Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-22
THE COUNTRY.
A Drive Afield-Ma gni1tcent Views
Fulton Wells and Whittier.

Fulton Wells and Whittier.
Nothing can be more delightful at thii
lime than drive into the country envi
roning Los Angeles. Take any direction
aud the landscape is simply poem
Leaving the city by way of Boyle Heights
and passing over the Laguna ranch, the
eye is refreshed and delighted by thu
stretches of verdure reaching clear to tht
top of the hills that divide the mesa from
the San Gabriel Valley. The mountains
beyond, some of them capped with snow
stand out grandly and majestically in the
clear atmosphere. Alarge portion OF the
Laguna ranch has been plowed, and with
a season 30 propitious as the present, I'M
usually large crops may be looked for
The feed is dense and luscious every
where, and the grazing kline are respon-
sive in their splendid condition to the
generous fare nature has provided for
them.
In the Los Nietos region, which is
principally devoted to corn ard fruits,
the farmers are getting ready for busy
season. But little of the corn is yet
plowed under, but the orchards are be-
ing cultivated and the grain fields are
being turned up. In driving over the
road to Fulton Wells (Santa Fe Springs)
one is constantly reminded of the fact
that sos, 900 was spent last year on our
roads by the conspicuous absence of any
evidence of work upon them. One can
see that they have at some time been
plowed up and levelled after a fashion.
But take the road across the Laguna
ranch, and it betrays an utter want of
care, abounding in ruts, and at steep
points exhibits an utter disregard of the
law of easy grades. The fact is that this
road-and all the roads across the La
guna ranch-were infinitely better in
their natural state than they are now.
There was fine chance for the expendi-
ture of a portion of that $98, 900 on the
stretch of road between the San Gabriel
and New rivers. That piece OF road is al
together innocent of the slightest attempt
at improvement, although it is now, and
always has been, sadly in need of it.
Between the two rivers the soil is soft
and sandy, and is about as hard piece
of level road on horses as can be found
in the county. The Laguna road could
have been advantageously left in state
of nature; but it was not. This road
could have been artifcially improved to
advantage; but it was not. In these
kind of contrasts the colossal sagacity of
road officials looms up like dense fog
in an autumnal sky.
The Santa Fe Springs have grown to
be most attractive place. The trees
have grown into majestic proportions and
the surroundings of the Springs, indeed
assumed an air of Arcadian loveliness.
The virtues of the waters of these springs
have given such celebrity to the place
that the excellent hotel connected with
them has become very popular resort.
The present proprietors have made many
Improvements in the place, and are Civ
ing the highest satisfaction to their pat
rons. There is no health or pleasure re-
sort in this section where one can find a
better table or more comfortable accom-
modations at so moderate cost as at the
Santa Fe Springs hotel.
The town Of Whittier is conspicuous in
it's elevated site, and can be seen
for miles in three directions. The at
mosphere the past few days has been SO
clear and magnifying that even from the
eastern edge of our city it has seemed to
the wayfarer as only few miles off. A
drive to Whittier we'll repays the difficult
ties of the wretcned road, which goes to
it at right angles from the Fulton Wells
road. We are not aware that this is q
county road. 1t is, hover, a public one,
and ought to receive at least some atten.
tion from the roadmaster. 1t abounds in
ruts, quagmires and declines that give
the bed of a vehicle a slope of about
forty-fve degrees. The natural road
running from the boundary of General
Sanford's place to the Ranchito is very
passable piece of thoroughfare, with very
little thanks, however, to the roadmak.
ers. 1t was plowed up here and there
but the packing and leveling is due tc
the travel.
Whittier shows great marks of i'm.
provements since the writer has visited
1t over year ago. There are some very
fine buildings in it, and the new hotel
would do credit to any place. The
streets are well laid out and some o
them graded and hard flushed with q
coating of cement-gravel. A large mum
ber of very handsome cottages and some
very beautiful and pretentious resi-
dence buildings adorn many oi
LILO ohoCto' 4u0 ydIOo duu ShTucuS
are all laid out in good taste, and an all
of homelike serenity pervades the whole
town. The soil is rich, and it requires
but little labor conjoined with an esthetie
taste to make beautiful home in this
finely located village. There are few
places, even in this county, that
can boast of so wide and grand
view as Whittier. Los Angeles
and Pasadena, the picturesque Landscape
of the plains, reaching to the sea, the
Cahuaga mountains and the grand caps
of the San Antonio and Ell Bruto can all
be taken in at glance from this fine ele-
vation.
We would advise everybody who de.
lights in beautiful views and far-reaching
landscapes, idyllic in their character, to
take drive in the country. Nothing
can surpass the picture which there
awaits them.
Marriage Licenses.