GIFT OF Montana Historical Society PACIFIC COAST SOUVENIR, PUBLISHED BY E. S. DENISON OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA. 'O .Vlf/iU (^ Copyright, 1888, by E. S. DENISON, Oakland, California. 5 EL CAPITAN, YOSEMITE VALLEY. 9 THE THREE BROTHERS, YOSEMITE VALLEY io CLIFF HOUSE, AND SEAL ROCKS SAN FRANCISCO. %T* m ii REST ON THE ROAD, WELLS FARGO STAGE. 15 CHINESE STORE. S.F. 17 DINING ROOM, HOTEL DEL MONTE. 18 PALACE HOTEL, SAN FRANCISCO, 20 ROYAL GORGE, DENVER. 1) & K. G. Ry. 21 & 22 VIEW OF FALLS, AND YOSEMITE VALLEY. 23 SUMMIT STATION, C. P. R. R. 24 STEAMER PIEDMONT. 26 STATE UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS, CAL. 27 WELLS FARGO STAGE. 29 CASTLE ROCKS. (SHASTA ROUTE.) 30 CARMEL MISSION. MONTEREY. 3 2 MISSION, SAN XAVIER, NEAR TUCSON, ARIZONA. 53 WAWONA. 35 THE PAVILION, GARFIELD BEACH, GREAT SALT LAKE, UTAH. 36 GOLDEN GATE PARK, SAN FRANCISCO, CONSERVATORY AND MUSIC STAND. . 39 DEVIL'S SLIDE. 44 ROGUE RIVER VALLEY, OREGON. 45 INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SANTA BARBARA MISSION. 46 MOSS BRAE FALLS. DESCRIPTION OF VIEWS. 1. DRIVING THE LAST SPIKE The Central Pacific Railroad Company filed their certificate of incorporation at Sacramento on June 28, 1861.' The railroad was completed eight years later, the last spike being driven at Promontory, Utah, May 9, 1869, upon which memorable day there was great joy along the Pacific coast. " All honor to the work ! All praise To men through whose devotion Nature now kneels in open ways From ocean unto ocean ! " 2. CAPITOL AT SACRAMENTO. The capital city of California is Sacramento, situated on the river of that name, about forty miles from tide- water. This was the most important town in California in early days, and was the starting point of the Central Pacific Railroad. The capitol building is a conspicuous and rather imposing one, which serves as a landmark for the country folk for leagues and leagues around, and is the last notable object visible as the eastbound traveller winds around the Cape Horn cliff just beyond Colfax. 3. AROUND THE BIO BEND. (On the Shasta Route.) At the eighteenth crossing of the Sacramento River, the ruggedness of the country has made it necessary for the road and the river to part company, and in the climb around the Big Bend some of the most picturesque canon scenery of the whole country is displayed such as the Sacramento Canon, the River, Scott Mountains, etc. By the bluffs of basalt and banks of lava to be seen here, one realizes his near approach to the old volcano. Indeed, these are the foothills of Shasta. (0 834738 way, the fresh, invigorating mountain air gave him an appetite that enabled him to do justice to the excellent dinners at the old taverns, and it gave him a much clearer notion of the vast extent of the country. 12. TOSEMITE VALLEY. (Elevation, 4030 ft.) This cleft, or gorge, or chasm, of the Sierra Nevada is not alone wonderful for the vertical- ty of its walls, its profound depths, and its dizzy heights. It has a hundred beautiful attractions that combine to place it in the front rank of scenic won- ders of the world. The floor of the valley is about 4000 feet above sea level, the walls rise from 3000 to 6000 feet above the floor, and back of these won- derful battlements rise a hundred snowy peaks of the Sierra, from 2000 to 4000 feet higher still. It is a kingdom of giants, a coterie of wonders, a cluster of marvels. Neither the Alps, nor the Himalayas, nor the Pyrenees, nor any other country have a Yosemite. It stands alone, and unapproachable in its grandeur. 13. SISKIYOU SUMMIT. (On the Shasta Route.) This is the crossing of the Siskiyou Mountains, a geographical barrier between California and Oregon, a transverse ridge that marks the dividing line between the Sierra and the Cascades. The length of tunnel No. 13, at the summit, is 3108 feet; its elevation, 4134 feet. The grade over these mountains is about the steepest railroad climbing in the United States, reaching the 3.3 figure in some instances, or 174 feet to the mil',-. From near the south portal of tunnel No. 13 a very grand view is obtained of Pilot Knob, the Sierra, Shasta. Scott Mountains, and the coast ranges. 14 & 38. MUIR'S PEAK. (On the Shasta Route.) Muir's Peak, named in honor of Mr. John Muir, California!! scientist, stands guard at the northern end of Strawberry Valley. Its elevation is about 6500 feet ; it looks like a little brother of Shasta, and, but for its huge parent, would be thought an object of great interest in itself. There are five well-defined volcanic cones on and around it, and the railroad winds about its base, affording fine views of its symmetrical pine slopes. 