Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-09-13
The Pacific Coast.
PORTLAND, Oregan, Aug. q,


Ed. Register-Since wrote last, In
March, have seen some of the towns
and country on this coast, which will
try to describe. When I arrived In
Los Angeles, CAL, my first stopping
place, I found it to be very pretty
aud lively town of $4,000 inhabitants,
on q small stream of the same
name, and eighteen miles from the
ocean. It is surrounded by high hills
covered with green grass and clumps
Of trees. The whole town reminded
me of q nicely kept park or flower gar
den. The orange orchards, with trees
loaded with fine yellow fruit, are beau
tiful. Los Angeles Is the principal
town in Southern California, and all
kinds of business is prosperous. There
are about two counties of fine land
around the city that produce we'll
when irrigated. It rains sometimes
sufficiently to produce q good crop;
but farmers cannot depend on the
rains, as there have been twenty-five
months without any rain at all. The
principal crops grown are barley and
alfalfa. The fruits are oranges, lem
ons, lines and grapes. We spent two
weeks in the fiowery town very pleas
antly, and one morning at five O'Clock
took the train for Calico Camp, a new
silver mine on the A. & p. r. R., about
two hundred miles northeast Of Los
Angeles. The train was not crowded,
and we were enjoying the trip, until
nine o'clock, when we ran into sand
storm on the Mojave Desert, within
about six miles of the station where is
the junction of the 8. P. 4 A. P rail-
roads. Finding there were several
trains in the town already, and sand
bound, we camped for the night at the
place where we struck the storm, to
listen to the whistling wind or to sleep
until morning. When we awoke in
the morning the sun was shining
brightly, but the wind was still blow
ing at fearful rate. Most of the pas
sengers, having had no supper or
breakfast, felt like looking for hotel.
BY eleven o'clock. there having been
about a hundred Cinnamon at work
shoveling sand, we succeeded in get
ting into town. The sand had drifted
on the track from three to four feet
deep. Trying to walk facing the storm
reminds one of q heavy snow storm;
but instead Of the wind carrying with
it soft snow flakes, 1t hurled sand
and small pebbles into ones face and
eyes. At seven o'clock In the evening
we pulled out for Calico. and arrived in
that place at twelve o'clock the same
night. The next morning I went out
to see the town. Besides the depot,
there were six or seven new box hous-
es in q row with the sign "Saloon" on
the front Of each, about the same num-
Der of tents, one blacksmith shop. and
two corrals. These constituted the
town of Calico. Seven miles across
the desert, in the side of one of those
barren mountains, we could see the
mines. Nota living thing In the line of
vegetation was to be seen as far as the
eye could reach except some small sage
brush about two feet high. staid in
the place nearly two months, during
which time we had almost one continu-
al storm. I returned to Los Angeles
by the same route, and there met our
friend DR.. Grissom again, who had
completed q nice house during my
absence from the place. He was not
well then, but has recovered bis health
since left the town.
After remaining in Los Angeles two
days on my return from Calico Camp,
I took steamer for San Francisco
distance 4SO miles. 1 had heard of sea
sickness, and thought only delicate
persons could be made sick by the roll
of the ship; but guess was not cor
rect, as three-fourths of the persons on
board were terribly sick. The ship
was not crowded and the ocean was
smooth, so those who were we'll enough
had very pleasant trip, there being
on board a minstrel troupe which made
fine music and good life for the whole
crowd. We landed at several ports on
the way, and had time to walk out on
the hills and shoot some squirrels
and have "a large time generally"
About forty-two hours run and we
were in the bay at San Francisco; here
we could see vessels from all parts of
the world, and of all kinds. The city
is built OH the high hills and In the
small valleys south Of the bay. The
streets are narrow as q general thing,
and run in every direction, but finally
all come together at Market street; 80
there is no danger OF getting lost. Most
Of the streets are paved with cobble
stone, kind of round flint rock. which
makes them very rough. I visited
several places of amusement, including
Woodward's Garden and the Califor-