USA > California > Tulare County > History of Tulare County, California with biographical sketches > Part 16
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"On the prairie bordering the San Joaquin bottoms, there occurred during the day but little grass, and in its place was a sparse and dwarf growth of plants; the soil being sandy, with small bare places and hillocks, reminded me much of the Platte bottoms; but, on approaching the timber, we found more luxuriant vegetation, and at our camp was an abundance of grass and pea-vines.
"The foliage of the oak is getting darker; and everything, except that the weather is a little cool, shows that spring is rapidly advancing; and to-day we had quite a summer rain. It commenced to rain at daylight, but cleared off brightly at sunrise. We ferried the river without any difficulty and continued up the San Joaquin. Elk were running in bands over the prairie and in the skirts of the timber. We reached the river at the mouth of a large slough, which we were un- able to ford, and made a circuit of several miles around. Here the country appears very flat; oak trees have entirely disap- peared, and are replaced by a large willow, nearly equal to it in size. The river is about a hundred yards in breadth, branching into sloughs and interspersed with islands. At this time it appears sufficiently deep for a small steamer, but its navigation would be broken by shallows at low water. Bear- ing in toward the river, we were again forced off by another slough; and, passing around, steered toward a clump of trees on the river, and, finding there good grass, encamped. The prairies along the left bank are alive with immense droves of wild horses; and they had been seen during the day at every opening through the woods which afforded us a view across the river. Latitude, by observation, 37° 08'; longitude, 120° 45' 22".
FREMONT DESCRIBES THE TULE LAKES.
" April 5th .- During the early part of the day's ride, the country presented a lacustrine appearance; the river was deep, and nearly on a level with the surrounding country; its banks raised like a levee, and fringed with willows. Over the border- ing plain were interspersed spots of prairie among fields of tule (bullrushes), which in this country are called tulares, and little ponds. On the opposite side a line of timber was visible, which, according to information, points out the course of the slough, which at times of high water connects with San Joaquin River a large body of water in the upper part of the valley,
ELLIOTT. LITH,921 MONT. ST
HOME OF J. E. DENNY, COR. OAK & CHURCH STS, VISALIA, TULARE CO. CALIFORNIA.
ELLIOTT LITH 421 MONT. S.T
RES. OF L. A. PRATT. COR. TULARE & H STS. TULARE CITY, CAL.
83
GENERAL FREMONT EXPLORES THE VALLEY.
called the Tule Lakes. The river and all its sloughs are very full, and it is probable that the lake is now discharging. Here elk were frequently started, and one was shot out of a band which run around us. On our left, the Sierra maintains its snowy height and masses of snow appear to descend very low toward the plains; probably the late rains in the valley were snow on the mountains. We traveled thirty-seven miles and encamped on the river. Longitude of the camp, 120° 28' 34", and latitude 36° 49' 12".
"6th .- After having traveled fifteen iniles along the river, we made an early halt, under the shade of sycamore trees. Here we found the San Joaquin coming down from the Sierra with a westerly course, and checking our way as all its trib- utaries had previously done.
DROVES OF WILD HORSES.
" We had expected to raft the river, but found a good ford, and encamped on the opposite bank, where droves of wild horses were raising clouds of dust on the prairie. Columns of smoke were visible in the direction of the Tule Lakes to the southward-probably kindled in the tulares by the Indians as signals that there were strangers in the valley.
" April 7th .- We had a hard march in a cold, chilly rain, the weather so thick wc traveled by compass. We saw wolves frequently during the day prowling about after the young antelope, which cannot run very fast. Antelope were numer- ous and many were caught by our people. Late in the after- noon we discovered timber, which was found to be groves of oak trees on a dry arroyo. The rain, which had fallen in fre- quent showers, poured down in a storm at sunset, with a strong wind, which swept off the clouds, and left a clear sky. Riding on through the timber, about dark we found abundant water in small ponds, twenty to thirty yards in diameter, with c'ear deep water and sandy beds bordered with bog rushes (juncus effu- sus), and a tall rush (scirpus lacustris) twelve feet high, and surrounded near the margin with willow trees in bloom; among them one which resembled salix myricoides. The oak of the groves was the same already mentioned, with small leaves, in form like those of the white oak, and forming, with the ever- green oak, the characteristic trees of the valley.