16. CAP OF LIBERTY AND NEVADA FALL. (Yosemite Val- ley. Elevation, 8050 ft.) The Cap of Liberty is one of those rounded, ice- polished domes of granite that occur frequently throughout the Sierra in general, and the Yosemite in particular. It rises to an elevation of 2000 fret (4) almost perpendicularly above its base, and, though apparently inaccessible, may be quite comfortably climbed from its eastern side. It stands guard over the two grandest cataracts of the Merced River, namely, the Nevada and Vernal Falls, their combined heights being over one thousand feet. The Nevada Fall, Yosemite Valley, 650 feet in height, is, in every respect, one of the grandest waterfalls in the world. The fall is not quite perpendic- ular, as there is, near the summit, a ledge of rock which, receiving a portion of the water, throws it aside in a peculiar manner, adding greatly to its beauty. 17 & 19. HOTEL DEL MONTE. (On Monterey Hay.) The name "Hotel del Monte' 1 is now synonymous with whatsoever things are lovelv, comfortable, home-like, and elegant. All that money, good taste, and experi- ence can do toward making a perfect seaside resort, has been done here. It should also be observed that Nature had evidently anticipated some such idea, for she carved the hillsides, and crowned them with forests ; she rounded the bay-shore lines and smoothed out the beach ; she planted mighty oaks and majestic pines, and attended to all the other small yet beautiful details ; and everything being so favorable, it is not wonderful that this should now be a world-famous resort. Space forbids any particulars here regarding the man- agement or accommodations of this mammoth hotel, or of its many attrac- tions. Suffice it to say that all the necessities and luxuries of living are to be had at its table : all the comforts and conveniences of home are to be had in its parlors and grand suites ; all manners of recreations and amusements are to be found upon its spacious grounds ; all sorts and kinds of shrubs and flowers are to be found bordering its grassy lawns : cool, shady retreats abound, and retired walks down toward the lake, and over all an atmosphere balmy, bracing, and beneficent. And mark you, gentle traveller (an item not so poetical as practical), a man does not need to be a plumber or a bloated bondholder to afford the luxury of staying over night at this place the rates are exceedingly moderate. Three and a half hours 1 travel from San Francisco, through the choicest and most beautiful of California's valleys, brings you to Del Monte, and no one can afford not to go who is visiting this coast, and wishes to enjoy its best things. 18. PALACE HOTEL, SAN FRANCISCO. The Palace Hotel. San Francisco, occupying an entire block, "or nearly two and a quarter acres," is one of the most striking features of San Francisco. It contains 750 rooms, reserved exclusively for guests. Standing in the courtyard, in which is ample ~ room for a considerable number of carriages, and looking upward, the visitor will notice the balconies of the seven lofty stories, the immense glass roof, beneath which are graceful urns and vases containing tropical plants in luxuriant growth. 20. THE ROYAL GORGE. The Royal Gorge, " D. & R. G. Rail- road,' 1 is the climax of the sublimity of the Grand Canon of the Arkansas, through which the river makes its way to the plains. The Gorge lies midway in this wonderful chasm, and the best view can be obtained from the famous hanging bridge ; here the walls of the Canon rise 2600 feet above the track. 21 & 22. THE YOSEMITE FALLS. Yosemite Valley, consist of a series of three falls, the total height of which is 2600 feet. The water com- mences its descent with a leap of 1500 feet ; it then makes its way in a series of cascades equal to 670 feet perpendicular, the distance thus traversed being about one-third of a mile ; it then takes a final plunge of 430 feet. The sway- ing to and fro of the water in ils first fall has a most beautiful effect. 23. THE SUMMIT OF THE SIERRA (On the C. P. R. R. Elevation, 7017 ft.) Possibly some conception of the grandeur of this saw- tooth range may be gained when the summit is reached, the lowest point over which the iron-horse could climb being nearly one and a half miles above the sea. This elevation is attained in less than one hundred miles of travel. 