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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1885)
THE WEST SHORE. 167 SUMMIT OF THE SISK1YOUS. THE Siakiyons are an ebrnpt and chnin of mountains lying along the boundary line of Oregon and California. They extend from Klamath Lake nearly to the ocean, and form the watershed between Rogno and Klamath rivers. The name is a peculiar one and its sig nificance is the subject of much dispute. As in othor canes of doubtful nomenclature, a number of theorists have " taken a shy at it," with varied results, based upon euphony of sound combined with a few grains of plausi bility. Some of these gentlemen toll us that on the sum mit of the mountain, just north of the boundary lino, there is a beautiful lovel spot, watered by oool springs, that overlooks tho country for miles on either side. It was here the powerful Shasta, Rogue lUver and Klamath tribes were accustomed to congregate, smoke their pipes in token of amity, indulge in duncing and games, and ex. change those friondly offices so ubuuI with neighboring tribes living in peace. This place they oallod " 8is-ki-you," or the oouuoil ground. Another tells us that tho early half-breed trappers, whose language was the patois French spoken in certain portions of Canada, olwerved six large stones lying near the summit, whereupon they christened the mountnins " Sex Callonx," which has been transformed into the present appellation by the lapse of time and the proverbial tendency of the pioneers to round off the corners of names without much regard to their significance. There are, to be sure, plenty of stones to be seen on the Siskiyou, but no one pretends to desig nate the patriarchal six. The most authentic account of the naming of Siskiyou Mountain is as follows: The first party of Hudson's Bay Company trappers to penotrate into California left Van couver in the summer or fall of 1827, headed by Aloxan der Roderick McLeod. As they passed along they 1x stowed many of the names now familiar in Southern Orogon. One of the trapjMtrs, Jean Baptists Parroult, had an old white horse with an abbreviated caudal ap pendage, known in English as a "bobtail" and in the mongrel French of the trappers a "siskiyou." One night, while encamied on tho mountain, this animal was confiscated by the Indians. A short pursuit of the trail in the morning revealed the body of the animal, from which a number of neither juicy nor tender steaks had been cut The trappers named the scene of this incident " Siskiyou," which therefore signifies " the mountain of the bobtail horse." By reference to 0 ill's " Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon," which is composed of a mixture of poor English, poorer French and Indian words of doubtful derivation, it will be found that Siskiyou and bobtail are synonymous. . The scenery of the Siskiyou is grand and imposing. Rising almost abruptly from the Klamath River on the one side and Rogue River Valley on the other, they reach almost to the line of perpetual snow, their side clothed with dense foresU and seamed with deep canyons. The view from some commanding eminonoe is indescribably graud on the north revealing the mountains and valleys of Oregon, including many of tho leaser suow peaks of the Cosoados, and on the south the blended ohains of the Sierra and Coast Eango, alwva uLLL ii lho Luly Shasta with its dual crown, with no object to obstruct the view from base to summit. The point chosen by our artist is on tho road over which run the stages of the California & Oregon Stage Company, and near the summit, which here, however, is m ucli lower than in tho more rugged portion of the mountains to the westward Colo's Station, as it is oallod, is ono of the pioneer landmarks of that region, and has been a stage station for years. Near it runs the State boundary lino, and not far distant is the woll-kuown Pilot Rock. Through this region runs the proposed route of the railroad which will connect the Oregon & California with the Central Pacific, and uot far from this point is the location of the groat tunnel by which it will pierce the mountain. The stage ride from Ashland to Delta, the two railroad terminal points, is one of but twonty hours, passing through the grand scenery of tho Siskiyous, Klamath Rivor and Shasta Valley in the day time. By this routo one oau travel from Portland to San Franoisoo in sixty hours, only a few hours more than by water (when steamer makes good time), and be sur rounded continually by Nature's most attractive forms. The inconvenience of a night on the stage is fairly offset by the disagreeable sickness of the steamer. To the lover of Nature tho overland route needs no recommendation in the summer time. AN ELECTRIC SUN COLUMN. MR. J. BOURDAIS recently presented to the Paris Society of Civil Engineers a project that he has been studying, and that concerns the erection of a ma sonry tower 300 motors 08-1 feet) in height After an examination of the different geometric profiles roalimablo, Mr. Bourdais has adopted the column as being more apt than any other form to satisfy the rules of Nthotics, and also as loing the most stable. In fact, tho highest chim ney in the world, that of 81 Rollox, Glasgow, 433 foot in height, has Immm submitted to numerous storms without suffering therefrom, and as othor chimneys oxxhmhI to great wind pressure have nover given rise to any accident, it results that a cylindrical form is tho one that should be adopted. In short, Mr. Bourdais' structure would consist of a base 210 foot in height, in which would be established a permanent museum of electricity. Above this would rise a six-story column surmounted by a roof, forming promenade, and capable of accommodating 2,000 ponton. The central granite core, CO foot in diam eter, would be surrounded with an ornamental frame, work of iron faced with copper. This would lie divided into six stories, each containing 10 rooms, designed for aerothorapio treatment Finally at Die summit would bo placed an enormous electric lamp that would cast a flood of light over the entire city. Tuis lamp would have an intensity ennal to that of 2,000,000 Carol burner. The lamp would be surmounted by a statue representing tho Genius of Science. This would make the eutire struc ture 1.1H0 feet high, or more than twice the altitude of the Washington Monument, now the highest structure in the world.
