Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-07
CALIFORNIA Cl.IMES.
Interesting Letter From Rev. r. #.
Sweet.
Pleasant Desc riptfon OF the Climate
Conditions, etc. OF Favored Locaii'
ties on the Pncinc Slope 1.-The Indi.
ans,

Southern Pacific railway. The valley ID
bounded on the east by the San Serna
dino range, on The west by the San Ja>
cinto range, the latter being 1000 feet
above the sea. and covered at this time
with snow. The valley is reached from
the station of Seven Palms, seven miles
distant, by q spur railroad, built by the
Palm Valley Improvement company. The
arabic land lies close against the San ia
cinto range. while the desert lies between
the town site and Seven Palms. The
soil is adapted to all kinds of semitrop-
ical fruits, and can be worked only under
irrigation, there being but three inches of
rain fall in the year, and that during the
months of December and January.
Abundance of " alter is to be had for the
entire valley. be ng brought 10 cemented
stone bitches from the Toquita, White
water and Chino canons. The climate of
the valley is scarcely equalled anywhere
in the United States for the cure OF pull
monary, throat and catarrhal troubles;
also rheumatism and malarial fevers.
The "Hot Sprin rs" are always above a
temperature of 100 degrees. and the most
obstinate cases Of rheumatism find relief
in these marvellous waters. The water
is charged with iron, sulphur, magnesia.
borax and other properties, and the spe>
cific gravity is 50 great that 1t Is impOssi>
BILE for a person to sink below the arm
pits A queer sensation it is to feel one.
| self suspended il hot water with no dan>
| ger OF sinking, while the magnetic
sand gives one the delicious feeling pro-
duced by mild application of an electric
current. The climate of the valley at
this season Is delightful-the mercury
standing at this moment 30 a. ny at so
degrees, running up to IS and 81 at Q
O'Clock. l have been here one week and
with a perfectly cloudess sky day and
| night, no moistu e in the atmosphere, no
dew; the early mornings and afternoons
when the sun sinks behind the range.
| give cause for little fire of cedar wood
| in the open fire places of the hotel, with
which all the rooms are supplied; nights
are cool enough for a pair of blankets,
| but not the least moisture and one can lie
| outside on the sand with all the safety of
| bed. Flies are in plenty here, but
never mosquito to sing one into desper
alton.
Toquita canon, fifteen minutes distant
from hotels. is grandly wild and enchsnt
| ing. Half mile of the canon the water
| falls q sheer descent of seventy feet
while still further up there is fall of
| over one thousand feet. The sides of the
canon are hundreds and thousands of
feet high, now closing in upon one in
narrow gorges and again widening into
! grand amphitheaEres strewn with debris
| of rocks, carpeted with grass, while the
music of the water with It's cascades and
pools makes the heart beat quick
en- with its gladdening murmur.
Deer, mountain lion and mountain
| sheep are in the canon and on the
ranges-their tracks and paths to the
water being plainly visible. Flowers
are everywhere IN abundance. The
| healthy, purple OF the sage, the delicate
| white blossom of the Greece wood, blue
bells of the deepest and richest color, the
wild verbena, much larger and richer
than our garden plant. the deep orange of
| the Marguerite, also cacti of every shape
| and coler. sage and other desert shrubs,
| with the brilliant green Of the polo
Verdi" A party of twelve rode to Palm
| Canon. six miles, on Wednesday, In
| wagon, carriage and on ponies-quite q
cavalcade for this wild country. The
canon winds among awfully high and per-
| cipitous rocks, Tn its musical flow Of
| water over little falls and into basins
seemingly fitted by nature for the bath of
| Diana or any superior goddess. if there
| ever was one superior. Hundreds of
lovely palm trees and date palms are
growing along The bed of the canon.
| bearing dates at This season, which are
gathered and stored by the Indians of the
valley. Another canon-the Chino-lies
four miles distant, which is vet to be
visited; then Whitewater Canon eight
miles off, from which the main supply of
water for irrigation is brought to this
valley. Just in front OF the gate leading
TO the grounds Of the hotel is the ditch
and from this ditch all the water for
cooking and drinking is taken. The
water ls as pure ana cold as can be. One
can scarcely fancy the purity and sweet.
ness of the stream unless they have lived
under the shadow of a mighty range
like that of the San Jacinto Here on
these rainless plains where irrigation
alone will produce a crop, one can more
fully appreciate the force and truth of
those passages of holy scripture which re-
fer to the blessings of the christian dis,
pensation, 'breaking forth like streams
in the desert" There Is an Indian reser-
Walton in the valley where these strange
people have lived for centuries. An en-
closure across the street from the hotel,
which also contains the hot springs
which the Indians have always used and
cherished) has some four or five families
living in rude palm matched huts often
with q rude box for bed In the little
yard fenced around the hut; a stove and
table, cooking utensils. etc, all in
the open air Enclosure for ponies
and cows. and in one case two pigs
having its minute little pen for the
younger piggy, where he can retire and
be safe from the persecution Of the mother
pig The whole enclosure of many acres
oordered by trees Of the Mesquite and
Cottonwood, grapes Of the old Missouri
variety. immense fig trees apricots, ETC.,
all still bearing after years of neglect
for these Indians 10 not like work any
better than other tribes. The boys are
seen in the street 10 front of the hotel
playing marbles--to my inexperienced
mind, the same game played in Rock
Island, for keeps"-riding on their
ponies. bare headed with their long
glossy black hair in quite artistic confu.
sion; and their riding is like the riding
of Jehu."
We visited an old Indian up the valley
the other day-said to be 14O years old at
any rate the age Of his descendants of the
fourth generation would seem to indicate
q very advanced aye for him. He is ill
and supposed to BE- dyihk, though a week
ago he lifted a big sack Of barley and car
ried it on his back, getting on and OH his
pony with the grace and ease Of a boy