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[[underlined]] Silver Lake [[/underlined]]

The divide between Summer and Silver lakes is about 600 feet above the lakes, is open sagebrush ridges [[strikethrough]] without [[/strikethrough]] only a few miles across. It is a short 10 miles between the lakes and scarcely a mile between the range of Sonoran species in the two valleys. The divide offers no great barrier to distribution of Sonoran species and the same plants, birds and probably mammals occupy both valleys.

Silver Lake Valley may be considered a part of the Sonoran basin including Summer Lake, Chewaucan, & Abert Lake valleys. The lake is fresh, but muddy when the wind blows & not attractive. It goes dry sometimes. The valley around it is narrow except at the west where great marshes and level valley extend far back The settlement is at the west end. The lake is on a level with Summer Lake. Old shorelines appear high on the valley sides.

From Silver Lake to Christmas Lake (20 mi.) there is a slight and gradual rise of 100 feet if the aneroid is correct, though I should there was more — probably 500 feet rise. The road runs over smoothe, sagebrush plains with sandy or clay soil and many Sonoran plants.

Christmas Lake is an alkaline slough surrounded with salt grass & sand & extensive sage plains.