Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1885-07-16
Our California Letter.
Los Angeles, June 25, 1885

about our journey and what l think
of California. We had very pleas
ant trip which occupied eight days
and nights continuous travel. The
journey did not seem long or tedious;
indeed we were greatly surprised to
find the time pass away so quickly.
This could be accounted for in this
way: Going by the emigrant OK
cursion party we commenced to get
acquainted at Chicago and by the
time we arrived at Kansas City we
felt as though we were pretty well
acquainted with all in the car, then
all the remainder of the journey just
seemed as though we were all old
friends out on an excursion party.
After leaving Kansas pnr line of
travel lay through very barren and
desolate looking country. Colorado,
New Mexico and Arizona Territory
are complete deserts where the Santa
Fee & Atlantic and Pacific railroads
crosses them. For hundreds of
miles there was not stream of wat
Ell to be seen and now aud then for
fifty or one hundred miles the road
would run through old lava beds.
The scenery across the mountains
was grand, that is if you could adj
mire great bare rocks that took on
every imaginable shape and form,
many of them looked like old forti-
fed cities, others like old churches
and ruined castles and in regard to
color, some were red, white and
brown, others almost black and
among those mountain peaks and
passes the railroad took a winding
serpentine course. In one place we
crossed canyon Canyon Diaboli)
500 feet wide and $50 feet deep. The
sides were all solid rock and the bot
tom was as dry as the desert sandy
plain above. The train stopped for
20 minutes on the bridge in order
that we might the better see this
wonderful rent in the earth's sur
face.
Here and there along the route
were a few Indian villages. Their
huts were built of adobe (black clay),
there were no doors or windows but
ladders were used to climb up and
over the walls. There is not any
need of roofing for in that climate it
scarcely ever rains, sometimes not
for five or six years. We visited Las
Vagas and drank of the hot water
from the springs and of course won.
dered where all this water was heat
ed, how far it came after being heat
ed, if the same great fire that made
this hot water had also made the
eruptions that produced the great
lava beds near by, if it was it that
kept Mt. Aetna in excitement, if
Vesuvius and Stromboli depended
on the same great heater for their
supply of liquid fire and if the hot
springs of Ireland also paid tribute
to it; how was this fire caused?
Was it by chemical combustion or
otherwise? How long had it been
burning? Was it on the increase?
l: SO, how long would it be until it
dissolved all of this earth's crust?
The Colorado canyon is 1000 feet
deep and in some places the banks
are almost perpendicular and am
told that when at the bottom of it
the stars can be seen at MONDAY.
After crossing the Colorado river at
the Needles there was gradual in
crease of vegetation as we approach
ed the Pacific ocean. The principal
growth was cactus of which there
are several species. Some of them
grow to be quite large trees. The
London (Eng.) Times Company have
purchased 10000 acres of this land
for the cactus trees. 1t is cut into
blocks like wood and ground in mills
and pressed into packages and
shipped to England where it is manu-
featured into paper. The railroad
runs close by one of the mills. 1t is
worked by an overshot wheel and
run by mountain stream.
The Indians on the plains are very
fierce looking and are painted from
head to foot-the pant / suppose
being cheaper, cooler and more dur
able than clothing of which there is
a very meagre supply. The prettiest
squaws wear clothing and beads and
bang their hair.
Los Angeles is city of 35, 900 and
is growing very rapidly. Nearly
two-thirds of the people here came
for their health. There is an abun-