of the little springs just mentioned, 
until it reaches the head of Canoe Creek valley, where, instead of descending into that valley, 
following the wagon road, a railroad can only be continued to the west by bearing a little to the 
south and ascending the stream, to which there is no obstruction, for a mile, and crossing it at 
