Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-09-06
BOLSA CHICA.
A New Bathing Place-Santa Monica
Has q Rival-A Moral Community
and q Fine Country.

EDITOR HERALD: 1t may not be
known to all your readers that we
have in our vicinity so interesting a
place as Bolsa Chica. At Anaheim
Landing there is an inlet from the
ocean and considerable bay formed
back of the coast, say half mile,
and along down the coast four miles,
q barrier of sand being between this
Chica, or " Little Pocket" Al the
southern extremity of this there is a
strip of mesa or table land few feet
above high water, which runs out to
a point, making an exceedingly fine
place for wharf, which we hope will
soon he constructed. Here, again, is
where the water rushes in and out
with the tide, and in one place not
over $50 yards distant from the other.
This forms a larger basin, and also, 1
think, is the outlet Of the Santa Ana
river. This is called Bolsa Grande,
Large Pocket" The region around, in
Guiding both, comprises large grant,
marked, on the maps of the grants,
Las Bolsas, 1.-THE Pockets"
On this point, between the two and
where the wharf is located, my fam
lily have camped q month or two, and
have enjoyed as excellent sea-bathing,
think, as can be found anywhere.
AS bathing place it is far superior to
Santa Monica; shallow water con-
siderable distance, bottom as smooth
as a carpet, and being exactly on the
lee side of Catalina Island, the waves
are very gentle, so that the most deli
cate ladies can withstand their force
1t has not the advantage of trees,
valley and water for drinking that
Santa Monica has, but for bathing and
fishing it is far superior. When the
wharf is made, an artesian well bored
and other conveniences arranged, it
will certainly be fashionable water
ing place. Since we came here others
have come and camped near us, and the
Westminster colony people turn out in
force twice week and, withal, make
it exceedingly pleasant-for they are
truly the finest set of people one can
meet with in an age.
One excellence of this place Is that
the Lord 5 day is sacred. Nobody comes
to have sport, to hunt or fish on this
day; but Oh Tuesdays and Fridays,
particularly, there have been so many
families here as sometimes TO make
over so persons, and no word of pro-
family, or even slang, to make ones
ears tingle, as in so many places in
California.
To-day we prevailed on "Uncle Joe,"
| the old fisherman, to let us have his
| seine. We put it on our shoulders and
waded out through the waves "to let
| down the net for draught," 1.-TWO
preachers, one doctor, one judge, etc.,
and we hauled ashore twice, half
| bushel or more of fish each time. We
"gathered the good into vessels and
| cast the bad away.n We thought of
the Kingdom of Heaven being like 1t;
and with sadness, for the greater part
were bad.
There were great bull-eyed, long
tailed monsters, with flippers like bats,
some stinging rays, some founders
(which we find the very finest of fish
to eat), and other good fish, so that all
could have fine mess of the good.
We did not ''cast away the bad fish
into the sea again; we took great clubs
and broke the back of every one OF
them. The ladies, after having sc
many pleasant baths, when they
looked on these began to think bath.
ing dangerous; but there seems to be
no trouble when one goes dashing and
splashing into the water, for the sting
ray cannot burrow in the hard sand sc
as to be trod upon, but like another
fish is scared away when lively
folks bathe. In the inlets, where they
find soft mud, it would be dangerous
but never can be in the clear wate
and smooth bottom of Bolsa Chica !
any care is taken. Inthe inlets, larg'
cribs might be made to keep out th'
rays and keep people off the bottom
where swimming schools could be es
tablished and every one taught t.
swim.
A quarter of mile back and littl
south of this place is thousand acre
or more of fine high land, which Will Gel