Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-08
APRIL FLOWERS.
A spring Days. Ride Through
the San Gabriel Valley.

in a quiet ride through the San Cab.
riel Valley. A start was made at a
little after nine O'Clock, and as good
team had been provided, excellent
time was made from the beginning
The roads are in excellent condition
all over the county; the grass on the
hills and plains is knee-high barley
and wheat are almost ready to head
out; the vineyards are Just putting
out their new foliage; the oranges
are yellow as gold, and the
blossoms for next years crop are just
coming out, SO are the blossoms on
the olive trees. At the eastern limits
of the city it was observed that some
progress is being made in converting
the triangular piece of land owned
by the city from an unsightly waste to
a pretty park. Speed the pillow in
this good work 1t is needed i'm
provement. AT Aurant, the South
ern Pacific Company is putting in a
big lot of additional sidetrack to ac-
commodate the ever-increasiug busi-
ness OF the road.
Reaching Romona, it is seen that
the Rapid Transit Railroad people are
pushing their enterprise with all
possible dispatch. a train was there
loading iron to take to the point
where track-laying is being done.
Mrs. Boone's new h ,use at Romona
IL nearly finished. 1t is near the
eastern edge. OF the town site, on the
block adjoining that recently selec ted
by the Romona press colony. To the
north of the Southern Pacific track, a
great gang of men are busy putting
the vineyards Of the San Gabriel
Wine Company in order. The same
busy efforts are to be noted in all parts
Of the valley.
At the Alhambra a great many
substantial improvements arrest the
eye on all sides, This place is grow
ing rapidly into one Of ideal beauty.
The Southern Pacific depot at this
point is a very pretty structure, and
here also gang Of wo. kmen was en-
gagged in preparing to lay side tracks.
Beyond Alhambra the picturesque old
Mission San Gabriel is passed, with
its church 100 years old.
Then East San Gabriel is reached,
where a pretty new depot has been
built on the old Gibbs place, where
the road north and south crosses the
railroad near the Gibbs house. To
the left is the new hotel, just built by
the enterprise of Mr.. L. w. Dennis,
Mr.. John P. Sanborn and their bust
ness associates. This is on the Clapp,
Wilson or Wicks place-for the prop
erty has been owned by all of these
parties. The site is one of the most
perfect in Los Angeles county. The
ground lies high the new house
is surrounded by fine old oaks,
and also by a very good orchard
OF deciduous and citrus fruit. The
view of the great mountains from this
point is unsurpassed. Not only the
range stretching from above Pasa dena,
past Monrovia, and eastward for 100
miles is in full view; but the trine
Titanic peaks all capped with snow,
San Antonia, San Bernardino and San
Jacinto, are seen, perhaps to better
advantage than from almost any
other point in the country.
The grounds around the hotel are
being laid out in fine style. The
company has an abundance of the
purest, coolest water from an artesian
we'll at 250 feet higher elevation on
the Titus. ranch, some two miles fur
ther up the mesa. In front of the
hotel runs a broad avenue. To the
south it runs past the Old Mission,
and thence to the Puente hills; to the
north it passes the far-famed Sunny
Slope and Lamanda Park, and thus
reaches the mountains. This section
of country surpasses everything for
pleasant drives and interesting points
to visit.
!. The hotel contains 125 rooms. The
edifice is one of the most picturesque
in this section, and everything about
it is calculated with a view to the
comfort of its guests. Ample halls
reach through it in all directions;
wide verandas encircle it on two
floors; graceful towers crown it and
give view unsurpassed in the land;
it has rooms single and en- suite; bath
rooms private and public; parlors,
reading rooms, places for amusement,
fine dining rooms, and, in
fact, it is perfect rural
hotel with all the elegances
of the best house in the city. The
men Of the Los Angeles Furniture
Company are now busy at work lay
ing down as fine line o. body brus-
sells carpets as can be found. The
house is to be furnished in an excel
lent style in all respects. 1t will be
opened about the 1st OF June, Mr.. J.
j. Martin, who has won such marked
distinction for the manner in which
he conducted the Palmyra Hotel at
Orange, being secured to manage the
new hostelry.
Having inspected the new hotel the
party sped on beneath double lines of
lorlly eucalyptus trees which align
the big avenue, until the old Foord
and Titus ranches were reached.
Here halt was made and lunch en-
joyed under spreading oaks century
old. The day was perfect, the skies
clear, the air balmy, the fields aglow
with the hues of a thousand varieties OF
flowers. The water from liberal ar
tesian we'll flowed softly into a big
basin under the trees, and thence ran
off into miniature lake beneath a
grove of great oaks. Here is the
orthern limit of the lands of the
great San Gabriel Land and Water
Company. The whole contains hoo
acres Of the finest soil, most charm.
ingly situated, with abundance o.
pure artesian water, and under the
most genial skies in the world.
After lunch the return trip was
made via the Shorb, Dobbins and
Fargo places, the north side of tht
Alhambra and East Los Angeles. AL
the way the fields are literally decket
with flowers, and look as charming az
any landscape the eye ever rested on
The party reached home at littl
after 3 O'Clock, and voted the picni'
as pleasant as any they ever were at