The sun., 1888-04-22
SPREADING OYER THE CoUNTRK.
The Scent or Orange Risssonss Fiiis the Air.
Bmt the Town Lat is Not Ferrettcn.

But the Town Lat 10 Not Forgotten.
The boom In outside property began early.
The land In Los Angeles and the neighboring
districts was pretty soon substantially sold out
or hold at prices that we're then thought to be
too near the top to afford much chance of fur
ther profit, and tho enterprlsing spectators
spread NIL over tho surrounding country, the
fields most extensively cultivated at first being
Los Angeles. San Bernardino. and San Diego
counties. though the city OF San Bernardtno
and the region thereabout had had an extern
sive boom. which was still progressing: and
San Diego had developed boom which spread
into the neiGhboring territory.
The State OF California Is TO miles In length
and $50 miles In breadth. Los Angeles county
is two-thirds as big as the State OF Massachu-
setts San Bernardino county is as big as the
State OF West Virginia, and San Diego county
is as big as Massachusetts, Connecticut, and
Rhode Island combined. In oil these counties
there are more or less mountains and desert
lands, and in the two last,named there is u
tain ranges are lofty and majestic. Leaving
the desert out OF consideration, the country IL
sSs ,ns sngs pSns 81 ase s Sh
clu1es SUBSTANTIALLY the desirable parts Of the
leys are MAGNIFICENT. and there are many lovely
smaller valleys The region is practically tree ,
es ons the ns o0s Of OF ns
in some Of the valleys, near the coast Much OF
the soil Is wonderfully pr9ductivei NO region
districts It Is uniform and very deep. in others
thin. Soils varying In color and characteristics
may be found In the same district. and adl3p- lp
varying elevations presented by the country.
and the sheltering protection OF mountains. or
termining the use to which the soil shall he
put. The rainy season Is In the winter and
all this land requires irrigation Tho climate n ate
termined mainly by elevation. On some Of the
loftier mountains snow may be seen eight
bns Il Does se nos IN 1 Rasys
places frosts sometimes occur. The climate Is
most uniform on the coast. and the variations r.
Siariy Inhabited region, in the Colorado desert.
the mercury has reached lS5'. and l2O ID
scarcely considered remarkable.
On the coast the mercury does not frequently
get above 9Oo in the summer season, Back In
the country the summer days are often much
warmer, but the dryness Of the atmosphere
makes the heat much more tolerable than in
preyas Iae aai in the sfternoon and the lights
always cool. To this region OF manifold nat
ural ATTRACTIONS. where S also almost anything Y
and which had already in some of its parts
drawn settlers, the spectators now invited at
paralleled in the history Of the settlement Of
the country.
1t should be said that IT was not WnOlly un-
settled region. Besides the few heretofore re-
ferred to as having bought land In the early
days there had been, even before the railroads
creased somewhat after the first opening Of
rail communication. Some orange trees had
been planted; and at few scattering places
real progress had been made In the cultivation
OF fruit. and few modest little towns had been
started. These earlier buyers got lands very
tpaet Of SIS aeres in WHAT then
sidersd desirable location. and which Is now
rnPdg 0 for sl an acre aea
that $500 an aero Tor the whole tract would bs
some instances there have been very much
greater advances from still smaller pur-
Great tracts of land we're bought by specu-
lators and subdivded and sold in tracts to suit
purchasers Somo of the spectators were
none. The capitalists risked their money. the
others took the chances ofcoming out ahead
and al Of s d S sas TSa Tss 81
the values Of lands lifted the earlier large buy
ers clean above all difficulties. New life was put
many new enterprises were launched on land
that had never been touched. some Of the
land which only bsse few before could
ivation to be among the best. was bought at
sbost
prices which the sellers then thought high. but
On ssms ss pSrs sdea fbas
1868 and 1869 is worth $500 an acre now. Lands
mis oTsas sold hs Sly @s IN IN
are now worth $1,000 an acre.. Lands contigu-
to such M
done later: some were sold while Improve;
msp' and then sHfe so Hn s the f' st srsst
necessity. 1t is, "A country of wind
not sufficient for irrigation. and the water sup
ply was everywhere the great question Such
ditchos were dug. and the water turned In, with
branch bitches to tho various tracts. Dams
were built In mountains. and great bodies Of
water stored. In some parts artesian belts
Lying outside 6f one Of the most favored dis
fited ft by W the natural flow Of water In diiches
from available streams. man Of energy and
brains pd some LED Of gse9osy
Water vsls wond o% IN great es doWn
and the water IS 70 ths
Tie protector; ana has added enormously to the
Eastern States. and were improved BY them.
settlers from ali over the Country. They came
regionsNirom Maine, Miehlcen, and Nils;
souri,, and everywhere else in the United
States. The man, from Minnesota who. the
winter before. had had to dig a way out Of the
house through the snow, woke up here on u
January morning and heard the singing Of larks.
very pretty to look at. but Il was fertile and
softened by, distance. were beautiful In some
places grand. The climate was delightful and
altogether nature presented q smiling face.
Sage brush, ,Greasewood. and cactus. or what;
ever struggling or scrawny vegetation covered
the earth In parts whore grass did not grow,
was cleared away and water turned on.
The now comers planted vines and fruit trees
Of many varieties; and shade trees. blue gums,
tho bright spots that had marked the dwelling
places nf the old Inhabitants, and OF the first
new settlers who We're yet comparatively
pioneers, were multiplied; and great valleys
evidences OF human habitatlon., OF this wave
OF new settlers some got land at low prices. s25.
$40 an acre and upward. but In good locations
higher prices soon prevailed
When q large tract was offered by a specu-
lator he usually selected his town site. and
located the business esntre by putting up one
poses. Very frequently the first thing done