THE CLAREMONT THE BEAUTIFUL HOTEL OF OAKLAND—BERKELEY
IN TIME OF PEACE PREPARE FOR WAR—DRILLING BLUE-JACKETS AT MARE ISLAND NAVY YARD
CROSSING CARQUINEZ STRAITS—THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC FERRY BOAT “SOLANO.” THE LARGEST TRAIN FERRY IN THE WORLD
THE DUCK SHOOTING ON THE SUISUN MARSHES IS FAMOUS—MANY PRIVATE GUN CLUBS HAVE THEIR PRESERVES HERE AND RECORD BAGS OF SPRIG AND MALLARD, TEAL AND CANVASBACK ARE SELDOM WANTING
From Sacramento there are numerous side-trips up into the gold mine region of California, to Grass Valley, Oroville, Placerville—regions that are known largely through the fascinating writings of Bret Harte. Around Oroville and along the Feather river may be seen that marvel of gold mining, the electric dredger. These monster burrowers are here eating their way steadily into the gold-bearing soil. In many places this work is going on industriously in the center of profitable bearing orchards, but the gold from within is found by this process to yield to greater profit than the golden fruit produced by trees on the surface. And then from Sacramento the great valley broadens out. To the north is the vast orchard region of Sutter county, and the great granaries of Colusa, Glenn and Tehama counties; south of the city, and close by, is the slough country, where in the fertile, fruitful ground—fertile as the valley of the Nile or the rich dike-inclosed country of Holland—are vast stretches given up to vegetable growing, especially of asparagus, celery and potatoes. This valley of the Sacramento is an empire with many principalities. Such a region in the Old World or in the New England or Middle States would have been as populous as the valleys of the Loire, or the Housatonic, or Susquehanna long before this. The foothill counties, tributary to the great interior valley, are rich in gold and other minerals. The value of these streams, snow-fed, coming down to water the valley is fully appreciated, and power generated on the south fork of the Yuba river is used to-day to run the electric railways of cities by the bay—over 220 miles away. Off here to the right, beyond Marysville, as well as on through the Sierra slopes, is the early orange producing region; oranges go east from this section before Thanksgiving, and practically the whole crop is shipped by Christmas. The counties of this valley yield annually over one half of the entire output of the deciduous fruits of California. At Chico is the home of the late General Bidwell, Rancho Chico, another one of California’s principalities. Here at Chico is the plant introduction garden and station of the United States Department of Agriculture, chosen for its wonderful advantages of soil and climate.
