Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-06-17


One principal reason is that each year
as new railroads are built more of the
large ranches are subdiyided, and new
tracts are constantly being placed on
the market. Again, many of the set
lers, who came here ten or twelve years
ago when land was much cheaper,
buying from twenty to one hundred
acres-are now selling their orange
groves and vineyards, reserving few
acres for a home. Then we have a
large floating element among our popu-
lation-people who take up new land
and improve it, sell out at good profit
to some one who does not care to
commence from the beginning, and
then move to another locality to repeat
the procedure. In addition, there is
the usual changing from city to coun-
try and the reverse. But if one takes
the trouble to inquire into the cause of
these mutations he will find that few
property owners wish to sell that they
may leave the State. | have never
seen class of people so thoroughly
satisfied with their location as are the
residents of Southern California. And
well they may be, for where can one
find greater diversity of scenery or
more healthful and pleasurable eli
matep
Invalids who come here expecting
to gain a new lease of life make a great
mistake if they remain in the city. 1t
is all folly to suppose that weak,
spiritless creature can win back health
and strength in crowded boarding
house, or by pacing listlessly up and
down the narrow lot on which his cot
tage stands. The price of real estate
in Los Angeles has risen so rapidly dur
ing the last two years that only the
possessor of a comfortable fortune can
obtain ample ground, desirably located,
within the city limits. But few
miles out of town there are number
of charming suburban settlements, =
half village, half country, as they are
often described, and blessed with pure
air and unlimited sunshine, that
seem to be the invalid's paradise. OF
these suburbs, let me give a brief des-
cription of Alhambra- that it is
more highly favored than all the
others, but because | happen to know
more about it.
1t lies in the famous San Gabriel
Valley, six miles from the Sierra
Madre mountains, and seven from Los
Angeles-an hours easy drive to town
over good hard road, or twenty
minutes by the cars. The little village
has several stores, a pharmacy, post
office, telephone Office. and public
nall. A tasteful Gothic church stands
short distace back from the main
avenue, and there are both public and
private schools. Pure spring water
from neighboring hill-canyon is dis
tributed over the entire tract through
iron pipes. The broad streets are de-
fined by hedges of Monterey cyress or
glossy pomegranate, and shaded by
pepper trees, palms, grevilleas, and
other ornamental trees. The tasteful
cottages are built with ample ver-
andas, festooned with ivy or
jasmine, or hidden by wealth
of roses. Here one may live out
of doors from morning till
night, and pick fresh fruit from his own
grounds every day in the year. There
is always something to interest one,
and the days are far too short to carry
out half your plans. You come home
from your neighbors' laden with
"slips" and cuttings, and watch over
them with tender anxiety; you drive
down the long avenues of orange trees,
and stroll through the great vineyards
when the grape vines are in blossom,
reveling in the delicious fragrance; you
picnic in the canyons, and hunt for del
icate ferns and saxifrages; you lie in
the hammock and watch the shadows
on the mountains, and listen to the
mocking-birds; and if you are able, you
devote certain portion each day to
good steady work.
But the great trouble with many peo-
pie who come here seeking to regain
health is that they frequently work toe
hard, believing that with the first ac.
cession of vigor they are perfectly re-
stored to health, and "can do as much
| as anybody. y This is wonderful
climate, but even its most enthusiastic
supporters would hardly claim that
after man has given years of his life
to that process known as ''breaking
down." few weeks or months in this
balmy air are all that are necessary tC
invest him with old-time vigor. So il
is far wiser to make haste slowly, and
give the pure air and blessed sunshine
abundant time to do their work well
Better a plot of ground just larg,
enough to afford healthful recreation
and exercise, than an extensive or
chard, the care of which would be s
constant drain on the owners vitality
1t is very difficult for one who ha:
never visited the Pacific coast to form
a correct idea of California; the State il
so large and possesses such a multi
plicity of climates, including, as i
does, mountains and valleys, coast anC
desert, within its borders. Indeed
each locality may be said to have ;
climate of its own. depending largely
on its elevation above the sea, and it.
situation with regard to the adjacen
mountains and hills. For instance, Sar
Gabriel, which includes Alhambra, i,
the home of the orange and lemon
Some of the oldest and largest grove,
in the State may be found here. Their
is so little frost that tender green hous,
plants thrive the year round in tn,
open air. During the summer plant
and trees require irrigation. Tw,
miles from San Gabriel is belt o
moist land suitable for general farm
ing. Grass grows in the streets sum
mer and winter. crops require no irri
CATION, and orange trees and tende
plants can not be grown in conse
quence of the heavy frosts that occu
during the rainy season.
Therefore, if you wish any informa
ton concerning any particular portion
of California, try and g, + it from res
ident. Do not ask for intelligence o
Southern California-where many o
the children have never seen snow ex
cept on the distant mountain peaks