St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-04-04
California. Mo, IA,


Jose valley. 1t is the Santa Clara Val
ley, although San Jose is the principal
town in it.
San Jose is city of over 10000 peo-
pie, situated near the centre of the val
ley, fifty miles from San Francisco,
with which it is connected by two
railroads, one directly down the west
side of the bay, and another the east
side, via Niles and Oakland. 1t is soon
to have another line-a narrow -guage
railroad, seven miles to Alviso, the
head of navigation on the bay, and
thence 10y steamer to the metropolis.
1t ranks number three among the cities
of the state, only San Francisco and
Sacramento being larger. 1t is also one
of the oldest towns in the state, a small
settlement having been established
here by the Jesuits, before the present
century.
San Jose was nothing more than Il
little trading post, with Il score OF so of
white men, including the Catholic mis-
SionarieS. until about lSi6 or IL. when
overland emigration began. 1t was the
first state capital of California, the leg
iSlature meeting here from 1919 to 80,
and it would have been better had the
capital remained here. The town is
regularly laid out, with broad, straight
streets, and fair side walks. For Il city
business blocks are uncommonly good.
The first object seen as one enters the
town, is the Court House. with its dome
towering above the surrounding build
ing> This is Il large huildng of hand
some architectural proportions, and
cost Sl7j,OOO. The dome is easy of ac
cess. and being high above all else i'll
he valley, the view from it is extensive
and very grand. The valley at this
though the clcarncSS of California at
moSpherc makes it seem hardly half
that distance. On each side iIe the
foothills. cultivated To their very tops
with mountains rising beyond from
1000 to 4.5OO feet high. The valley
seems to be IL dead level Ten miles
to the north lies the bay of San Fran
cisco, which stretches away good fifty
miles to the Golden Gate. On the
h.. .,l1,.N
seems to end, a low range of hills
stretching nearly across its throat. But
it is only narrowed down. and once past
this point, the valley opens again, and
| am told is the same thing all the way
to Gilroy, forty miles further south.
Three miles to the north, lies the
town of Santa Clara place of some
1000 inhabitants, and connected with
San Jose by horse railway over the
celebrated "Alameda.' This Alameda
is an avenue one hundred feet wide,
and lined on both sides with sycamore
and willow trees, planted under the
direction of the Jesuit priests before
the present century. This street is
now macadamised, and the trees are of
such size that much of the way we are
riding through beautiful shaded arch
way.
Directly in front of the court house
i'll san Jose, is st. James park-large
and roomy, but new. In few years
it will he Il gem i'll the heart of this
city. On the south, some four squares
away, Is the state Normal School
new, large and handsome building,
three stories high, and nearly three
hundred feet loug-and although built
of wood, cost as much as the court
house. This building stands in the
centre of a park of twenty-seven acres,
which not only adds great beauty to
the structure, but should give hint to
some eastern cities that crowd their
school houses as well "a other public
buildings into Harrow streets.
The city and surroundings present
many fine residences, with beautiful
grounds and extensive fruit gardens.
Although there are no establishments
here to compare with those elegant
places at Menlo Park, and San Matco
which described in a previous letter,
Yet they have some distinctive features
scarcely less interesting. The place of
Gen. Henry NJ. Naglee is worthy of
more than passing notice. His
grounds comprise about one hundred
and forty acres, and are perhaps a half
mile from the business centre of the
town. The General has been in this
valley since the Mexican war, except
what time he was in the Union army,
and one or two extended trips to Eu-
rope. He is somewhat of an entlusi-
asst, first over this valley with its eli
mate and productions, and second in
the business which he has taken up
that of making brandy. He has been
for a number of years
in the matter of manufacturing Cali
INA 'i'h"H' anu 'hiiiho he htS gam
ed much, in introducing the best for
eiga grapes, which can be grown here,
as we'll as the native, and from which
he claims, a better brandy can be made
than it is possible to make in France.
Gen. Naglee has put i'll good deal of
money into this venture. Besides us
ing all the grapes he can raise, he buys
all those grown in the vineyards for
ten or fifteen miles around. And all