The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1888-02-23
FROM THE PACIFIC.
Letter From Miss Jessie Bum.

possible during the past week to find TIM
: to write you-and when I have day O.
, rest am too tired to move pen. Las
Saturday we party of four, started fol
Santa Barbara, taking advantage of thu
cheap rate ticket, good for four days. Il
proved very profitable trip, and one o1
the most beautiful rides of a hundred an6
twenty miles I have yet found. Yet
we passed through some desolate looking
country, fit for nothing but to grow i'm
mense cactus-and again large tracts OF
level, sandy, pebbly-looking soil, which
in Ohio would be called desert, but here
with irrigation produces the finest OF
oranges and raisin grapes. Yet such land
as this will in few years be the garden
spot of California. Men are at work on
every side blasting artesian wells, and
laying pipes preparatory to irrigation
The most beautiful orange groves and
finest vineyards are now being cut up into
town lots, and the now unsettled country
will have to produce the fruits and take
the honors. After leaving San Buena-
so closely that in looking out windows
you seem at the waters edge. For twen-
| ty miles we followed this course of travel
and had a fine opportunity viewing the
grand old Pacific in all her various moods.
| Lovely little Santa Barbara, nestled in
| between the verdant foothills, with her
| feet at the ocean-thus hemmed in on all
sides, she seems a willing prisoner. s.
A., the title of "The City of Roses" !"
Here you see the typical California rose ::
lawns are hedged in by them, walks and
drives bordered by them. Verandas over
hung with them-and last of all, here
materializes the photographed rose-tree
of the Ohio nurseryman. I now expect
daily to meet with the strawberry tree.
Sunday morning we thought to attend
services at the old Spanish Mission. Ar
riying there too late, we were shown
through the church, the inside of which
was very handsomely frescoed. The
paintings on the walls showed age more
than the other furnishings. One was
especially interesting to me-a represen-
tation of Purgatory, where the halfway
Christian pays penance. The priest told
me that there would be if not baptized.
We could not agree as to who would de-
serve Purgatory. This is the best pre-
served Mission in the State-but could
hardly believe that they had celebrated
their centennial some two years past; yet
when you think of walls five feet thick
and the tile roof-it seems indestructible.
We were taken up into one of the towers
and allowed to look down into their sa-
r1a xrrha fha 0f
never trod. There the monks were walk
ing about leisurely, some resting in rustic
seats, others lingering around the foun-
tain. But eight or nine stay in the build
ing. Those old Spanish priests surely
worked faithfully and have showed con-
siderable courage to travel from old Mex
leo and establish themselves among the
savages, and endeavor to evangelize them.
In order to do this they made slaves of
them, and this mission was built by these
Indians. In the afternoon we drove out
to Monicite Valley, in order to see the
famous grapevine, companion to the one
that was taken to the Centennial in the
East. The one now standing is said to
have borne twenty tons of grapes in one
season. One might believe it when the
trunk of the vine is two feet in diameter.
1t is mammoth vine, calling forth a
mammoth story in regard to its product
iveness. The valley is very fine in it's
way, differiny greatly from the level San
Gabriel Valley near Los Angeles. The
many hills of Monicite are literally COW
cred with immense live oaks. the limbs
of which are festooned with gray moss.
The damp atmosphere here favors the
growth of lichen, which covers even the |
new board fences. Altogether the scenery |
is very picturesque surrounding Santa
Barbara. Wenext visited the large PAM |
pas and olive orchards. By the way, 1
have learned to like picked olives, and |
am convir ced thereby that eatables need |
not be sweet to be palatable.
Returned to Los Angeles Tuesday even |
ing. Wednesday met Mr.. Forgrave from
Oskaloosa. He offered us ticket to Hes |
peria, prospective town beyond San Ber
nardino, and as we intended to go to Riv- |
easide, seventeen miles below San Ber- |
we thought it an opportunity |
not to be lost. So the following day we |
started, three ladies and two gentlemen, |
the real estate men, thinking that five |
land buyers were going to Hesperia to |
invest, when we stopped off this side and |
ran down to Riverside. l don't feel as |
though we were cheating, for they make |
enough money anyway, and can afford to |
lose five railroad tickets. On arriving at |
Riverside near noon, we Immediately pro-
cured carriage to drive to the little town.
Imagine drive of two miles between
exquisite homes and lawns-the streets
bordered with palms and orange trees
then turn into Magnolia avenue, the
FAMED avenue of California, and drive for
ten miles along double track divided by
pepper, eucalyptus, palms, century plants,
and the squares marked by a
outside being similarly |
outside of that, between
fine residences, orange groves fenced off
by a smooth hedge of cypress-and here,
and only here, you find perfect seedless
sweet oranges, the trees ready to break
down with their burden of golden fruit.
do not suppose that such another drive
exists in the world-and not again in this
State shall we see such orange groves.
The business part of the place is dull
very dull-surprisingly so. By o'clock
we were ready to return to Pasadena to
visit over Sunday. Sunday DR.. Nc
invited US to drive over to Sierra Madre
Villa, some six miles from Pasadena and
at the base of the foot-hills-a very large
airy hotel with very nice grounds sur
it-altogether a very nice place
to drive for lunch. giving plenty of time
to visit on our return G. d. Uucky) Bald
wins ranch of $1,000 acres of the best i'm
proved land in California. The beautiful