Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-06-01
Fell Throuxh ntiII.nern.
OUR LOCAL noRrnwEsT.
Where 1t Is = It's Size and Capabili-
ties - Why It Has Been SO Long
Unimproved and Unoccupied =
Bedouins of the Desert.


ties Why It Has Been SO Long
Unimproved and Unoccupied =
Bedouins of the Desert.
Few people Of Los Angeles are aware
Of the immense resources Of the county
Of Los Angeles that are yet unoccupied
the county. between the Sierra Madre
mountains on the south and the Tehache-
pi range on the north, and the Lovejoy
Buttes on the east, is tract Of country
of immense possibilities. II embraces
about 4OO. 900 acres of land that can be
brought under cultivation. The magni.
tude OF the area Is startling, but the fact
remains upaltered and incontrovertible.
Nearly half the tract is called the Mo
jave Desert. But Is only desert SO far
as domestic graius, grasses, fruits and
forests are concerned. The soil is there,
rich and ready for cultivation by the
hand OF man. After the great inland
lake that once covered this land subsidized
by some cataclysm Of nature which
drained the waters down till they were
below tho surface, the robust and ..dvsn.
turous palm, cactus, artemisia aud
heather strayed into the unoocupied
land and were follow ed later by troops
OF beautiful flowers that now restle and
bloom in glory around the quaint and
curious plum, or climb the plant heuth-
er to show their petals to the rising
sun.
Along the edges the clover aud alfiler-
lila are slowly creeping over the great
plain, and forming u source OF food FOL
domestic animals. But man can clear
the land and cover the plain with seeds,
aud go hurry forward the process OF
changing o desert of palms and brush
into gardens, orchards, forests, meadows
and grainfields.
THIS great work was begun last winter
by Mr.. NJ. l.. Wicks, Of thiscity. who pur
clins-d 75 100 acres of this land. partl,
in the desert brush and partly OH the |
rich plains, where the grasses have taken |
the place of the brush. Es has sunk an |
artesian well that sends up large ami
constant stream Of pure, clear water that
Euua AWAY Rtetfy sst'ashp WhAfo - l
part is used to water u garden of young |
fruit trees, vines, melons, corn, potatoes,
and Strawberries; the latter set out in |
March last, and now yielding large and
luscious fruit. This prompt and promis.
ing growth shows that the desert is only |
desert in title but not in fact, and only |
needs planting and cultivation to become
fruitful land. At the station of Lam
caster, water can be obtained at depth
of thirteen feet, so that those who have
not the means to make an artesian well
eau dig a well of their own in two days
time, and have all the water they need
for irrigation and domestic use by mere
ly lifting it thirteen feet. The lift Is
light and can easily be done. In hours
of leisure water can be pumped into ce-
mented reservoirs, which can easily be
made all over the desert, as the raw ina
terials exist for making cement within q
short distance from the places where
they would be needed.
MARBLE AND LINE.
On the southwest side of the desert, at
the foot Of the great Antelope valley, is
a detached hill, or msgDified mound, in
which is quarry Of white limestone
with diamond crystals, making beauti.
full white marble. susceptible of q hne
polish and, when burned in kiln. max
ing an excellent quality Of pure white
lime, suitable for building purposes and
for plastering ceilings and making reser-
voirs. The groupings Of the quarry are
scanned and broken, but it is fair to pre-.
sumo that when the quarry is opened,
the rock will be found to be solid and
suitable for ornamental purposes, man
tells and monuments.
MOUNTAIN STREAMS AND SPRINGS.
On the south side of this land is Rock
Creek, which is three times as large us
the Los Angeles river. During the
flood it ran out over the plain and
formed lake about ten miles long, near
the northern Lovejoy Buttes, where the
water still remains, but the stream now |
sinks into the porous soil of the plain,
while it should be carried in pipes over
25, 900 acres of land. So valuable is this
great stream Of water that at least tif.
teen claimants have filed on the great |
opulent stream in order to secure the |
| pI Iecious fluid, but with so many contest |
ants no one can secure the prize, and the
great stream sinks into the great subter-
ranean lake that lies beneath the desert
and supplies all the mountain streams of
the San Fernando and San Gabriel val
leys with water during the Iainless sum.
mer.
About ten miles west Of Rock Creek is
Sycamore Creek, which in winter is an
audacious stream, and is, even now. on
the first Of June, current hundred
feet wide, and running rapidly out on 10
Wild Horse Prairie, where it too joins
the innumerable caravan Of streams that
WRAP the drapery Of their couch about
them and lie down" beneath the desert
soil. Near Alpine station is another
stream that could be turned out ON the
plain in pipes. At distances of few
miles apart are springs from the north
slope Of the Sierra Madre, extending
from Alpine to the Ventura county line,
which could furnish water for hundreds
of families. In the central part Of the
valley artesian wells can be procured at
a moderate depth. On the north side
a spur of the Tehachepi mountains
furnishes large number of springs,
while Cottonwood Creek is largo and
rushing stream, that could be carried
over several thousand acres of the high
eat mesa land. 1t will thus be
seen that the water is beneath the
country and also on two sides of it
and can easily be carried all over the
country so the whole land can be
brought under irrigation and cultivation.
All the fruit trees that were planted
during the past spring appear to be
growing Justify, and grain and vegeta.
bles are fourishing in fine manner.
About fifty inches of rain have fallen on
the tract during the past six months and
the ground is now moist and is being
plowed in many places.
| THE SETTLERS.
About fifty families have recently
settled in this locality and taken up
Government land. Besides an Italian
Colony has taken 5000 acres and q
Scotch company has purchased and gone
to work on GAO acres. An English
company has purchased so, 900 acres and
planted vineyard and orchard and
lot of forest trees, while the Scotchmen
are planting corn and potatoes. The
Italians are cutting down pine trees in
the mountains with which to construct
rustic log house of a quaint design.
They have built one from the trunks Of
palm trees, set up endwise.
CAUSE OF MISREPRESENTATION.
An examination of the country shows
the reason why certain parties in this
city circulated false reports about this
section of the country during the fall
and winter. These parties have settled
about the springs and streams eli her as
sauatters or purchasers of forty oreighty
acres of land, aud from that point have
sent their aocks out to pasture over all
the country. One party purchased forty
acres of land and pastured 10000 acres
with sheep, and got rich and became a
noted capitalist that showed the profits
| of sh.a, urouino This man had lo O0O