Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-27
THE LAND OF THE SUNSET.
from John Shirley Ward.

The Pacific COast-San Bernardino-
An Arcadia L.andscaPe-ss Selling the
Climate ''-CrOPs, schools and Colo
nies-Tennesseeans- Is California n
Good Place for n Poor Mana"
Correspondence of the Union and American.
ARCADIA Rancho, near San Demanding,
Cal, May 16, 1S74.-I imagined that the
deep seclusion and retiracy of my present
home would prevent letters of inquiry
about this country reaching me; but such
is not the case, as l have late letters before
me from Nashville and Knoxville asking
for information about this Land of the
Sunset.
would not value highly an opinion of a
country formed on a residence of less than
one year. 1t is necessary 10 see the winter
as well as the summer; to see the parched
and withered plains as well as the lUxuri-
ant and flOwer-strewn vallieS; to endure the
dry months as well as rejoice in the fertil-
izing showers of winter and spring; 10 see
planting time as well as the season of
harvest.
Twelve months have passed since, from
the snow-clad summit of the Sierras, my
vision was entranced by view of the gold
en- harvest fields and green orchards of the
Sacramento valley. During these twelve
months we have seen the greater portion of
California south of the Central Pacific
Railroad.
California is wonderful country-full
of phenomena and
SHARP CONTRASTS,
sometimes desert as bleak as Sahara, then
rejoicing in the luxuriant vegetation and
luscious fruits Of the tropics. Yonder
within cannon-shot is plain, treeless, YER
dureless, and waterless the year round;
here are bubbling springs, artesian wells
throwing their cooling streams like mimic
fountains over grass and flowers. Here
Nature wears through winter and summer
a coronet of flowers, set upon a back
ground Of emerald; yonder she wraps her
self in robe of sand and lives alone in
her mournful silence.
San Bernardino county lies east Of Los
Angeles, and the town of San Bernardino
is 65 miles from the city of Los Angeles.
No county in the State presents such con-
trasts in climate, scenery and productions
as San Bernardino. While you are sitting
under the cooling shade Of the orange tree,
enjoying its golden fruit and inhaling the
fragrance of its beautiful flowers, your eyes
rest on the snowy sheen Of
Mt. ST. DEMANDING
in the near distance, which rises 11,6OO
feet above the plains. The north side of
these mountains is covered with forests and
supply all the building materials used in
the valley. Some rich gold mines have re-
Gently been discovered in these mountains
and miners are focking here in great num-
bers, and the gold fever now runs high.
Miners receive s. per day and generally
have nothing at the end of the month.
There is no doubt much gold in these
mou ntains, and its development viii add
vast wealth to the county, but it will only
come forth at the sound of thai talismanic
word-ldbOr.
Seated on high hill, this charming May
morning, you will indulge me in painting
the
VARIED PANORAMA
which stretches out before me. To the
north and east rise the tall mountains of
San Bernardino and San Jacinto, through
whose livery of snow dark pines lift their
giant forms, Wide to the west COcamongo
ana The San Gabriel Range look lovingly
alike on the orange groves of Los Angeles
and the valley Of the SantO Anna. In a
cleft of the Mount San BernardinO, ''rock-
ribbed and ancient as the sum-" the SantO
Anna river, fresh from its snow-fountain,
issues like a stream of silver and flows
along to its own music in its glad march to
the sea. Along its banks are well-cultivat
ed farms, many of which are adorned by
long rows of willow and cottonwood fences.
At various points, meandering through farm
and meadow, can be seen small streams,
taken from the river, which give life and
growth 20 cereals and grasses. In the near
distance large flock of sheep is grazing,
while the shepherd and his faithful dog
stand sentinel over their trust. This is
truly
AN ARCADIAN PICTURE,
but il is literally true. While gazing upon
IL my heart throbS in Virgillian numbers,
but my poor pen refuses, in its cold materi-
alism, TO paint the pastoral beauty Of the
scene. have seen the fairest landscapes
of Tennessee and Virginia; ! have, from
the Horseshoe Bend on the Pennsylvania
Central Railroad, watched the play of sunset
on the picturesque scenery Of mountain and
valley: have stood on the crest of Sierra Ne
Vada- and seen the morning sunbeam, one
moment throwing a translucent sheen over
an icicle, the next nesting in the heart
of a rose in a California valley.
but ] do not think more enhancing view
of sky or mountain or valley ever greeted
nv ewes. than | now behold from this quiet,
secluded spot. Now, do not want any of
your readers to become so enamOTed of this
Tnastoral scene as to rush out here expecting
10 find such places styling around loose"
Such farms as those in this valley have been
made by labor. Work, wOlk, is the archi-
fect Of such homes, and man who is not
willing to work, had better not come to
California. There is gold here, and the
pick and shovel are the enchanting wand
which brings it to the surface.
a late letter from a gentleman on Broad
street, asks me this question,
81 is CALIFORNIA A GOOD PLACE FOR A
POOR MAN?"
Now, this depends very much Oh what's
in the man. If he has plenty of muscle
and an ordinary amount of brains, and is
willing 70 work, We think it a splendid
place for fum.
I.aboring men on farms get from S25 to
$40 per month and board, and in the mines
g per day. A laborer, perhaps, cannot get
as permanent employment on a farm here
as in Tennessee, or the cotton States, as the
use of agricultural machinery makes the
planting and harvesting of crop the work
of a few weeks, instead of A few months.
I have not vet seen a man anxiOusly hunt
inc for a job who did not find one.
Lands range in this valley from SIS to
500 per acre, but good public lands, on
which good crops of barley or wheat can
be grown without irrigation in ordinary
wears, can be bought, within railroad reser-
vations, at $3.50, and outside of the twenty
mile limit at S1.25.
Living is cheap here-beef 6 to lOc.,
chickens 25e., butter is to DC, flour 500
10 $3.50 per barrel, lard lie, potatoes Il to
&c. per pound. Lumber ranges from SIS
to S35 per thousand feet.
The greatest inconvenience in this conn
try IS the want of good house servants.
INTEREST ON MONEY
ranges from Il to per cent per month,
though rates are cheapening, as San Fran
cisco is flooded with gold and her banks are
Ioaning large sums at e. low as Sper cent
per annum. Money circsIiateS more freely
here than in Nashville. Those who have
money like to see it out in circulation, ana