noble’s pass. 
65 
to the west, and follows, for nine miles, an open passage of a mile in width, leading from Mud 
Lake valley to that of Honey lake. This valley extends 40 miles to the west, and is 20 miles 
wide in its broadest part, north and south. On the south it is enclosed by a high unbroken 
mountain range, and on the north by the outlying ranges, more or less broken, of the Sierra 
Nevada. The lake is about 15 miles in length and 8 or 10 in width. Its water is bitter. 
The head of the valley to the west is very fertile, and a settlement has been commenced in it, 
and will doubtless be continued. It is situated upon Susan river, which descends through the 
broad mountain depression followed by Noble’s road to the summit of the Sierra Nevada. For 
seven miles above the valley this stream descends through a deep rocky canon, frequently with 
vertical walls towards its lower portion, but more or less fallen and open above. It is also 
much broken by side ravines, and spurs of mountain ridges occasionally extend to it. In leav¬ 
ing the valley, outside of this canon, there is, at first, an abrupt terrace rise, followed by the 
road, which continues along the sides of the ridges to the right of the ascent by a much less 
gradual and uniform ascent than that-of the stream. 
Seven miles above the valley the canon becomes an ordinary ravine, and disappears about 
five miles higher up, where the mountain becomes broad and undulating, with irregular ridges 
rising above the general level, but still continues to rise to the vicinity of Pine creek, whence 
it continues its rolling character to Black Butte creek. It is doubtless practicable to accomplish 
the ascent of the first section of this pass, either by following the river or by rising as soon as 
practicable above its rocky walls, and following-its general course above its canon. By follow¬ 
ing the river, it will be necessary to carry the road on a rocky ledge, but the grades will be 
comparatively easy. The ascent by the terrace line will require an approach commencing on 
the foot of the mountain north of the pass, and rising gradually to the top of the canon walls; 
and above this will encounter broad ravines for 12 miles. From this point to Black Butte 
creek, 31 miles, the construction of the road will be easy. From Black Butte creek, there is 
still a heavy rise for 12 miles to the west side of Black Butte. For the first eight miles the line 
follows the valley of the creek, and the foot of the mountain enclosing it to the west, (for the 
course is southward.) It then passes to the south around a large field of lava rocks, and, on a 
return curve to the north, passes to the west of Black Butte, and is continued thence to the west 
side of Hat creek without a material change of level, and is continued thence on the side of the 
mountain spur, extending into Canoe creek valley, and separating Hat from Wolf creek, and 
crosses the latter nearly on a level with the former, and is continued, two miles, to the western 
summit of the range on the side of the range itself. The length of this section from Black 
Butte creek is 35 miles, and the highest point upon the pass is found on it a short distance west 
of the Black Butte, and is 6,275 feet above the sea. The descent from the western summit is 
by a broad, heavily timbered ridge, lying between Bear Creek valley on the north and deep 
rocky chasms on the south. Its length is forty miles, with a variable width of from one and a 
quarter to six miles. Its altitude at the summit is 6,074 feet above the sea, and more than 
5,000 feet above the foot of the ridge. Its character and the difficulties of its descent will be 
best understood by a reference to the preceding journal for the 12th of July, and the table 
accompanying it. By the residents in the lumber district of the descent, we were informed that 
in the vicinity of their mills they had never seen the snow more than four or six inches deep at 
any time during the winter, and that it never remained upon the ground for more than a 
week at a time in sufficient quantities to enable them to use sleds in their vocation. About 
the 10th of last January, Dr. Wozencraft, of California, with a small party, ascended this pass 
to its summit on a tour of exploration. They found the snow on the entire route, as they 
certify in a note placed in my hands by Dr. Wozencraft, “to average six inches in depth, and 
nowhere reaching eight or ten inches in its average fall. But,” they say, “ we encountered 
one drift of snow on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, in a ravine extending a mile, avera¬ 
ging two feet or two feet and a half in depth.” The entire length of the pass from Roop’s 
farm, at the head of Honey Lake valley on the east, to the foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada on 