KING'S RIVER NAMED.
"8th-After a ride of two miles through brush and open groves, we reached a large stream, called the River of the Lake (King's River), resembling in size the San Joaquin, and being about 100 yards broad. This is the principle tributary to the Tule Lakes, which collects all the water in the upper part of the valley.
INDIANS OF TULARE VALLEY.
" While we were searching for a ford, some Indians appeared on the opposite bank, and having discovered that we were not Spanish soldiers, showed us the way to a good ford several ıniles above.
" The Indians of the Sierra make frequent descents upon the settlements west of the Coast Range, which they keep con- stantly swept of horses; among them are many who are called Christian Indians, being refugces from Spanish missions. Sev- eral of these incursions occurred while we were at Helvetia. Occasionally parties of soldiers follow them across the Coast Range, but never enter the Sierra.
"On the opposite side we found some forty or fifty Indians, who had come to meet us from the village below. "We made them some small presents, and invited them to our encamp- ment, which, after about three miles through fine oak groves, we made on the river. We made a fort, principally on ac- count of our animals. The Indians brought otter-skins, and several kinds of fish, and bread made of acorns to trade. Among them were several who had come to live among these Indians when the missions were broken up, and who spoke Spanish fluently. They informed us that they were called by the Spaniards munsitos (tame), in distinction from the wilder tribes of the mountains. They, however, think themselves very insecure, not knowing at what unforeseen moment the sins of the latter may be visited upon them. They are dark- skinned, but handsome and intelligent Indians, and live princi- pally on acorns and the roots of the tule, of which also their huts are made.
" By observation, the latitude of the encampment is 36° 24' 50", and longitude 119° 41' 40".
"9th .- For several miles we had very bad traveling over what is called rotten ground, in which the horses were fre- quently up to their knees. Making toward a line of timber we found a small fordable stream, beyond which the country improved, and the grass became excellent; and crossing a num- ber of dry and timbered arroyos, we traveled until late through open oak groves, and encamped among a collection of streams. These were running among rushes and willows; and, as usual, flocks of blackbirds announced our approach to water. We have here approached considerably nearer to the eastern Sierra, which shows very plainly, still covered with masses of snow, which yesterday and to-day has also appeared abundant on the Coast Range.
" 10th-To-day we made another long journey of about forty miles, through a country uninteresting and flat, with very little grass and a sandy soil, in which several branches we crossed had lost their water. In the evening the face of the country became hilly; and, turning a few miles up toward the mountains, we found a good encampment on a pretty stream hidden among the hills, and handsomely timbered, principally with large cottonwoods (populus, differing from any in Michaux's Sylva). The seed-vessels of this tree were now just about bursting.
" Several Indians came down the river to see us in the even- ing; we gave them supper, and cautioned them against steal- ing our horses, which they promised not to attempt.
6
84
GENERAL FREMONT'S TRIP THROUGH THE VALLEY.
THE FOOT-HILL PASS.
" 11th-A broad trail along the river here takes ont among the hills. Buen camino (good road), said one of the Indi- ans, of whom we had inquired about the pass; and, follow- ing it accordingly, it conducted us beautifully through a very broken country, by an excellent way, which, otherwise, we should have found extremely bad. Taking separately, the hills present smooth and graceful outlines, but, together, make bad traveling ground. Instead of grass, the whole face of the country is closely covered with crodium cicutarium, here only two or three inches high. Its height and beauty varied in a remarkable manner with the locality, being, in many low places which we passed during the day, around streams and springs, two and three feet high. The country had now as- sumed a character of aricity, and the luxuriant green of these little streams, wooded with willow, oak, or sycamore, looked very refreshing among the sandy hills.
" In the evening we encamped by a large creek, with abun- dant water. I noticed here in bloom, for the first time since leaving the Arkansas waters, the Miribilis Jalapa.
"12th-Along our road to-day the country was altogether sandy and vegetation meager. Ephedra occidentalis, which we had first seen in the neighborhood of the Pyramid Lake, made its appearance here, and in the course of the day became very abundant and in large bushes. Toward the close of the afternoon, we reached a tolerably large river, which empties into a small lake at the head of the valley; it is about thirty- five yards wide, with a stony and gravelly bed, and the swift- est stream we have crossed since leaving the bay. The bot- toms produced no grass, though well timbered with willow and cottonwood; and, after ascending several miles, we made a late encampment on a little bottom, with scanty grass. In greater part, the vegetation along our road consisted now of .
rare and unusual plants, among which many were entirely new.
