[Carson City, from the Sacramento Union, November 2, 1859]

 

            CARSON CITY.—Next to Genoa, Carson City is the most important place in Western Utah, and may eventually be the town of first consequence, as its citizens believe. Situated in the midst of the recently discovered silver mines, whose surpassing richness is now astonishing the world, it seems destined to be the trade center of a large population, even if it never attains to the dignity of a Territorial or State Capital. Its situation and present condition are worth a passing description.

            It is built nearly in the middle of Eagle valley, which lies east of Nevada county on a line with the other valleys of Western Utah, and connecting with them by passes leading through low foothills. Eagle valley, like all its lovely sisters, is perfectly flat, and walled in by bald, brown, sterile looking hills, which yet at morn and eve are charming in their illusory tints of blue and purple. It is ten miles long by four wide, approximately ; lies nearly due north and south; consists of grassy land, mostly good for tillage, and which is watered by springs and by a brook running from the mountains on the west. The Valley affords indications of having once been the bed of a lake, and traces of the old shore line are visible on the eastern side in the coarse gray sandstone which is the principal rock of all Western Utah. On the side, there is a warm sulphur spring of considerable extent, which is much resorted to as an agreeable bath and for its sanitary properties. Carson river is separated from the valley on the east by a low range of hills, from three to five miles off, higher and more rugged ones rising beyond and shutting out the view of the great basin in which sink the Truckee, Carson and Humboldt.

            The southern boundary of the valley is Clear creek, flowing from the Sierras eastward, across which one steps into Carson valley. Carson City, when we were there a fortnight ago, was a place of about thirty completed tenements of all sorts—mostly frame, but a few well-built adobes. The foundations were laid for other buildings, which only awaited the material for their construction. This will be afforded partly by Forsyth & Colburn's saw mill, now running at the base of the mountains on the west, where a brook supplies the motive power, and groves of sugar pine the timber. Other lumber is brought from Washoe, the adjoining valley. A kiln of 100,000 bricks, the first ever made there, had just been burned, and there was some talk of using sandstone as a building material. We were shown a small specimen of clear, soft white marble, said to have been found in the mountains to the east, which assertion we hope is true.

            The town is built in the Spanish style, with a large plaza, or square, in the center. It is watered by a meandering brook. Surrounding it were the camps of numerous emigrants, some with tents and some living under wagon tops, and all, we were told, intending to locate in the valley or at the diggings. The land is all claimed, but we noticed only one inclosure—a large one belonging to a Doctor King. The Mormons were once tenants here, until called in by Brigham Young, when there was a prospect of conflict with Uncle Sam.

            Major Ormsby was the principal holder after them, and sold the lots on which the town is being built, disposing of them at low rates, say $25 or $50, and even giving away lots to such as would agree to put houses thereon. A part of the town site was sold in lots of ten acres each. The most favorable building sites are now held at figures ranging from $300 to $600.

            The town is a bustling place for its size, rather '49-ish in its character, abounding in liquor saloons and those who frequent them. Two of the principal stores—John C. Fall & Co.'s and Fleishecker's —are doing a fine business, their cash sales having reached as high a figure in a single day as $1,000 and $3,000 respectively. Both of these establishments are crowding in goods for the Winter. On our return we passed several pack trains and heavily laden wagons, bound for Carson City from Marysville, over the Henness pass route. The telegraph office does a better business than most of the interior offices in California, and when the wires have been stretched on to Virginia City the amount of custom will largely increase. Langton's Express, connecting all the settlements on the eastern slope with our own State, arrives here every Thursday from Downieville. Another express is to be established over the Placerville route by next Spring. The citizens of Eagle valley are a wide awake people. They have nearly all had considerable pioneer experience, either in the Western States or in California, and act now as if they foresaw a great destiny for Western Utah, and meant to realize the resulting advantages for themselves. The condition of society is rather better than in most new settlements, despite the anomalous aspect of political affairs. The emigration this year brought into the valley a number of families, and the weekly dances at Pierson's Hotel are as well attended by the fair sex as similar reunions in the interior of California. If a separation from the hated Mormon rule can be effected, as it ought to be, and the people speedily agree, as they will, to abide by their own laws, nothing can prevent Carson City, in common with the whole of Western Utah, from speedily attaining to a condition of permanent and growing prosperity.