24. THE FERRY-BOAT 'PIEDMONT." This is one of the large, handsome ferry-boats of the Southern Pacific Company, which ply between Oakland and San Francisco. Safety, speed, and elegance are the main char- acteristics of this fleet of transports, which carried during the year 1887 over seven millions of people across the bay. 25. CAFE HORN. (On the C. P. R. R. Elevation, 2600 ft.) Cape Horn, located a few miles east of Colfax, is the first of the heavy climbing across the Sierra. As the train rounds this point, the view on every hand is grand and awe-inspiring. Sheer down two thousand feet is the American river, like a narrow green ribbon, winding around great bluffs and losing itself in the distant forests. Here, too, peak beyond peak, through the blue haze rises the snowy Sierra. From this promontory the new-comer gets his first (6) extended view of California, stretching down over fifty miles of foothills richly wooded, across the great valleys, and clear to the coast range one hundred and fifty miles away. ' 26. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. Directly fronting the Golden Gate, on a gently sloping foothill of the Contra Costa Hills, there are located the State University of California and the smart town of Berkeley. Of the faculty, libraries, and the general apparatus for sliding the freshman into a scholarship, it is said there are few if any places in the great West equal to the Berkeley University. San Francisco has some bone-sawyers and fine lawyers who went "through this mill"; and once in a while one of them escaped, and may now be found cultivating looo-acre farms on truly scientific grounds ; but wherever they are found they are proud of their Alma Mater, and generally the admiration is mutual. 28. SAN FRANCISCO. San Francisco, the principal city of California, has not at the present writing reached her fortieth birthday; therefore, cer- tainly, not her prime. Her population is supposed to be about 300,000; perhaps over, not under, that figure. Her situation geographically and com- mercially is certainly a very proud one ; looking west to the commerce of Asia and Oceanica, north to the vast fisheries of Alaska and the illimitable resources of the Northwestern States, east and south over territories of enormous extent and capabilities. Practically she is without a rival. The growth of San Francisco, considering her former isolation, has been a steady and grand one. She has had some severe setbacks from one source and another, but is now on the certain and safe road to a great future. Her public buildings are, as a rule, creditable, lacking, it is true, the stone grandeur and solidity of other country towns, and her business houses and residences are, barring the color of the paint, attractive. The situation of the city is a commanding one, it having been apparently laid out as our forefathers did their highways, from the top of one hill to the top of another, which has led to the introduction of the most convenient system of street transportation in the world. San Francisco may well be proud of her cable cars. She cannot, however, boast of the condition of her streets, her system of sewerage, and a number of other points upon which great improvements will doubtless soon be made. 29. CASTLE ROCKS (On the Shasta Route.) This castellated ridge of granite is a spur of the Trinity Mountains, which attains an elevation of (7) 4000 feet above the river, and 6000 feet above sea level. Perhaps the best view to be had of Castle Rocks from the railroad is at Castle Creek, although their spires, minarets, and domes are visible occasionally through the forest for several miles. Their place in scenic interest hereabouts is next to Mount Shasta. 30. CARMBL MISSION. This mission church, prior to its restoration, was the most picturesque ruin in California. It was built by Father Lunipero Serra, in 1770, the pioneer apostle in California, whose dust lies in its quiet churchyard. It is located, as such buildings all are, in the most commanding, beautiful, and fruitful spots in the country. The walls are of adobe ; the original timbers were hewn from the solid log ; strips of raw hide were inter- laced with the rafters, and upon them were laid the curious-looking red tiles a cumbersome yet most excellent roof. The interest that once clustered around this building is in some measure gone since it has been repaired and modernized. 31. MOUNT SHASTA. (From Strawberry Valley, on the Shasta Route.) We shall have to be contented with a few statistics in our descrip- tion of this famous butte, and assure our readers that any description, how- ever graphic, will fail to give an adequate conception of its grandeur. SHASTA FROM STRAWBERRY VALLEY. Height of Main Peak . . 14,440 feet. Height of Lesser Peak ........ 12,900 Elevation above Valley ........ 