Hi All - Totally off topic. Please note, this is from 1859, not 1858; I'm still working on the West Briton while waiting for a turn in the weather. Hopefully some will enjoy this. It's from the West Briton, but has nothing to do with Genealogy. It's just well written, and may be interesting to get another perspective on a place I dearly love. It's so nice to think of it in an almost pristine state, rather than with one-directional traffic - buses only - large campgrounds filled to the brim, and so on. . Should say that today if one arises early in the morning and walks various trails, the whole place can seem just like the wonderland the tourist saw in 1858, complete with bluejays, thick beds of decomposing pine needles which send up the most wonderful smells, and HUGE pinecones littering the ground. It just takes a bit more effort to discover the magic. . .................................................................... A WONDERFUL VALLEY IN CALIFORNIA . During a recent tour in California I paid a visit to a valley which, in scenic loveliness and grandeur is, as far as I can learn, quite unrivalled, and as I find upon inquiry that even its name is almost entirely unknown in this country, I thought that a succinct account of its wonders might not be without interest to your readers. . The Yosemite (Bear) Valley is situated in the beautiful range of the Sierra Nevada, about 240 miles east of San Francisco, and about 45 miles from the nearest village, and the road to it lies through an almost untouched pine forest, the noble trees of which, towering to an average height of 250 feet, covered with thick festoons of delicate lichen, form a delightful shelter from the noonday heat (which here rises to 120 deg. in the shade). . After a weary ride amid these lonely wilds, the traveller suddenly emerges from the forest, and finds himself on the brink of a tremendous precipice in full view of the Yosemite Valley, lying 3,500 feet below him. The valley is 12 miles long, and about a mile and a half wide, and is, in fact, a great chasm shut in on both sides by granite rocks, which average 3,500 feet in height. These rocks are on the north side quite perpendicular, and present an unbroken face, while on the south they are jagged and distorted, having in consequence a most picturesque appearance. The most notable rocks in the valley are Totochanula, 3,600 feet; Loyd, 3,200; the North Dome, 3,500, and Tesaack, according to the Indian legend, the Queen of the Valley, which exactly resembles the vertical section of a dome, is as upright as a wall, and 4,884 feet high. The rocks are all solid granite. . Over these walls of stone fall several streams (there are eight as far as the valley has been explored), forming waterfalls, which for height and beauty stand unrivalled. The most remarkable of these, the Yosemite Fall, comes into the valley on the north side and falls at one leap 2,355 feet. Over this in the spring there is a very heavy discharge of water. Another, the Nevada Fall, over which the main stream of the Merced river tumbles, makes a descent of 1,285 feet, and immediately afterwards another, of 780 feet. The smallest fall in the valley is upward of 600 feet high. All these falls are worthy to be descanted upon at length, but I am unwilling to trespass upon your space, except for the bare statement of facts. The bottom of the valley is filled with a noble pine forest, as yet untouched by man, and, close at the foot of the immense Tesaack, there nestles a lovely little lake, the transparent waters of which, after passing through a stony portal valley, run down towards the great plains of the San Joaquin, and soon become defiled with the mud from the myriads of rockers established on its banks by miners in search of the precious metal with which its bed is impregnated. . I wish to mention that near the road to this valley I visited a grove of the far-famed Wellingtonians, or mammoth cypresses, of which there are about 500 interspersed among numerous others less remarkable, though still very large. The largest I measured was 39 feet in diameter six feet from the ground, and was at least more than 400 feet high. Another, which had fallen, and of which the bark alone remained, formed a tunnel through which three horsemen could ride abreast. . (From a letter in the Times) .............................................................................. I should say, too, that our 'cold snap' is abating - tomorrow we may have temperatures on the positive side of the thermometer. (Only minus 28 tonight.) There was a news story of the dreaded "black ice" which forms on bridges, underpasses, and on streets with lighted intersections (from the exhaust of the cars.) A lady was going as fast as the rest of the traffic, but not faster, when she hit a patch of black ice on the freeway overpass. Her SUV veered off the overpass, and fell about 72 feet to the highway below, then bounced down an embankment onto an ice-covered lake, where it came to a stop. (The ice held, which is amazing in itself.) Thankfully, she lived!! Has a few broken bones, etc., but to survive that fall was a miracle. (A traffic camera caught the entire thing - it's quite scary to view.) I can testify that once I was caught by black ice on the highway, and ended up in a ditch with about 10 other cars. (We all hit the same patch.) Thankfully, not one of us hit the others. There's no explanation as to why, since we couldn't steer or brake effectively; we just looked like fairly well-parked cars in a very snowy lot. The highway patrol and a nice tow-truck came by, and we were on our way about an hour later, much chastened. My car didn't go over 30 mph the rest of the way home. (That's the only defense against black ice, I've learned.) (When it's below zero, the chemicals used on the highways to make them safe don't work - so everyone is on their own, so to speak.) This is a reason I don't drive a whole lot when it's bitterly cold; staying in with the West Briton is better for the health! . The governor closed the schools because he (and local authorities) were concerned about children waiting for school buses when it's minus 45. Kids don't understand how quickly their toes, fingers and noses can be permanently damaged. Waiting 15 or 20 minutes in a bus 'shelter' could be lethal. Many businesses allowed their workers to work from home, so there was very little traffic on the freeways - and as a result, not a lot of accidents. Thank goodness. Julia M. West Briton Transcriptions, 1836-1856 at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wbritonad St. Austell Area History and Genealogy at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~staustell