" Along the bottoms were thickets consisting of several varie- ties of shrubs, which made here their first appearance; and among these was Gurrya elliptica (Lindley), a small tree be- longing to a very peculiar natural order, and, in its general appearance (growing in thickets), resembling willow. It now became common along the streams, frequently supplying the place of salix longifolia.
" 13th-The water was low, and a few miles above we forded the river at a rapid, and marched in a southeasterly direction over a lessbroken country. The mountains were now very near, occasionally looming out through fog. In a few hours we reached the bottom of a creek without water, over which the sandy beds were dispersed in many branches. Immediately where we struck it, the timber terminated; and below, to the right, it was a broad bed of dry and bare sands. There were many tracks of Indians and horses imprinted in the sand,
which, with other indications, informed us was the creek issu- ing from the pass, and which we have called Pass Creek. We ascended a trail for a few miles along the creek, and suddenly found a stream of water five feet wide, running with a lively current, but losing itself almost immediately. This little stream showed plainly the manner in which the mountain waters lose themselves in sand at the eastern foot of the Sierra, leaving only a parched desert and arid plains beyond. The stream enlarged rapidly, and the timber became abundant as we ascended.
" A new species of pine made its appearance, with several kinds of oaks, and a variety of trees; and the country chang- ing its appearance suddenly and entirely, we found ourselves again traveling among the old orchard-like places. Here we selected a delightful encampment in a handsome green oak hollow, where among the open bolls of the trees was an abun- dant sward of grass and pea-vines.
UNEXPECTED MEETING.
" In the evening a Christian Indian rode into the camp, w. Il dressed, with long spurs, and a sombrero, and speaking Spanish fluently. It was an unexpected apparition, and a strange and pleasant sight in this desolate gorge of a mountain-an Indian face, Spanish costume, jingling spurs, and horse equipped after the Spanish manner. He informed me that he belonged to one of the Spanish missions to the south, distant two or three days' ride, and that he had obtained fron: the priests leave to spend a few days with his relations in the Sierra. Having seen us enter the pass, he had come down to visit us. He appeared familiarly acquainted with the country, and gave me definite and clear information in regard to the desert region east of the mountains.
FREMONT ENTERS THE PASS,
" I had entered the pass with a strong disposition to vary my route, and to travel directly across toward the Great Salt Lake, in the view of obtaining some acquaintance with the interior of the Great Basin, while pursuing a direct course for the frontier; but his representation, which described it as an arid and barren desert, that had repulsed by its sterility all the attempts of the Indians to penetrate it, determined mne for the present to relinquish the plan, and, agreeable to his advice, after crossing the Sierra, continued our intended route along its eastern base to the Spanish trail. By this route, a party of six Indians, who had come from a great river in the eastern part of the desert to trade with his people, had just started on their return. He would himself return the next day to San Fernando and as our roads would be the same for two days, he offered his services to conduct us so far on our way. His offer was gladly accepted. The fog, which had somewhat inter- fered with views in the valley, had entirely passed off and left a clear sky. That which had enveloped us in the neigh- borhood of the pass proceeded evidently from fires kindled
SURVEYOR. Showerughton
CLERK.
ASSESSOR.
Seth Smith
AUDITOR. Jan & Lardan
85
THE GREAT INTERIOR BASIN DESCRIBED.
among the tulares by Indians living near the lakes, and which were intended to warn those in the mountains that there were strangers in the valley. Our position was in latitude 35° 17' 12", and longitude 118° 35' 03".
" 14th-Our guide joined us this morning on the trail ; and, arriving in a short distance at an open bottom where the creek forked, we continued up the right-hand branch, which was enriched by a profusion of flowers, and handsomely wooded with sycamore, oaks, cottonwood, and willow, with other trees, and some shrubby plants. In its long strings of balls, this sycamore differs from that of the United States, and is the platanus occidentalus of Hooker-a new species recently de- scribed among the plants collected in the voyage of the Sul- phur. The cottonwood varied its foliage with white tufts, and the feathery seeds were flying plentifully through the air. Gooseberries, nearly ripe, were very abundant in the mount- ains; and as we passed the dividing grounds, which were not very easy to ascertain, the air was filled with perfume, as if we were entering a highly cultivated gard n; and, instead of green, our pathway and the mountain-sides were covered with fields of yellow flowers, which here was the prevailing color.