11,032 " Elevation of Timber Line . 9,000 Distance in Air Line ........ 12 miles. There are five glaciers on its eastern slope ; springs of hot water very near the main summit; an immense crater nearly half a mile in diameter on the crown of the lesser peak ; and there are chasms, cliffs, cataracts, and canons around and around it, of the wildest and most romantic character. Shasta is grandly isolated from the main Sierra, and certainly looks to be, if it is not, by far the loftiest mountain in the United States. Good views are to be had of it from Strawberry and Shasta Valleys. 32. MISSION SAN XAVIER ARIZONA. The mission San Xavier, at Tucson, is now over a century old, and is a type of what has been rather than what is, as to both its architecture and its interior embellishments. It (8) has the gaudy decorations, the quaint towers, the chimes of old bells, the statues, and the bad paintings peculiar to the Spanish church architecture of last century. The old bells still call the few straggling Indians that remain in the country to worship within its crumbling walls. 33. WAWONA. Wawona is the title of that particular Big Tree through whose heart the coach-and-six drives with so much ease and room to spare. It is situated on a gently sloping hillside, toward the southern portion of the Mariposa grove of giants {Sequoia Gigantea). When the gazer stands by the lead-horses 1 heads, and looks back through the aperture partially filled by the stage, allowing his eye to wander a bit on either side, he is bound to reach the conclusion that this is indeed a Big Tree ; but California has some trees quite a good deal larger than this. 34. SALT LAKE CITY. (Elevation, 4320 ft.) Salt Lake City, with its notable public buildings, elegant private residences, and substantial busi- ness houses, lies upon the low western foothills of the Wahsatch Mountains, near where they melt into the plain of the great Salt Sea. It has a population of about 25,000, and is the centre of quite a large mining and agricultural community. The old Mormon temple, built while the railroad was still a thousand miles away, was, and indeed still is, on account of its vast seating capacity, wonderful organ, and unique style of architecture, one of the great attractions of the town ; and the new temple, now approaching completion, is one of the most solid and imposing edifices in the western country. The wide, straight streets have streams of clear, living water running through the town and away out into the country, giving the place a cleanly, bright aspect, and furnishing irrigation to the long rows of ornamental shade trees that line almost every thoroughfare. 34J, THE TEHACHAPJ LOOP. (On the S. P. R. R. Elevation, 4025 ft.) This famous loop, without a parallel in railroad building, was one of the ingenious ways devised for crossing an exceedingly rebellious range of mountains, which seems to be a fusion of the Sierra and the coast ranges. It was for a time thought entirely impracticable to traverse these mountains by rail, but there was finally found a will and a way ; but just why the road crosses itself, and how it all came about, and why they couldn't have managed it otherwise, are not quite clear to the average traveller, and cannot be easily explained. (9) 35. OARFIEIiD BEACH Garfield Beach is on the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake, near the city, and is the popular bathing resort of the country. The extent and beautiful reflections of the lake, its islands, the grand Wahsatch Mountains, and the fruitful Canaan lands between, make a picture beautiful and unique, and one seldom met with at watering-places. 36. GOLDEN GATE PARK Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, has an area of 1040 acres, and is laid out in the shape of a parallelogram, extend- ing from the western portion of the city to the ocean. A detailed description of its attractions cannot be given here. It is easily and quickly reached by the Market Street Cable Car System, branching from the main line at Geary, McAllister, Hayes, and Haight streets. A ride along any of these branches affords fine views of San Francisco, and the surrounding bay and mountain scenery from the highlands they cross. Aside from the pleasant walks and drives, the glories of the conservatory, the statuary, the flowers and trees, and a hundred other fine things, the music of the Saturday and Sunday afternoon concerts is enough of itself to induce one to make the trip. 37. VIRGINIA CITY. (Elevation, 6500 ft. Terminus of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad.) Virginia City is perhaps the most