The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-04-15
A Letter From California.

REDLANDs, CAL, March ~, 1871.
Editor OF The ENTERPRISE:
AS per promise will give you sketch
of my journey TO this place from Roches-
ter and shall try and tell of matters as
saw them and not as fancy paints them
After leaving home the run to ST. Louis
was made, and from there we took a
sleeper to Burton, Kansas. The trip
through Missouri was made mostly by
night, consequently we saw but little of
the state, but from that little we are in.
clined 10 give 1t the preference to any
thing we have yet seen west of the Miss.
issippi. Judging Of Kansas from the cars,
we are led to the opinion that the far
mer has poor show for comfortable
living. The wealth is all centered in the
towns, What stock we saw looks very
poor, and as for horses, the less said the
better, for Ohio has experimental to her
sorrow with the class of horses seen in
Kansas.
Eastern Colorado is much the same as
Kansas, Here we saw our first dugout,
and from the looks Of the inhabitants, we
should Judge that washing the face is one
of the lost arts. After leaving Colorado
we struck New Mexico, and we soon dis
covered it to be as desolate place as we
ever saw. There is no sign OF human life
excepting in the small towns struck by the
railway, and when you get to town you
find nothing but a collection of adobe
huts occupied by something In the line OF
humanity, but they were so dirty we
could not decide as 10 what race they be-
longed. The country is nothing but a
waste of sand and mountains, and the veg
etable growth consists principally of moth
ing, with little tough looking grass and
dwarf cedar, or something resembling II
very much.
Arizona is just about the same as New
Mexico, but there has been more Of an ef-
fort to raise stock, judging by the number
Of dead cattle to be seen along the line Of
the railway. Taking 1t as an average, we
saw at least 2 dead animals for each liye
one, and what few live ones that were TO
be seen were but skin and bone. The
number of hides hanging on the corral
fences is astonishing and I know Of no
better way of putting 1t, than little girl
on the train, when she said, "See mamma
they paper the fences with COW skins
here, don't they" We crossed the Colo
RADIO River and were then In California,
the land we have read so much Of and
where so many are turning their eyes
with longings for the good things therein.
We saw nothing we wanted until we
reached the San Bernardino valley. This
we found was Yeritable garden spot, the
the orange and lemon trees hanging full
Of fruit and hundreds Of different kinds OF
plants and trees that exhibited profusion
Of bloom and fragrance, but Il takes money
to buy land here, the price ranging from
$50 per acre up to $500. according to
improvements. Business is rushing along
and everybody is looking out for number
one. Prices on all light goods are about
the same as in Ohio, but on heavy goods
the advance is considerable. Coal oil is
worth about 80 cents per gallon. All
produce is sold by the pound. Bushels
and pecKs are obsolete words. The eli.
mate is fine and the weather very much
like June weather Is in Ohio when you
have no rain. For the man that has
plenty money Of to invest or for the one
having enough to keep him, we will say
that here is fine place for them, but tc
the man east, that Is In home OF hli
own and contented, we would say to HIM
remain where you are and let California
take care of herself, which che Is abund
antly able To do. This may be a good
country for those troubled with lunl
troubles, but we notice there Is consider
able evidence Of bad lungs manifested by
old residents OF this country. 1t may b,
nothing but a local lronble, however. Tn,
nights here are cool enough so that I
person will require at least two gooC
blankets TO sleep under. NJ. VS.