Black Ice is a menace in the East as well. What is safe and reasonable speed at one point may be unsafe and hazardous 3/4 inches further down the road. Beautiful description of Yosemite. I've walked it and skied it and it is grand. Stayed in a cabin near the lodge. I and my son, we didn't bring the assorted animals. Albert Jenkin hag Howlek an Gath in warming Pennsylvania > From: jwmos99@msn.com > To: cornish@rootsweb.com; cornish-gen@rootsweb.com > Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2014 00:35:14 -0600 > Subject: [CORNISH] West Briton, 4 Feb 1859 - A Wonderful Valley (off topic) >> > Hi All - > > Totally off topic. Please note, this is from 1859, not 1858; I'm still working on the West Briton while waiting for a turn in the weather. > > Hopefully some will enjoy this. It's from the West Briton, but has nothing to do with Genealogy. It's just well written, and may be interesting to get another perspective on a place I dearly love. It's so nice to think of it in an almost pristine state, rather than with one-directional traffic - buses only - large campgrounds filled to the brim, and so on. > . > Should say that today if one arises early in the morning and walks various trails, the whole place can seem just like the wonderland the tourist saw in 1858, complete with bluejays, thick beds of decomposing pine needles which send up the most wonderful smells, and HUGE pinecones littering the ground. It just takes a bit more effort to discover the magic. > . > .................................................................... > A WONDERFUL VALLEY IN CALIFORNIA > . > During a recent tour in California I paid a visit to a valley which, in scenic loveliness and grandeur is, as far as I can learn, quite unrivalled, and as I find upon inquiry that even its name is almost entirely unknown in this country, I thought that a succinct account of its wonders might not be without interest to your readers. > . > The Yosemite (Bear) Valley is situated in the beautiful range of the Sierra Nevada, about 240 miles east of San Francisco, and about 45 miles from the nearest village, and the road to it lies through an almost untouched pine forest, the noble trees of which, towering to an average height of 250 feet, covered with thick festoons of delicate lichen, form a delightful shelter from the noonday heat (which here rises to 120 deg. in the shade). > . > After a weary ride amid these lonely wilds, the traveller suddenly emerges from the forest, and finds himself on the brink of a tremendous precipice in full view of the Yosemite Valley, lying 3,500 feet below him. The valley is 12 miles long, and about a mile and a half wide, and is, in fact, a great chasm shut in on both sides by granite rocks, which average 3,500 feet in height. These rocks are on the north side quite perpendicular, and present an unbroken face, while on the south they are jagged and distorted, having in consequence a most picturesque appearance. The most notable rocks in the valley are Totochanula, 3,600 feet; Loyd, 3,200; the North Dome, 3,500, and Tesaack, according to the Indian legend, the Queen of the Valley, which exactly resembles the vertical section of a dome, is as upright as a wall, and 4,884 feet high. The rocks are all solid granite. > . > Over these walls of stone fall several streams (there are eight as far as the valley has been explored), forming waterfalls, which for height and beauty stand unrivalled. The most remarkable of these, the Yosemite Fall, comes into the valley on the north side and falls at one leap 2,355 feet. Over this in the spring there is a very heavy discharge of water. Another, the Nevada Fall, over which the main stream of the Merced river tumbles, makes a descent of 1,285 feet, and immediately afterwards another, of 780 feet. The smallest fall in the valley is upward of 600 feet high. All these falls are worthy to be descanted upon at length, but I am unwilling to trespass upon your space, except for the bare statement of facts. The bottom of the valley is filled with a noble pine forest, as yet untouched by man, and, close at the foot of the immense Tesaack, there nestles a lovely little lake, the transparent waters of which, after passing through a stony portal valley, run down towa! > rds the great plains of the San Joaquin, and soon become defiled with the mud from the myriads of rockers established on its banks by miners in search of the precious metal with which its bed is impregnated. > . > I wish to mention that near the road to this valley I visited a grove of the far-famed Wellingtonians, or mammoth cypresses, of which there are about 500 interspersed among numerous others less remarkable, though still very large. The largest I measured was 39 feet in diameter six feet from the ground, and was at least more than 400 feet high. Another, which had fallen, and of which the bark alone remained, formed a tunnel through which three horsemen could ride abreast. > . > (From a letter in the Times) > ................(..snip )............................................................ > > Julia M. > > West Briton Transcriptions, 1836-1856 at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wbritonad > St. Austell Area History and Genealogy at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~staustell > > > -------------------------------