Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-02-02
SANTA ROSA.
A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE CITY IN THE
S0NOMA VALLEY.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Business Interests.

ma
Business Interests.
Not less deserving of attention than the
most favored sections of the Sacramento
and San joaquin valleys is hat portion of
the Sonoma valley about Santa Rosa. 1t
is reached from San Francisco by taking
the ferry-boat at the foot of Market street,
and a thirty-minute ride through the an
chored shipping of the harbor, past Alca-
traz island-the Government prison fort
ress-and then north through the noun
tain-lined channels, the most picturesque
portion of San Francisco bay, and the
steamer runs into the slip at Point Thu
ron, the southern extremity of the San
Francisco and North Pacific Railroad.
From this point a ride of one hour and
thirty minutes, through a varied scenery
of salt marsh meadow, mountain tunnels,
thrifty villages and beautiful timber-clad
hills, dotted with cosy homes surrounded
by orchard and vineyard, and the train
pulls up at the depot of The City of
Roses" Free buses await each train, to
convey passengers to the frst-class
hostleries, and the traveller could not, if he
tried, miss getting excellent ~accommoda-
lions at whichever selected.
Sanata Rosa has a population of 1000
and is lighted by gas and electricity, used
| without stint. Its business streets are we'll
paved, well-kept and traversed by two
lines of street railway well operated. The
streets Of the residence portion are we'll
graveled and lined with shade trees. Bus
mess operations are conducted in 335
! stands, many of which engage the atten-
| tion Of from half a dozen to a score or more
| of people. Individually the business men
are pushing and enterprising-collectiyeIy
as a Board of Trade, they are as dead as "a
| door nail.
Santa Rosa is q model AID a moral city.
1t has ten established churches, with reg
ular preaching, most of them owning neat
| church edifices. The Baptist, Methodist
Episcopal, Methodist South, German
Methodist, Congregational, Presbyterian,
| Catholic, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Advent
lists, Christian and Band of Holiness
churches are all represented.
SANTA IeOSd Cdu dloO DOdSi Oh leE SUHc2-
tional advantages. Besides the public
schools, which rank first in this land of ex-
eeptionally fine schools, there is the Ursu-
line Academy, a Catholic school for
young ladies with a corps Of eight instruct
ors the Pacific Methodist College with
an able Faculty and courses, classical,
mathematical and philosophical the
Santa Rosa Young Ladies Seminary, a
popular school with four instructors the
Santa Rosa Young Ladies' College, also
popular and of a high order; and the Santa
Rosa Normal School, a pride of the city.
1t would seem as if this ought to be enough
for the ordinary run of mortals, but still
Santa Rosa was not satisfied till there was
added three kindergartens, two or three
private schools and a commercial college.
Verify their boast over their educational
facilities is not an idle one.
Santa Rosa is a wealthy city. There
are three banks with an aggregate of hall
a million Of dollars in paid up capital, a
building and loan association, besides
Touring mills, wooden mills, planning
mills, and several minor enterprises com
paratively, but each backed by consider
able capital.
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma
county, and has Courthouse that is an
ornament to the city and county, it being
the finest in the State north of San Fran.
cisco. Its cost was over 100000. Ii is
built of brick in the center of a block in
the center of the city, and is surrounded
by an elegant lawn, bordered by shrubbery
and beds of blooming flowers.
But when it comes to climate, Their
Santa Rosa does take a front seat. In
stead of piling up a lot of statistical figures
compiled by the signal service corps, let US
take Natures report, which will be more
readily comprehensive. On this 31st day
of January there was pointed out to the
writer by the gardener in charge the fol-
lowing variety of flowers blooming unpro-
tected III the open air in the Courthouse
yard: Marigolds, ~hollyhocks, sweet alys-
sum, ~veronicas, several varieties OF roses,
chrysanthemums, gilly flowers, mesum-
branthum, candytuft, marguerites, diam
thus or china pink, colugelias, Gala lilies
pansies and white daisies. Hyacinths and
tulips are growing finely, and will be in
full blossom inside of ten days. Continu-
ing the enumeration as before, japonicas,
camellias, Scotch heath, abutIlon Tompsonii
and xenias, all interspersed with cards
posted On sticks, offering ten dollars re-
ward for anybody caught picking one. Ii
that isn't evidence enough to convince, the
case might just as well be dismissed.
Santa Rosa has a most excellent water
supply of pure mountain spring watel
piped to all parts of the city, and a com
plete and in every way satisfactory drain
age system. With these two adjuncts o
health, one need not wonder that the
health of the city is second to none. Th,
whole city is a health resort.
Besides all the desirable things men
toned, the transportation arrangement.
must not be omitted. 1t is not to be sup
posed that anyone once visiting a city Sc
fortunate would ever desire to get away
but if business needs so compel there arr
five passenger mail trains a day to Sar
Francisco, three by the North Pacific
Coast line of railroad already mentioned
and two by the Southern Pacific by way O.
Napa Junction, the fare in either case
being the same-s1 IS. The latter road
was only completed the past season and
opens up a direct communication with
Sacramento, there being two passenger
trains each way every day to that point
Santa Rosa has about all that could rea-
sonably be asked for.
Having omitted mentioning the excel.
lently drilled and equipped fire depart.
ment and the Athenaum Theater, a most
handsome building, with the latest i'm
proved seats, and a seating capacity Of
800, we will pass them this time, and in
another issue say something concerning
the adjacent territory, the Sonoma vine
yards, wine cellars and agricultural re-
sources generally, together with the values
| of real estate and the ~nneninns TINT are