The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-05-13
MONTEREY.

First Planted in CalifOrnia---1he Old Mis-
siOns and MissiOnaries---Hoteld del MoAte---
Grounds Bays and Drives---A Realm or Ko-
nance.
april showers and spurts of sunshine were
holding high carnival upon the mountain
tops as / boarded a train on the Southern Pa
cifc, one day In San Francisco, bound tor Mon.
terey. 1t was matter of doubt which had
the advantage, but when the former got the
drop" on "Old SOL" the flood gates would
open and then down would come the "dew"
in torrents. every drop OF which was equal to
golden ducat" in the estimation of the
people of San Francisco. In the midst Of one
of these treasury showers the train pulled out
and slowly made Its way through the most
undressing portion of the city, and soon
reached the country with its varied landscape
of beautiful villages, dotted with elegant
homes, nesting amidst orchards, vineyards
and low, verdant hills. The entire journey
is an ever changing panorama of delightful
views of ocean, bay, vale and mountain. The
hills of San Francisco disappear in the dis
lance, and Lone Mountains" cross-crOwned
summit grew dim through the storm as our
train gl'ded on through lovely valley region,
beautiful in its carpeting of green and profu-
sion of wild flowers, and picturesque with Its
background of mounded hills and mIst.capped
mountains Soon a glimpse of the bay opens
to our view, and for miles we have its blue
waters on our left which gradually recedes
and then the valley opens more grand and
beautiful than before. On bounds our tram
through this garden of beauty, now stopping
for moment at some pleasant little town and
then away through forests of cypress, pines,
palms and eucalyptus, all Of which seem to
welcome and bow a recognition as we pass.
and now we enter the Santa Clara the finest
and lovelest valley in all California. Hem
med IN on the left by high ridge which ex.
cludes the hot breezes from the east, and walled
from the cold winds of the Pacific by the
"mistcapped" mountains of the Santa Clara
range, on we go amidst the most beautiful
scenes that art combined with nature has been
able to attain. Here are spots of level plains
gentle fluctuations, graceful slopes, abrupt
hills, and all carpeted with mantle of green,
wild flowers, intermlngled with those of more
modest hues, and all constituting lovely par
terre which is pleasing to the eye and appeals
with an irresistible charm to the mate sense
of the beautiful
Mayfeld and Mountain View glide quickly
by and then
SANTA CLARA,
with Its great Jewish college, ana the ancient
mission of the "Padres," jnow entering on its
second centennial, appears and, judging from
appearances, good for ages yet to come This
is the second oldest mission IN the state; it
was founded in TIT, and later on, IN 1851.
when California was in her infancy, the new
and magnificent college and church so much
admired, was added.
SAN JOSE
(san Ho.yay), "The Beautiful" "The Garden
City" of California, and by all odds the hand
soonest of any on the Pacific coast, is next
reached 1t is situated IN one of the most
charming spots of this lovely valley, away
from the hard winds and thick fogs of
the ocean, where SHOWS never fall and the eX-
IRENE heat Is never felt, and on this account is
regarded as the favored spot of all California
in which to live and, if there is any pleasure
in the saying, "a heavenly place in which to
die" But as a brief mention of even few of
Its many attractions would require letter in
themselves l will leave the readers OF the
FREE TRADER to draw on their Imagination
and picture in their minds eye the many
charming attractions of San Jose
And now our train glides on down the val.
ley, through groves of pines, orchards and
gardens, where bloom the orange, the fig, the
olive and other varieties, now gorgeous in
their spring blossoms. And what can be more
charming than springtIme IN the land of
Flora? California" says Hon. Ben. c. Tru
man l.. lis Occidental Sketches" a work that
afforded your correspondent many pleasant
hour on the long journey overland to the au
thor of this interesting work am indebted
for personal favors while on the coast, espe
clally my visit to Monterrey, California is the
home OF Flora, where almost every flower that
grows on earth and in the water under the
earth-those that are found from Greenland's
ICY mountains to India's coral strand attain
perfection on the western slope of the Sierra
Nevadas. They are most profuse in variety,
most gorgeous IN color, and most prodigal In
perfume" A thousand different hues greet
the eye at every turn, and the tlniest foot that
ever tramped around the court house square
in Ottawa and this with all due respect to the
ladies OF Ottawa, who, I'm told, are noted for
their small feet ~, could scarce touch the
ground without crushing the life from out
some of those emblems
AS our tram glides on night rolls down
from the mountains and twilight departs