A SCENE OF BEAUTY.
Our journey to-day was in the midst of an advanced spring, whose green and floral beauty offered a delightful con- trast to the sandy valley we had just left. All the day, snow was in sight on the butte of the mountain, which frowned down upon us on the right; but we beheld it now with feelings of pleasant security, as we rode along between green trees, and on flowers, with humming-birds and other feathered friends of the traveler enlivening the serene spring air. As we reached the summit of this beautiful pass, and obtained a view into the eastern country, we saw at once that here was the place to take leave of all such pleasant scenes as those around us. The distant mountains were now bald rocks again, and below the land had any color but green. Taking into consideration the nature of the Sierra Nevada, we found this pass an excellent one for horses; and, with a little labor, or perhaps with a more perfect examination of the localities, it might be made suffi- ciently practicable for wagons. Its latitude and longitude may be considered that of our last encampment, only a few miles distant. The elevation was not taken-our half-wild caval- cade making it troublesome to halt before night, when once started.
FREMONT'S CAVALCADE DESCRIBED.
" Our cavalcade made a strange and grotesque appearance ; and it was impossible to avoid reflecting upon our position and composition in this remote solitude. Within two degrees of the Pacific Ocean-already far south of the latitude of Monte- rey-and still forced on south by a desert on one hand, and a mountain range on the other, guided by a civilized Indian,
attended by two wild ones from the Sierra, a Chinook from the Columbia, and our mixture of American. French, German, all armed, four or five languages heard at once, about a hun- dred horses and mules, half wild, American, Spanish, and In- dian dresses and equipments intermingled, such was our composi- tion. Our march was a sort of procession. Scouts ahead and on the flanks; a front and rear division; the pack-animals, baggage, and horned cattle in the centre; and the whole stretching a quarter of a mile along our dreary path. In this form we journeyed, looking more as if we belonged to Asia than to the United States of America."
The Great Interior Basin.
"THAT portion of the great interior basin of California which has received the designation of the Tulare Valley, in- cluding Fresno, Tulare, and Kern Vaileys, lies between the Sierra Nevada and Coast Range Mountains, which come together as the Tejon and Tehachepi Mountains, about the thirty-fifth degree of north latitude, from its southernmost limit. The general direction of this valley is nearly parallel with the trend of the coast, northwest and southeast, from which its central axis is from 75 to 100 miles distant. Its greatest length is 260 miles, and in width it varies from 30 to 70 miles. Its total area is 11,290 square miles."
THE PLAINS AND BASINS.
The valley consists of two plains of unequal width, extend- ing from the foot-hills of the mountains, and meeting in a trough, not midway, but considerably west of the center line of the great depression. This trough, running from one end of the valley to the other, has a general inclination in a north- westerly direction toward the outlet for all drainage waters of the great basin, Suisun Bay. Its slope is not uniform, but flattens out at intervals where lakes and marshes exist, as the streams flowing in on either side have banked up the silt and detritus, wasbed from the mountains at special points for ages past. In this manner, Kern River, sweeping down enormous volumes of decomposed granite, has spread out a broad barrier across the valley, inclosing a basin above it for the reception of the waters forming Kern and Buena Vista Lakes, at the sonthern extremity of the trough; and King's River, carrying its load of sand and silt to the lowest part of the valley, has raised a dam across the depression, and completed the shallow basin, where now exists Tulare Lake, one of the greatest sheets of fresh water in California.
THE TROUGH OF THE VALLEY.
It is probable that this trough once held the bed of a con- tinuous stream from Kern River, extending throughout the length of the valley and receiving the tributaries flowing in
86
THE VALLEY IN ITS NATIVE STATE.
on either hand. As it is, the depression serves as the drainage- way for all the valley, however impeded may be its course. From Kern and Buena Vista Lakes, which occupy the same level in the lowest depression of the southern end, and are at an elevation of about 293 feet above low tide, it slopes at the rate of about two feet per mile for 42 miles to Tulare Lake, whose elevation is 198 to 210 feet, according to the stage of its waters. Thence to the mouth of Fresno Slough, at the great bend of the San Joaquin, 55 miles from the lake, the slope is .86 feet per mile.
