1st August Ice, & frost this morning. Four miles to Red Lake. This is Cituated on the rite of the Road and is the Head of Salmontrout or Carson River. This is a Small Lake and is within one mile of the Summit of the Sierra Nevada. From this Lake to the Summit the assent is very great, Some places being almost perpendicular. The Road winds its was in a zigzag Direction as Soots the Convenience of travelers best in getting through among the trees and around the Rocks. We pass over Some Snow on the Summit of this mountain. The Desent on the west Side not So great. We pass Some Small Lakes. Four miles from the Summit we Cross a Small Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento. I will here mention by way of information to those who are not aware of the fact, that this Range of mountains forms the west rim of the Bason of the great Salt Lake and that the water courses on the East terminate by Sinking in the Earth and that those on the west flow into the Pacific. At this Creek we Stoped to noon, here we help inter a young man who Died last night of Bilious fever. He is of Michigan, his name Joseph Ricker. His parents reside in the State of Maine. Here we assend another Ridge of this mountain. It is higher than the one we have just passed, Being Nine thousand three hundred & thirty eight feet above the Sea. From the foot to the Summit it is five miles and in assending and Decending we travel over four miles of Snow and it from two to Twenty feet Deep. This evening the Boys have killed a fine fat Venison. Timber here in great abundance. Just at Bed time when Some of [us] had already got lain Down, our Horses Stampeeded. They Come with a mity Rush, Parting their Larietts as Severally Started in, Come in the Direction of our fire as if they intended to Dash us all to attoms. But when they Neard us they turned to the right & Some three of them went altogether out of hearing and did not get them at Night. 21 miles to Day.

2nd We found our horses two miles from Camp. Heavy frost this morning. We are passing over a Succession of Ridges to Day. We See a Dead man, laying by the Road Side. He was left here yesterday by his Company and Died last Night. We See Near this a fresh grave. One of our men got Separated from us (R.D. Repley) and we have not yet Seen him. We have Come to Leak Spring valley and Encamped under Some large Hemlock trees. 13 miles to Day.

3rd We have a rough Road to Day, Decending ground, heavy timber and no grass for twenty eight miles and then we have to go three miles from the road, and grazing poor as the grass has been Cut by Some three or four men and they are Selling it out at the rate of three hundred Dls a ton. Indians, troublesome. Sixty horses Stoel last Night. This tribe is the Omawas. 23 miles.

4th Sunday. Heavy frost this morning. Very heavy timber here, Pine, Fir & Hemlock, the largest of which is about Eight feet through and one hundred & Ninety feet High. We also See to Day, Sedar trees that are four feet in Diameter and one hundred and thirty feet in length. We pass this morning a forks of the Road. The right hand forks leading to Placerville, the left to Weaver town. We have taken the right. We pass a Ranch, kept by Johnson. He has all the grass fenced that is near the Road and he Sells hay at fifteen cts a pound and for a meal of vituals One Dollar & fifty cts. From this place we have gone three miles off to the right of the Road to get grass. We See here Some men Diging for Gold. 12 miles to Day.

5th We have Come four miles and come to a flourishing little town in the Mountains. The original name of this place is Placerville, but has taken the appelation of Hangtown from the Circumstance of three men being Hanged on one tree at the Same time in this village. The Crime that those men were guilty of was theft. Men are Diging here in the middle of the Streets in Search of gold. We are informed that this has been very rich Digings. Provisions are plenty here. Flour is worth at this place twenty five Cts. per lb; Pickle Pork thirty five; Potatoes thirty Cts. pr Lb. and onions one Dollar, other things in proportion. Emegrant Horses are Selling at about an average of forty Dollars Each; oxen & Cows range at from thirty to Eighty Dls a yoke. Waggons about forty Dls Each. Men Come in here from the Planes, worne out from the fatigue of the long and tedious journey that they have been exposed to and then lay out on the ground at night without the Slightest Shelter over them, and a great portion of them work in water through the Day. Together with the Change of Climate and Diet as a matter of course would Cause a great deal of Sickness, of which the Diareah or Bludy flux Seems to be the most fatal. The Skirvy Does not prevail at present as mutch as formerly in Consequence of vegitables being more plenty. Sacramento City is fifty miles from this place. It is Cituated on the East Side of the Sacramento River and one mile & a half from Sutters fort, the latter being Back on the table lands and above the junction of the American fork where it is not Subject to Inundation. The fort is built of Dobies (Brick, Dried in the Sun). It is about Eighty by one hundred yds Square, has Block houses and near the Center there is a large and convenient two Story frame House. The walls are twelve feet high and Eight feet thick and is Surrounded with a Ditch. The City was built on lands that was Subject to inundation but is now leevied (February 2nd, 1851). The levie is Eight miles in length on the river, Beginning up the American fork at the high land and extending Down below Sutterville, which is three miles below the City and it is Extended back three miles where it meets the table lands. It has a population of about Nine thousand. It has had one Scourge of Cholera, and a great deal of other Sickness last faul. It is a remarkably Business place, But the most notorious place in the world for Gaming and yet it may be Considered a very Civil place. There has been one open riot here. It took place in August last. It was between the Settlers and Some Speculators, Claiming under Sutters title. It took place in the Streets in the Daytime. Their was Conciderable Shooting Done and three or four men killed. The river here is about four hundred yds wide. The tide raises the water about two feet And Steam Boats and vessels are here Daily. From this place to San Francisco it is one hundred & fifty miles by water. All of this Distance is Subject to inundation for Several miles back. A great portion of the valley near the river is covered with Tula swamps, a narrow Strip only on the Banks being fit for Cultivation, but Back on the table lands and near the mountains is to be Seen Excellent grazing lands, oats grow Spontaneous. I have Seen near the Coast range, immense herds of Elk & Antelope, also Horses & Spanish Cattle feeding at pleasure on the green oats in the month of January. The Horses & Cattle belong to an old Spanish Ranch and are hurded by what is here termed Buckaries. Those Buckaries are Spaniards or Indians who are hired Expressly and trained for hurdsmen. They throw the Lasso with great Dexterity & Skill. They can throw it over the Head of a Sterr or Horse or around the leg, the Distance of thirty yds when at full speed. They have the other End fast to the front part of their Saddle and stop them instantly.
The Sacramento Valley has a very mild Climate and a portion of the Soil very productive except Some years when Drouth prevails. Wheat yields well, also Potatoes, onions, Cabbage, Squashes, mellons, peas, beans &c. The native Indians of upper California are indolent and pusilanimous and Destitute of the boldness and Energy Displayed by many of the aborigines of other quarters. Excepting those that have been Converted at the missions, the women go nearley and the men Entirely naked and they are all Extremely filthy in their habits. They are below the Common Stature, have Small round face, an low forehead and their hair, which is very thick and Coarse, grows almost down to their eyes.
The Gold mines of California is beyond a Doubt inexhaustable. It has been Discovered of late East of the Siera Nevada and it has also been Discovered on both Sides of the Cost Range and as far North as Oregon. It was first discovered in the beds of Rivers and ravines, but of late by the Sinking of Shafts, on the tops of mountains. It is found their and many places are Exceedingly Rich. All of the ground that has been dug over Can be worked a Second time with a little Care So as to pay as well as it has the first time.
There are a great many foreigners here in the mines, but before going to work they have to procure a license at the rates of twenty Dollars a month.
I mite enter into many particulars that would be interesting but lest I Should weary the patience of Some of my readers will Close, after giving a table of Distances and the Ferries & rates of ferriage, also the name of the Diferent tribes of Indians that I have passed through.

W.H. KILGORE