Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-23
MONkoyIA AND IT'S NEW HOTEL.


w Wonderful Progress of the M odel
Sanitarium of Southern Cali
fornin improvements ON n
Mammoth Scale-A Town Gre.
ated as II by magic-A Delight
ful social Event-The Formal
Opening Of the Grand View
Hotel.
The formal opening of the Grand View
Hotel at Monrovia Tuesday night at
tracted large and distinguished attend
ance from Los Angeles, Pasadena and
abroad to the banquet and ball which
the event. Monrovia
has grown into household word in
Southern California, of late. tits named
after Mr.. w. N. Monroe, the energetic
and indefatigable gentleman who has
won laurels in California, Texas and
Mexico as a railway builder. He, in
common with Hon. j. f. Crank, Judge
j. d. Bicknell and Mayor Spence
can claim the honor of being the creators
of this, the newest and most promising
candidate for public favor as the eclectic
sanitarium and center for homes of
Southern California. Only short seven
months ago and Monrovia had no exist
ence. To-day the place has valid claims
for recognition as one of the best estab-
lished towns in Southern California. 1t
has postotfice, drug store, millinery
and dressmaking establishments, stores
for general merchandise, lumber yard,
real estate offices (of course), restaurants,
two hotels, with another on the tapis;
telephone office, livery stables and a rail-
way depot, and it will soon have another
railway connection the line of which, by
the way, we have authentic advices, will
pass through the town. In addition,
two churches, of the Baptist and Method
ist persuasion, are near completion. They
are of elegant design and quite expen.
sive in construction, rivaling in dimen-
sions and finish any edifiee possessed by
either denomination in the city of Los
Angeles. This young and ambitious if
nascent city does nothing by halves, al d
simply anticipates her quite evident des-
tiny as the brightest it the last of the
ideal home regions and invalid resorts OF
Southern California.
A SPLENDID PROJECT.
The gentlemen who conceived the
project of creating this unique place
showed as much wisdom and liberality
as enterprise. Having purchased some
fifteen hundred acres of the Santa Anita
rancho from Mr.. 4. j. Baldwin, aud
having added to this tract some two
hundred acres bought from other own
ers in the direction of the Duarte, they
at once began to clear off the brush and
develop water. Having purchased half
the water of the Sauta Anita creek and
OF the Saw Pit canon they proceeded to
carry it in eemented pipes all over their
tract. Before they sold lot they had
expended probably one hundred thou.
sand dollars in tLis work of assuring
prosperity to the settlement, rain or
shine. Monrovia is absolutely indie
pendent of the weather clerk, having a
perennial supply of pure water from the
Sierra Madre range of mountains, which
affords the town such picturesque and
majestic background. Located at an
altitude of between twelve and thirteen
hundred feet. the air there is indescriba
bly, health.giving and stimulating. The
writer is closely acquainted with the
climatic peculiarities of most sections of
California, and he has no hesitation in
pronouncing this the most attractive aud
-ff ranin,, ~, Stot Sc.
sons afflicted with asthma, bronchitis,
catarrh, and similar ailments. The
atmosphere realizes in its most radical
sense the meaning of the word "balmy I"
But the place is in no wise dependent on
the patronage of the valetud nary. 1t
is and will continue to be prosperous
because here the wealthy man can create
an ideal home, in which he will be sur.
rounded by his own vines and fig trees,
supplemented by the orange, the olive
and the pomegranate; while the indus.
trious man can make upon his tive acres
more net money than the farmer of the
Mississippi Valley can hope for off of
whole quarter section of farming land
Amongst the first settlers drawn to
Monrovia by it's manifold attractions
was Col. Samuel B. Kiefer, the proprie.
:or Of the Grand Central Hotel, of New
York City. The Colonel at once real.
lied the possibili les of the place and
purchased hundred acres, which he is
in fine style. He has had
ample reason TO thank his stars. as his
investment has paid him handsomely.
1t was the hotel erected by Col. Kiefer
which was formally opened Tuesday.
This experienced and sagacous caterer
has announced to the writer his purpose
to erect much larger hotel on com.
knoll at the foot of the noun.
tains. En- PEASANT, we may say that the
thoroughfares of Monrovia are laid out
on the modern plan, at right angles,
those running east and west having the
names of trees and those running north
and south bearing the names of flowers
At the intersections Of the streets there
are water gates, and all the thirsty way
farer has to do is to drop dipper into
the clean cement opening to quench
his thirst with the most sparkling
mountain water in the world. We
ought not to omit to state that there
are twelve buildings now in course of
erection in the town, and that many
costly residences are in contemplation
for the immediate future, one of them
including a $4,000 home which
Mr.. Remi Nadeau will shortly erect
on a slightly eminence. These build
ing coignes of vantage are quite numer-
Gus, owing to conformation of the
ground arising from the gradual slope
from the foot of the mountain towards
the valley. On two capital knolls Judge
Blcknell and Hon. E. F. Spence are also
about to put up elegant and substantial
editices.