Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-26
THE WAY TO DEVELOP A COUNTRY.

No people should be unwilling to
learn, and the good souls of Los Angeles
have much to learn. While there is no
question that this city, already the
metropolis of Southern California, will
maintain that status, and become a city
not only of great Importance but of
unique attractions, we can help out re-
suits by enterprise and work. The other
day the telegraph advised us that the Bear
valley Water company, Of San Bernar-
dino, had incorporated with a capital
stock of 81 000 900. The purpose of this
movement Is to develop water In the
old days Mr.. Judah, the engineer, and
one of the principal promoters of the
Central Pacific railway, said that some
day every mountain caflon OF California,
which had an extensive watershed,
would be damned, and the reservoirs
thus formed would be prolific source of
wealth. At the time when Mr.. Judah
gave ptterance to this enlightened
opinion his ideas were looked upon as
chimerical. Not so thought the men
who have created such varied and per-
manent sources of wealth in our neigh
boring county of San Bernardino.
They have adopted Mr.. Judah's far
seeing idea. Their bitches have been
really Pactolean streams. These men
have gone out into the immense waste
places that were formerly the ranges OF
sheep and cattle, have subdivided them,
and poured out water with a lavish
hand, with the result of an increase of
wealth almost without precedent in so
short time. 1t is true that the same
thing has been done in Los Angeles
county at various points, as at Anaheim,
Santa Ana and Pomona, and other
places, notably in the San Gabriel val
ley, with its peerless Pasadena.
But we have halted in the good work.
Having put our hands to the plow, we
have permitted ourselves to be turned
aside. Where are the great ran chos
that are being subdivided in Los Angeles
county? No man can point to them.
Where are the efforts being made to de-
velop water, or even to utilize that which
has already been developed? Echo
answers, "where?''
And yet, all around Los Angeles, there
are superb ranches which might be made
the source of great wealth and gro with
in population to both city and county.
We will particularize few of them.
Taking the nearest, there is the Laguna
ranch, magnificent property which
rims up to the very edge of the city.
Here the utilization of the waters
of the Arroyo Honda would in five
wears make this ranch the center of
population of thousands, and the arena
of almost unlimited production. Ii this
ranch were placed on the market, with
tine water facilities that could be readily
developed, the results would be magical
in the growth of our city. And so of the
Puente, the Santa Anita, the San Fran
cisquito, the San Vicente Santa Mon
lea, the Rodeo de las Aguas, and others.
The only immediate ray of hope we see
in the situation is that this last beautiful
rancho is shortly to be subdiyided and
sold. We have the assurances of Mr.. A.
III. DeDker to that effect, and that is con-
elusive of the matter. What the Messrs.
Jones & Baker propose to do with their
splendid San Vicente v Santa Mon lea
ranch, or what Mr.. John Wolfskill con-
templates as to his great holdings, we
do not know.
What we do know is that Los Angeles
ought to initiate the example of San
Bernardino county. We ought to de-
velop here class of men such as has been
evolved there-men capable of conceiv
ing such immense projects as that of the
Bear Valley, with its capitalization OF
$4.OOO,O0O.
Why should we not get into the swim? /?
Los Angeles is of course the peerless
second city of the Pacific coast. There
is little danger of her relative rank ever
being disturbed. But why not buttress
her and prop her up with the infinite
variety and volume of the production
which could be so easily insured here
Why not people her splendid stretches
of land-mesa and bottom-with a
thrifty population counting up into the
thousands?
Why not? And again, why not? With
ranchos subdivided and water developed,
where is the limit to the production
which would pour into our city, like a
hundred streams into lake, filling up
the basin with surging waters and over
throwing its banks?