Preview
Circa Date
circa 1887
Transcription
90
these marks are effaced though Nature is doing what she can [in many a lovely spot silent now as far as the eager miners [are] is concerned] replanting, gardening [the scared gulches with trees & grass & soft creeping mosses,] sweeping away old dams & flumes & leveling gravel and boulder piles [crumbling deserted huts], patiently trying to repair every scar. [repairing whatever damage she can, & adopting & decorating what is left to endure
Perhaps no such excess of industry was ever before seen in the history of the world. On no other virgin landscape have [were] such heavy savage blows fallen [rained] & such marked damage been done in so short a time by so small a band of men [in so short a time] A mere dust sprinkle of gold about the root of the trees and grasses made every [weary] toiler a [resistless devouring giant to fall] titan who fell upon the mountains in a frenzied storm of effort [as if] determined to overturn them & lay their deep foundations bare. Natures [booming] avalanches leave no records so heavy [but the storms of this memorable gold period are now fast abating. [but this gold storm is over] Calm enough now is the sobered rugged miner scratching slowly & alone with]
[91] [section inserted]
There were only a few hills & domes of cloudland built yesterday, & none at all today. The light is peculiarly white & thin though pleasantly warm & calm. The calmness of this mountain weather is one of its most delightful characteristics. There is only a moderate breeze from the summits of the range at night & a slight breathing from the sea & the lowland hills & plains during the day, or stillness so complete no leaf stirs. The trees hereabouts have but little wind history to tell. Excepting on exposed ridgetops they stand erect in perfect poise, with branches [pretty] evenly distributed [all around the trunks].
Date Occurred
1869
Resource Identifier
MuirReel31 Notebook05 Img049.jpg
Contributing Institution
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library
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