The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-01-21
A WINTER PILGRIMAGE
Amid Sunshine. Fruits and Flowers.

Dec ~, 1885, J
Picking mp morning paper in San Fran
cisco few days ago espied an advertise
ment Of an excursion from that city to Orc
vile TO attend citrus fair. To tender
foot" the display of citrus fruit is a matter
of interest in this region OF sunshine, but
the idea of an exhibit in the winter, of ten
der fruits, with oranges as the predominant
ing feature, was a novelty indeed I said
exhibit in the winter" because by consult
ing the calendar l lind 1t is the season of tho
year when have been accustomed to posi-
tive evidence of winter, but in this locality
II did not consult the calendar would
hardly style the month of December, win
ter.
On the principle that it isn't good plan
to let any thing get away from you when it
is in sight, concluded to become a pilgrim
and join the excursion, and that is how
lind myself, at This holiday season, enjoying
the beauties of a cirtus belt, studded with
the choicest gems of nature. This pilgrim
age required a journey by rail of 40 miles
north of San Francisco and a more lovely
December morning when we started-sun
shining, thermometer above 60 deg.
would be difficult to conceive. Though we
have come the distance north of San Fran
cisco which have named, this State is so
fornia When l said journey by rail,
ought to except the crossing of the Straits
OF Carqulnez. Just in sight of the Govern
ment Navy Yard ON Mare Island This was
accomplished by terrying the train over
intact To be in harmony with all things in
California, this ferry was something i'm
mense, exceeding in proportions similar
ferries in the East The boat was 425 feet
long by 116 wide, having four tracks and
capable OF carrying fOrty-four oars and two
engines. In the river crossings at Detroit
and Port Huron, Mich, it is considered sat-
1stactory TO push the cars on the boat at
one side of the river and draw them off at
the other, not transporting the engine, but
here the engine runs on the boat with half
the train, and, lest it should be lonesome, a
second engine pushes the other half on,
and both engines, as well as the entire
train, glide rapidly across the straits, land
ing US at Benicia
1t has always been a matter of doubt to
me whether Benicia gained the greatest
reputation by at one time having been the
abiding place of John c. Keenan, yclept
'Benicla Boy who caused the American
Eagle to bristle with pride years ago over
the meeting with Tom Sayers In the prize
ring, or by having two or three times been
the supposed capital of California when
that cratic concern was, like Noahs dove,
hunting for a resting place At all events,
1t Is a thriving city now, and I'll wager that
good many more of the present genera
zion have heard of the "Benlcia Boy" than
the fact that the seat of government of this
State was located there. 1t is almost map
propriate, however, to refer to it as having
been the seat OF government, for, in those
days, that so-called seat was fitting about
between Monterey, San Jose, San Francisco,
vallejo and Sacramento, until it was every
where little, but nowhere long.
little over four hours ride brought the
pilgrims to Sacramento, where the dove of
L.. Al
years ago, al er having once or twice been
washed ashore to San Francisco, or else
where by foods halt of couple of hours
gave us q chance to hastily view the capital
as well as the capitol of California The
capitol and the grounds have cost the State
two and half millions dollars, and while
the building is perhaps surpassed by two or
three similar structures in the country, the
grounds can take the premium over all
corners, not excepting the National Capitol
grounds at Washington. Some eighteen
acres comprise the immediate grounds sur
round ng the State House, and as there
is no killing off of trees. or leaves, or
flowers, or grass, in the fall, in order to give
nature a chance 10 spread herself in the
spring, nature keeps right on with her
Ny the year around and double discounts
dollhouse landscape gardening So Sacra-
mento leads the world Tor the United
States, which is about all of the world of
any consequence in capitol grounds
FAMOUS MINING CAMP.
1t was night when the pilgrims reached
what was once famous mining camp i'll
acknowledgements. Located on the sou h
bank of Feather river, almost at the foot
of Table mountain, lies this city of $500
people--as contented and uniformly pros
porous as any little city in the country. II
there are any really poor people here, l
have been unable to discover Them was
one OF parry of pilgrims who employed a
carriage to see the country, and seated on
the box by the ltvery-s able driver, was
quite struck when he pointed out large
6heep ranch as the property of his father,
and mentioned the business in which his
father was engaged in town. Ordinarily
people in his station are not in aff1uen5 cir
cumstances, but in Oroville they don't seem
to have any other kind Like ali live towns.
it has newspapers, and here there are two
of them. One of them is daily, while the
editor of the other, not to be eclipsed in en-
terprise, acts as Secretary of the Board Of
Trade, and supplies all applicants by mail,
or in person, with information concerning
the country. 1t is no use for any place to
try to grow without newspaper men. 1t
simply won't
This town was averitable '49er, and when
4. gold discoveries made California famous
the rush here was immense. Away back in
the sos it polled 1900 votes, the third
largest vote of any city in the STATE, only
Dali IIduClSC0 anu sacramento leading IL
The population receded after the subsi
dence OF the gold fever until in 1880 it
was ! 800, since which time it has taken a
new start, and steadily increased until the
town now numbers, as already ated
$500. There were at one time 5000 Chi
nese here, and there are still q few hum
bred SCAT cred about, but Orovile is now q
business city, instead of u mining camp
the County Seat of Butte County, and
the center of wonderfully thriving agri-
cultural and citrus country For miles
about The city the evidences remain of
placer mining, but there is more @pay Dirt"
now in oranges and other products than in
mining. The banks of Feather river are
still wonderfully rich, but hydraulic mining
has been stopped by law in the interest of
commerce and agriculture, as it fills up and
destroys the streams. The time was when
boats ran to Orovlle from San Francisco,
but to see the mining debris in Feather riv-
er Tor where the river used to bel one
can scarcely imagine such a state of at
fairs There are still valuable working
mines In Butte County, but, on the
usual California scale of big things this
county rs larger than Rhode Island and
well up towards the re of New Jersey, so
that there is room, outside of Orovile for
gold mining and still keep with n the
county. After extracting literally millions
OF dollars of gold from the ground, the cti-
2ens of this county have now discovered
that untold millions still remain, in the
shape of a soil which is so versatile that 1t
produces every thing ranging from grain
to nuts and from fruit to gold Though
this h central, and not as popularity sup
posed Northern California, it is only within