Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1881-12-03
Southern California In the Brave
Days of Old.

Days of Old.
We are tempted to take another
chapter from Major Bells "Remin.
iscences of Ranger.n The chap.
ter from which we make our ex'
tracts is characterized by the old
simple and pastoral life of a region
which has been invaded by Amer.
lean push and enterprise, and per-
haps not in all respects advanta.
geously. We quote:
The author ventures the asser.
ton, and without fear of cOntradic.
ton, that no country since the
days of Biblical patriarcbs pre-.
scented such scenes of pastoral
beauty, general prosperity and Ar
cadiau happiness as did California
before the discovery OF gold in '4S
If 1 am correct, before the coming
of the gringo In '46, the Mexican
province of California contained a
population Of 10000, not counting
the Indians. This population ex-
tended along the coast from San
Diego to SonOma, n distance Of say
800 miles. There being only a few
towns, San Diego being first, then
Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San
Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa
Cruz, San Jose, Yerba Buena, and
last of all, going north, Sonoma.
Los Angeles was the largest, con-
tanning population of about 1000.
Next came Santa Barbara an
Monterey, mere villages. Now 1t
lie quite easy for the reader to per-
ceive that the major part of the
population of dwelt on the ranches.
These ranches ranged in size from
one to elevea leagues-that is, in
round mum bers, from five thousand
to fifty thousand acres. The owner
of each rancho possessed from one
thousand to ten thousand head of
horned cattle, and from one or two
hundred to three thousand or four
thousand head of horses, broken
and bronco. The country, even
when the value OF u bullock wss
his hide, tallow aud horns, was
prosperous and meney plenty. The
rancheros dressed well, were we'll
housed, and had an abundance of
store-home produce and of foreign
Importation.
The hospitality Of the California
ranchero was a proverb. A person,
though he may have been stran-
ger to the country born, could
start from San Diego and journey
to Sonoma without its costing him
dollar, and be furnished with u
fresh horse at every rancho, leav-
ing instead the one of the previous
days ride. Such thing as charg-
ing traveller for what he received
would have been considered an act
of excessive meanness. The social
intercourse and amusements of
these isolated people were in keep
ing with their situation. Relig-
ious fiestas we're celebrated at the
Pueblos and Missions with great
pomp and ceremony, and afforded
a pleasant recreation and relief
from the monotopy of ranch life.
When the daughter OF n ranchero
married, the family either gave u
grand fiesta at the rancho or a
bale at the Pueblo or Mission, to
which the whole country were in.
vited, except the lower classes, and
to which the people came some-
times distance of forty leagues or
more, families travelling in their
deliberately fixed up carretas and
the beauX transporting the bellies
before them on their elegant sad
dies, the beau occupying Il seat on
the Group with his bride arm rest
ing on the shoulder Of his fair pas
senger, or enoirclipg her slender
waist. While tho families were
absent on these social expeditions
nothing would go amiss on the
ranches. The mejor-domo aud the
Indian vaqueros would look out
for the herds as though the patron
were present; the grass would
grow and the cattle would thrive
and multiply. These marriage
feasts would be of three or four
days. duration. Dancing 1T night
and horse-racing during the day,
and generally winding up with
bull.fightipg. The religious feasts
celebrated at the churches were
pompous, expensive ami
the most important of
which were the feast of the Holy
Week, Corpus Christi and st.
Johns Day, the latter being de-
voted to cock fighting and kim
dred amusemenls, one of which
was to take live cock, and, after
the feathers from and
greasing his neck, his
body would be buried in the mid
die of the street or road, the creased
neck alone being exposed above
the ground. Now the game WAS
to dash past the buried cock at full
speed on horseback. and lean over
and seize the neck and pull the
cock from the ground-a most diff
ficult performance. On st. Johns
Day, in '53, General Andres Pico,
Jack Powers and Don Jose Sepul-
veda were the principal contest
ants In this exciting sport, Sepul.
veda being the victor Of a we'll
day. The feast of Corpus
Christi was one of peculiar relig.
iOus sbservance-one of process
ions, parades and displays. The
feast of the Holy Week always
ended with tragedy on the Sat-
urday of Glory, in the annual exc
cation of that eminent traitor,
Judas Iscsriot, which was done by
first erecting q gibbet; then an
effigy of. Judas was brought forth
from an imaginary prison, mpunt-
ed on O cart, with his arms PIN
toned, and being guarded by a file
of sol 'iers, was drawn around the
plaza and principal streets, fol-
lowed by tue excited crowd, hooted
at, insulteh and pelted by the boys
and others, and finally. in most
diIapidated and disgracefuI condi-
49,. ,.,a, u m lto1 In fronf nf tha