The morning call., 1891-08-30
THE PICTURESQUE
COUNTY OF LAKE.
High Mountains, Pretty Lakes and Fer
tile Valleys.
a Hint to COllege-Bred Young Men-An Illus
tration Of the Results Of Pluck, Energy
and Close Attention.
Written for THE SUNDAY CALL.

The county Of Lake, In the northern part
Of the State, is unquestionably one of the
most picturesque of which California can
boast, excepting, perhaps, MaripOsa. or that
portion in which Is located the majestic
Yosemite. The Blue lakes, Clear Lake
and the many other lakes that have given
this county its name are surrounded by
mountains that rise high toward heaven
and form natural settings for the bodies of
water alluded to that are grand In the ex-
treme. Ovcrgrown as these mountains are
at this season with brush that Is turning
from green of various hues TO somber
brown, they do not present the bright aspect
that greets the eye during the beautiful days
Uf spring. but they are covered from base TO
peak with small trees that are perennially
green and with shrubs of various kinds,
which at times during the day take on a
blush tlnge, bringing TO mind the blue
Alsatian Mountains that have been I'M
mOrtalZed in song.
The difficulty that presents itself to those
who make Lake County their objective
point, in these days of easy and luxurious
travel by rail, is the Old-time means of trans
portation that the people OF the county cling
20 with pertinacty worthy of better cause.
The center OF the county may be reached by
stages connecting with two lines of railroad.
The one road is the San Francisco and
NOItu dCllC nhllWdys Will starting DOlulS
from Squaw Rock or Pleta, HOpland and
Ukiah; the other Is the Southern Pacific
line, which has its terminus at Calistoga,
from which point line of stages runs to
Lower Lake. No matter by what route the
tourist goes he is forced to swallow and
carry certain amount of dust, and reach
the objective point covered with a coatingof
that dust, the removal Of which requires a
bath and a dip In one OF the lakes, but to
quote gentleman who was fellow passen-
ger with the writer not long since: 1t is
dusty, but 1t Is worth running a suit of
clothes TO cast the eyes on the wild. pictur-
esqns scenery that We have just passed
through"
The railroad people have surveyed two
routes, one TO enter the county from Uklah
and the other from Calistoga. A prominent
citizen of Lakeport, in conversation
ON THE SUBJECT OF RAILROADS,
Said: Z" 1t Is true that two Routes have been
surveyed, and we are waiting. 1t seems to us
that the rival companies are like the school
boys who wanted to fight but one was
afraid and the other dared not. Communica-
tiOn by rail we certainly will have some
time but when? There is one thing GER
tain, and it is that no matter which COM
pany comes into this county first that
company Will be the one to make money, for
there Is not room for two roads. That road
will carry all the passengers in addition to
the product, which now costs so much for
=
and instead of having few thousand visit
ors yearly to pass few days in the many
summer resorts we would have from twenty
TO thirty thousand"
At first glance the county OF Lake strikes
the visitor as one of mountains upon
mountains with very little land for any
purpose other than that of raising
sheep and goats, but on closer examination
It Is seen that ii has many magnificent val
leys, including SCOTS" Bachelor" and
Nafla L. H.,
a height of nine feet, alfalfa produces
from three to five crops year, the fruit,
which does not rpen as rapidly as 1t does in
some of the lower counties, is luscious and
OF excellent flavor. and grapes do remark
ably well. There are thousand of acres on
the hillsdes that are well adapted to fruit,
grapes and olives.
An instance of the possibilities of the
county Is observable at point near Upper
Lake, on locale known as Red Hill
Ranch" owned by Messrs. Gardiner G.
hammond Jr., his brother Charles and
his brother-is-law, Mr.. Munster The
ranch, comprising some 1890 acres, is pleas
ant!y situated on an elevation about eight
miles north of LakepoTt across the lake,
having from almost every point a most
beautiful view Of that pretty sheet of
water, Clear Lake, and of scenery that Is
grand, almost beyond description.
About seven years ago this parcel of
ground, which adlolns avery large vineyard
owned by judge 5. c. Hastings, was under
the control Of Mr.. Frank ID. Tunis Of Lake
port, who used il as pasture land for sheep.
How 1t came 10 be converted into one of the
most beautiful places that can be found in
the State Is quite interesting and is proof of
what determination, energy and close atten-
tlOn TO interests will do.
A LITTLE MORE THAN EIGHT YEARS AGO
The Hammond brothers graduated from
Harvard and returned TO their home in New
London Conn WhprA after favy 70
rest their father, a practical gentleman, VI no
Is now IN his sIXtieth year. asked them what
course they intended to pursue in the future.
He gave them to understand. if not in so
many words, that If they wanted to get
along In the world 1t would be necessary for
them to roll up their sleeves and pitch in.
he said that he would allow them to make a
choice, and If he could see that it was such
as would In the end be of benefit
to- them he would assist them and give
number of plans they concluded to venture
out to the Golden West, but at that time
had not an adequate idea of what California
was. Some of their friends sought to deter
them. telling them that California was only
the tail end Of Patagonia, and that to 90
there would not only be waste of time, but
If they settled there they would become
saYages like the rest os the inhabitants,
The young men had made up their minds to
come, and come they did. They came out
with the idea OF becoming orchardists or
yineyardsts, and shortly after their arrival
In the metropolis of the State went into the
several counties where fruit and vines are
grown and finally reached Lake County,
where they saw the land upon which they
finally located. Being intelligent and
shrewd they made mems" of all they saw
and kept their thoughts to themselves
After time they wrote to their father, who
came to this Coast and went over the
ground with them. AS result of the con-
ference between father and sons and the
brother-in-law, who had accompanied the
iather on MS visit, the elder Hammond
agreed to purchase the Lake County ranch
Tor them, but gave them to understand that
before they could 60 upon the land they
would have to take some practical lessons
In horticulture and in viticulture.
Il was hard lines for the young men just
out oil one Of the greatest universities of the
United States to follow the course laid
down by the practical father, but, being de-
termined TO please him aud to carve out
their own fortunes, they. to their great
credit. started In with will They applied
Tor and found employment in q yineyard
and orchard In Napa County, where
THEY WORKED AS COMMON LARoRERs.
Receiving as wages the sum of $50 each
month and the ordinary food and accommo-
cations given their fellow-labOrers in the
Held. AS before stated, being intelligent,
very observant and IN addition, like all per-
s"hS iiou tilo pdI VI Tue L0ey came
from, anxious to know the raison d'etre for
everything, they learned rapidly, and dur
ing the season of more than nine months
that they worked ON this place they became
familiar with the California methods of
planting, cutting pruning, the proper man.
ner In which orchards and vineyards should
De Kept, how wines should be made and
geated. In addition to that which they
learned from practical instruction and from
their coworkers they provided themselves
with the best books on the topics upon
which they had set their hearts, so that by
the time the season was over, and they were
Informed that their services were no longer
required, but that they could return the
next season, they were possessed of infor
nation that since has proved of the utmost
value to them in the management of their
affairs.
Shortly after their apprenticeship these
once delicate skinned and soft-handed Young
men found themselves horny-handed, tanned
brown as butternuts, and not by any means
TO compare, from society point of view,
wit ~ hair nla i