The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-10-14
Foothill Farms Of California.

Horace Greeley's advice, Go West,
young man." has had the changes rung
upon it until it sounds very ridiculous.
Yet tho pioneer men and wOmen-thOse
who have had enterprise enough to
move On-have as class been success
full. Many of them know something
about the pinch Of poverty. They
would not have moved on had they
been in more comfortable circumstan-
ces. During the last five or six years a
great deal has been written about the
fOothiIl farming, and much of the adj
vice given has been from those who
knew little about it. They have no re-
suits with which to f0rtify their theO-
ries. Not every man is the gamer who
goes to the foothills. He must isolate
himself from society. because in the
nature of things the foothills can never
be thickly settled. Here and there set
Elements will DO sufficiently near to
form neighborhOOds; that is. within q
radius of five or six miles there will be
enough settlers for district school. II
voting precinct and. perhaps. a small
church. But If only pastoral in
dustries are prosecuted, even y dis
trict school could not be established.
nor post office in so limited an area.
Here and there We have isolated in
stances where very attractive home
steads are created in the foothills. The
owners are not rich. and perhaps nev-
or will be. But they are prosperous in
a small way. and. what is better, are
contented. OAe practical illustration
Of theory goes great way.
The thousand Of travellers who in
former years passed over the Santa
Cruz Mountains by stage will remem-
Der the long ascent of the dusty noun
tain. part of the way skirting along
the Los GatOs. reaching depression Of
the summit at an elevation Of about
1000 feet, and descending into red
wood forest on the other side. About
the only settler seen for some miles af-
ter passing Lexington was Mountain
Charley" who kept the toll gate on
the summit and whose profile had been
somewhat disarranged by bear. q
circumstance of particular interest to
boys whose appetites had been sharp
ened by reading Pioneer Adams bear
stories. A single Spanish grant. the
San Augustine rancho, covered an i'm
mense tract from Monterey Bay TO the
summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains
little to the east and southerly of the
stage road. Westerly along the sum-
mits of the mountains. copses Of woods.
sunny slopes, bare hillsides. heavily
wooded ravines in which water ran all
the year. 1t was an unimprOved coun-
try. Here wOodmen were found strip
ping tanbark, cutting cordwOOd or get
ting out "shakes." They made no
improvements and apparently wanted
none.
This description would fairly apply
to all that mountainous country for
quarter of q century. But within the
last six or seven years there has been
remarkable change. 1t is ten or twelve
years since the earlier pioneer began to
plant small vineyards. These were re-
markably productive. Some of the
best table grapes ever exhibited in this
market were grown very near the sum-
nit of tho Santa Cruz Mountains The
growth was slow until the new depar-
ture was made in viticultural interests
five or six years ago. There is now in
the Santa Cruz Mountains, eastward Of
the old stage road. on the northerly
end of the San Augustine ranch, one
of the most intelligent and prosperous
communities to be found in California
or anywhere on the Pacific coast.
Without making an accurate census.
We should say that something like one
hundred families and little way down
the slopes at elevations varying from
1900 to 1000 feet, and within u radius.
say. of six miles from Wright's. The
land which they occupy could have
been bought few years ago at prices
ranging from $l.25 to So an acre.
Much of it is waste land, aud always
will be-that is, it is too rough for vine-
yards. although not so rough as that
which is now covered by some of tho
more notable vineyards along the
Rhine. Nearly all the settlers have
vineyards ranging from five acres up To
forty and fifty acres. Only one of these
larger areas came under personal OBJ
servation. Besides vineyards, nearly
every settler has an orchard, with
good variety Of fruit trees. including
apple, peach. pear, plum, apricot and
prune. These orchards are remark
ably thrifty; hardly sign Of destruc-
tive insects was noted. although it was
reported that they had been found at
some points.
The dense foliage and vigor of these
trees was noticeable in all the orchards.
There is no irrigation, either in vine
yard or orchard, and none ever need.
ed. Orange trees were found growing
at several points. the fig was already
lipe, early apples and pears were fall
ing to the ground, and the plum trees
we'll loaded with fruit. Most of the
orchards were young, and not yet in
full bearing, and this might be said of
many of the vineyards. But already
considerable number Of the latter are
yielding handsome revenue, some OF
the table grapes finding their way to
the Chicago market. Here is q noun.
tain community of something like three
hundred persons living in great COM
fort, and with the promise of abundant
prosperity, on land which for quarter
of century no settler wanted. There
are two school districts, a place of pub
lie worship. literary society, and two
summer hotels filled with guests during
the warm season. New hOmesteads are
being constantly created.
OF course the railroad has made
these mountain submits more accessi-
BILE. and has done much to accelerate
the progress of settlement. Near the
extreme southerly end of this noun
tain community Judge Miller, long
Judge of the Supreme Court Of Illinois.
and one of the pioneers in the settle
ment of the beautiful town of Rock
ford, ILL.,. has an extensive vineyard and
one of the handsomest country resi-
dcnces in the mountains. This pioneer
is about seventy years old. but in still o
young man In enthusiasm and vigOr OF
mind, and rejoices in his mountain
home. where he will be content to
spend the remainder Of his life. Here
is q practical illustration Of what
may be done in the way Of 'foothilr'
farming. For although many of these
vineyards are at an elevation of two
thousand feet, that elevation would on
~ carry one into tho foothills Of the
Sierra. What has been accomplished in
this instance is only the beginning of
the end. At no distant day there may
yet be q hundred other instances as
notable rs the one here cited.
Care in the Use Of Postal Cards.