famous mining town in the world. The great Comstock lode, from which so many hundreds of millions of silver and gold have been taken, runs in a northerly and south- erly direction under the town. The energy, courage, and skill developed in opening up this great lode is without a parallel in mining history. Some of the mining shafts are over three-fifths of a mile in depth, and the excavations in tunnels, etc., would aggregate scores of miles. The town is picturesquely located on what is really a spur of the Sierra Nevada that breaks away from the main ridge near Carson. The view in all directions is one of unsurpassed grandeur. Although situated on the side of a high mountain and upon a seemingly inaccessible location, Virginia City compares favorably in all mat- ters of modern improvement with any town in the west. 39. DEVIL'S SLIDE. A parallel ridge of sharply serrated granite out- croppings that extend from the summit to the base of the south wall of Weber Canon, Utah. The steep, inclined avenue between these abrupt walls is now overgrown with grass, wild flowers, and vines, suggesting the idea that prob- ably his Satanic Nibs has found quite enough to attend to further west, and has let his favorite slide go to grass. (10) 40. PORTLAND, OREGON Portland, the centre of trade and popula- tion of Oregon, is situated on the Willamette River, twelve miles above the Columbia, and, although about a hundred miles from the ocean, is practically a seaport town, as these rivers are navigable for ocean steamers and large ships as far up as Portland. This young, bustling town is the commercial and geographical centre of a grand territory, whose resources are vast and varied; timber, minerals, arable lands, etc., etc., and this too in a state where there has never been a failure in crops. 41. DONNBR LAKE. (On the C. P. R. R. Elevation, 6130 ft.) Donner Lake is nestled down behind the summit of the Sierra, and is called the bright particular jewel of the mountains. There are on its shores magniricent pine forests, which extend away up into the clouds, and in its clear mirror scores of snowy peaks are reflected. Trout swarm in its cool depths, pleasure boats skim over its shining surface, and at night the stars come down to bathe in its pellucid bosom. 42. LAKE TAHOE. ( !2 miles by stage from the C. P. R. R. Eleva- tion, 6200 ft.) This great lake wonder covers an area of one hundred and ninety-five square miles. It is a place of great resort on account of its clear, invigorating atmosphere, charming scenery, and the opportunities for sport and recreation on its waters. It is one of the greatest creations of that magnificent cluster of wonders found in what is called the ' ; High Sierra," a territory extending south from Tahoe to Mount Whitney. Its waters are perfectly pure, blue, and cold, and as transparent as the sky. Sailing across its surface has been likened to a voyage in a balloon. 43 & 44. "WILLAMETTE FALLS. At Oregon City, Oregon, the whole volume of the Willamette River falls over a bluff that extends across the stieam, furnishing not only an exceedingly picturesque and stupendous waterfall, but the finest power perhaps in the United States. Moreover, it furnishes the angler an opportunity, at certain seasons, of testing his skill in landing a twenty-pound salmcn. There are locks here connecting the upper and lower waters of the river. The shores are bold and forest-crowned, and the general features of the country are of particular scenic interest. 4*5. SANTA BARBARA MISSION. rSonthern California.) This mission was founded on Dec. 4. 1786 the Hate of the celebration of the feast (II) of Santa Barbara. It is one of the most interesting and well preserved of the old mission buildings. It has always ueen uiidci the control of the Franciscan Order of Friars, who now utilize it as a college building. It occupies the most beautiful and commanding site of any building in Santa Barbara, arid is an object of great interest to strangers. 46. MOSSBRAE FALLS (On the Shasta Route.) Mossbrae Falls are located about one and three-quarter miles above Upper Soda Springs. They are scattered along the mountain side for about half, a mile, and are not so much noted for their great height or the roar of their waters as for the charm of their surroundings. They steal down with a quiet rustle over great banks of mosses and ferns, and fall with a musical gurgle into the river below. These falls furnish an abundant supply of ice water even in dog-days ; in fact, their temperature in summer is about as low as in winter. 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