Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-09-30
A RICH COUNTRY.
fn and Around the city OF
ViSalia.

Visalia.
EDITORS HERALD-I am at Visalia. the
the pioneer town of the San Joaquin Val
ley. Long before the smoke ever curled
from dwelling in this great valley, a
hunter, Nat Wise and his wife Celia,
might have been seen wandering through
the district in pursuit of game. At last
they pitched their tent on the present
townsite, and from them is derived its
romantic name-Visalia. This was way
back in 1852. Shortly following stock
men gathered around this romantic and
adventurous couple, and soon a quite a
village was started, being the only settle
ment in the San Joaquin Valley. Its
early history presents scene of struggles
against savage Indians on the
one hand. and wild animals on
the other. But lucky stars attended
its birth and continued to shine over it
through all the years that have followed
hence its course has been onv ard from
the start. The site also is most happy,
on q magnificent stream on the borders
of great forest. To-day it is a city of
four thousand inhabitants, and perhaps
the liveliest town of its size in the United
States. Its government is unique, con-
sisting of a Council of four, elected by
the people, which Council in turn elects
from their number Mayor. The pres.
ent Council are Messrs. J. G. Ward, E.
o. Millar, DR.. Combs and S. b.
Patrick. An $4,000 court house
adorns the place, and in the per-
sons OF Messrs. Brown and Daggett
w. 0. Brady and others, it boasts the
best bar in the State. All religious de-
nominations are represented here, and
some of their structures are most pictur-
esque and imposing. Its public and pri-
vate schools are also numerous and COM
modious. The principal bank of the
city is the Bank Of Visalia, capital $780,
900, presided over by Mr.. r. E. HYDE.
Electricity and gas are both used in
lighting the place. All branches of busi-
ness are here represented, but nothing
is overdone. The newspapers are the
Weekly Delta, edited by Mr.. George
Stewart, the San Joaquin Valley Resour-
ces and the Visalia Times.
All these are live and wide
awake journals and ably edited.
rhe United States Land Office is also
located here. The district contains s..
100000 acres of level land, 5000 600
mountain, and 100000 acres of foot
hill land. Through these lands runs the
Southern Pacific Railroad. The odd
numbered sections of land for twenty
miles on each side of this road were
granted to the railroad company. Much
has been sold, but large amount is still
on hand, and can be had at low figures,
from Mr.. D. X. Zummalt,
the company's agent at this
place. Among the principal business
men it was my good fortune to meet
we're Mr.. r. E. Hyde, President of the
Visalia Bank, Messrs. Brown and Dag
gett, of the Visalia bar, Mr.. D. K. Zum-
malt, of the Southern Pacific land office,
Mr.. Kirkland, of Kirkland's dry goods
house, Seth Smith, County Assessor, and
Mr.. J. E. Bailey. To Mr.. Bailey l am
particularly indebted for much of the in
formation contained in this letter, and
from him also learn that Nat Wise, the
founder of the town, is still alive
and now resides in Santa Cruz
county. Cruel time has not passed him
unnoticed, the blithe step and sparkle of
the eye has departed, and silvered
brow tell of the years that rest upon him.
But it is an honored age, and as he looks
back at the past and then listens to the
whistle of the engine or gazes at tele-
graphic wires and tall spires glittering in
the summer sun where he once fought
the savage Indian, the panther and the
bear, he certainly must feel blessed to
see the fruition of his hopes and the
success of the grand work he inaugur-
ated. Yours, F. X. PALMER.
Visalia, September 2S. 1898.