The total fall from this point to the mouth of the San Joaquin River, a distance of 120 miles, is 165 fect.
UNFAILING WATER SUPPLY.
The lofty mountains in which the perennial streams rise, store away the precipitation of the annual rainy season in the form of snow which melts slowly throughout the summer, and never wholly disappears, giving down a steady and unfailing supply, its greatest volumes gauged to that season when most re- quired for watering the thirsty plains below, namely in the late spring and early summer months. The others are intermittent in flow, and not sufficient for purposes of irrigation.
The streams on the western side, discharging from the Coast Range, are all of the most intermittent character. The mountain-sides are steep and almost devoid of forests, which might hold back the waters of precipitation. The land is con- sequently rapidly drained, and the streams are in flood for but a short period after each rain. They descend upon the plains in channels, which in most instances are lost before reaching the central trough, the waters of many of them spreading at will over the high, sloping valley lands adjacent to the mount- ains, and seldom reach the river. As sources of supply for irrigation they are therefore unreliable, and at best available for but a limited area in the vicinity of their several points of entrance upon the valley.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME OF SAN JOAQUIN.
From the report of Gen. M. G. Vallejo to the State Senate, in 1852, on the "Origin of the Names of Counties in this State," we find the following :-
"SAN JOAQUIN .- The meaning of this name has a very ancient origin in reference to the parentage of Mary, the mother of Christ. According to divine revelations, Joachim significs 'preparation of the Lord,' and hence the belief that Joaquin, who in the course of time was admitted into the pale of sanctity, was the father of Mary. In 1813, commanding an exploring expedition to the valley of the rushes (valles de los tulares), Lieut. Gabriel Moraga gave the appellation of San Joaquin to a rivulet that springs from the Sierra Nevada, and empties into Lake Buena Vista. The river San Joaquin derives its name from the rivulet, and baptizes the county with the sanie."
THE VALLEY IN ITS NATIVE STATE.
There began to settle in this vast vailey, in 1848-49, that intrepid band of pioneers who had scaled the Sierra, or sailed "around the Horn." At length the promised land was gained. The valleys were an interminable grain-field, mile upon mile and acre after acre, wild oats grew in marvelous profusion, in many places to a prodigious height-one great, glorious green of wild, waving corn-high over head of the wayfarer on foot, and shoulder-high to the equestrian; wild flowers of every prismatic shade charmed the eye, while they vied with cach other in the gorgeousness of their colors, and blended into dazzling splendor. One breath of wind, and the wide cmerald expanse rippled itself into space, while with a heavier breeze came a swell whose rolling waves beat against the mountain- sides, and, being hurled back, were lost in the far-away horizon; shadow pursued shadow in a long, merry chase. The air was filled with the hum of bees, the chirrup of birds, and an over- powering fragrance from the various plants weighted the air. The hill-sides, overrun as they were with a dense mass of tangled jungle, were hard to penetrate, while in some portions the deep, dark gloom of the forest trees lent relief to the eye.
The almost boundless range was intersected throughout with divergent trails, whereby the traveler moved from point to point, progress being as it were in darkness on account of the height of the oats on either side, and rendered dangerous in the valleys by the bands of untamed cattle, sprung from the stock introduced by the mission fathers. These found food and shelter on the plains during the night; at dawn they re- paired to the higher grounds to chew the cud and bask in the sunshine. At every yard coyotes sprang from bencath the feet. The flight of quail and other birds, the nimble run of the rabbit, and the stampede of the elk and antelope, which abounded in thousands, added to the charm.
The chief riches of the early California pioneer consisted of cattle and mines of gold. Mining was the chief industry, and stock-raising received great attention. Over the richest soil in the county roamed large herds of cattle, horses, and sheep; but in the course of time, as population increased, the country watered by the San Joaquin, Kern, and King's Rivers was found to be most fertile and productive. The dwellers of these valleys engaged in tilling the soil, and the dwellers of the hilly parts of the Coast Range and Sierra Nevada, which are better adapted to grazing, became the owners of herds of cattle and sheep.
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