The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-05-24

STOOD IL no DeJJeT LDdn ulu, no pTORTeSe
was made Zionwards. Leaving the Mis-
sion we drove down the narrow street
Of low, squallied looking homes-holes
in the wall-left the sleepy concern be-
hind us, passed through the new and
pretty town of Alhambra, thence
through South Pasadena to the Ray
mond.
On another day / went out with john
son, Quimby and Mr.. Wood, and ex-
plored the country north Of the town
and towards the big mountains, which
from the Raymond hill seem distant
about three miles. Passing through the
business part of the town, we continued
by pleasant homes, apparently part of
town, and reached Monk hill, which
appears from town like the first rise on
the mountain. On making the top Of
this little elevation another beautiful
valley, three miles wide, suddenly
opened up between US and the noun
tains, and furnished convincing proof
of deceptive distances in this particular
country. In this valley were fine vine
yards and fruit groves, and a few hun
dred acres of white stakes to indicate
the locality of an expected town. A
motor railroad tram from Pasadena was
putting it's way through the center of the
valley on regular time, and learning the
route 80 as to be ready for the rush of
travel when the town arrives. A transit
line is one of the town building forces
in this town-building country. In Kan
sas they uesd to start with a school
house. in New Mexico and Colorado
with saloon, but IN California they be
gin with a hotel, street cars or motor
road. Leaving the little hill we passed
over the valley, skirted the base of the
mountain several miles, through young
groves, vineyards and barley fields, and
were charmed with that part of the val
lev as a locality for homes, johnson
and Quimby are so pleased with Pasa-
dena and her surroundings that when
expressed preference for this valley, it
was not taken as a reflection upon Pdsa.
dena. Anywhere in San Gabriel valley
will suit them. Our drive home was
past many fine dwellings, where rare
taste has been displayed in building
houses, laying out grounds, and orna-
menting with trees, shrubs and flswers.
In country where trees grow so rapidly,
and where the semi tropical shrubs and
flowers thrive the year round, there is
no excuse for neglectlng door-yard orna
mentation In Pasadena, instead of neg
lecting 1t, there is commendable
emulation in the effort to produce the
best effect. The result already shows
in the beauty of the residence part of
the town, and it will soon make Pasa-
dena one of the most attractive towns
in the State.
NJ. j. Quimby's interest lead him to
the south of town, and a ride with him
was through neglected vineyards, three
miles, to the San Gabriel wine factory.
1t was Sunday and the winery was clos.
ed, but Martin found a window from
which he spied goblet half full Of port
wine, and after smacklng his lips several
minutes at the window he left, express
ing the belief that the plaguey stuff is
sour The proprietor of this old estab-
. lishment is the owner of great vineyard
surrounding it, and also of broad acres
adjoining, on which is the plated town
of Ramona, the same in which, report
says, the Los Angeles editors are about
to build residences and be neighbors in
harmony (0 1t will be new to find a
band of quill drivers in harmony. Driv-
ing far out into the field, QuImby lef
a the buggy and began hunt in the tai
! grass, looking for gopher holes, sup
a posed, until he stood erect and called
out: Here it isl What have you found:
n | asked, MY five hundred dollar lo:, hi
said. Then he asked how l liked it, AM
| told him it resembled any other stril
. of good NOW field. Then he inquired
a my opinion OF its value, and l set.it a
=. the rate of 800 an acre, which woul
a make the lot worth about $40. Thi
e soured Martin, and he was silent severs
minutes, when he asked if / didn't be
lieve Ramona would be built. l tol
"a him supposed it was built already.
saw streets, avenues, and Sidewalk
, built and thick grass, hip high, GROWN
h in them, which led me to believe this
a the work was completed, and that th
q builders had gone away to another jol
y, = 'Glangr said Martin, jerking spitefull
-. at the reins, evidently disgusted with
:, tenderfoot's estimate OF the value of CO
n ner lots out on the range. In a few mil
/, utes we we're in the town Of Oak Knoll
NJ where there was a series of windin
n Streets cement sidewalks, water by
drants at convenient distances for fl
az and domestic purposes, a windmill
20 reservoir, and two houses partly con
h pleted and abandoned, and grass kn,
4 Edeep everywhere. Everything was the
!, but houses and people. AS $l05,000
an improvements had been expended,
- asked Martin if the proprIetors did n
N feel poor. No. said he, those lots ha'
n. all been sold to tenderfeet, who ha'
n gone back home to wait for the RISE
tv The reader will remember that FraI
Id Smith is under promise to pay the Ed
~ tors bills for this trip unless he becom
convinced that that the boom is still o.
to and that the locality of Pasadena is q
=. that is claimed for iC. Frank pays h
/ bills, but is careful not to incur man
"a With view Of helping along the co
nd viction ami avoiding liability for the bill
nd aforesaid, he gave me half days whi
he over the country southeast of tow
ne This is country apparently IN pla
IN view from the south piazza Of the Ra,
ns moDd, and hav ng looked at it 80 mucI
ed | supposed l knew every inch of it. Bl
IN it was a mistake. The ride took
in through a depression in the vale,
as which embraced several large plant
10 tions, with hundreds of acres of win,
4. yards aud fruit groves entirely obscure
% from the Raymond standpoint. Fro
he any elevation 10 the valley the eye TAX
,is IN scope of country which, by trave
lis ing over it, is found to be a dozen tim
D. greater than it appeared. The area of
ve valley, apparently all in sight, is four
"a 10 be simply immense when measure
D. by the unit OF acres. The eye takes
of at a glance the space between tw
an ranges Of mountains, but to subdiviC
se this space into plantations, and the
he visit each plantation, will convince OF
1g that sight fails to convey proper idC
.el OF territorial magnitude. During Il
er ride Smith wanted TO visit to Rose TanC
al and introduce me to the immense wineI
D. there, understanding, of course, that
yh that building he could obtain importaI
1e help towards convincing me OF Il
,st merits of the country. II was his opiT
Il ion that If he could run one throug
Id that winery he could convince him ,
snything and make him own it, o.
n, arrival was late and the establishmel
an was closed, but we met the owner,
rs fine old English gentleman who sui
ha mitted to brief interview with becon
90 ing grace. Out of the immense Ro
h ranch he told us an English syndicat
ce which he represented, had purchase
Vo 1000 acres and the winery for $500, 90
h. The land embraced some 900 acres
nd vineyard, 400 in oranges, with the re
" in other fruit and grain. asked II Il
n, company got good trade, and he sa
bv they got cheated just $4O0 900, and th
m he could make the property pay on
N. moderate interest on half the purcha
lie money. proffered comfort by tellir
"a him how l once got badly cheated on
eir horse trade, but he couldn't zee Il
he parallel, and continued 10 rue the dl
ir- that his syndicate net Mr.. Rose. He W
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