Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-03
PICTURESQUE SANTA MONICA,
A Pleasant City Bathed by the
z Pacific's Swell,
Where Southern California Sports
in the Waves.
Its Many Improvements Well Described,
While it Is Now a Charming Resort
it Will Later Become
Important Harbor.

pleasure in chronicling the progressive
march OF improvements of Santa Mon
ica, the beautiful seaside city, where
the white Tipped sea sings song of con-
tentment and the breakers furnish an
undertone OF rest.
Not only are her acres fertile, her
adaptability for commerce striking, but
her scenery is of picturesque and strik-
ing order, with mountains, cafions, in
tervales, and sea to form panoramic
picture seen nowhere else nor under
such a pleasing sky or made enjoyable
by such an invigorating climate.
Nature has done much, but man has
continually added to her charms until
the artificial has 30 blended with the
natural that the city by the sea can
truthfully be said TO be the home OF
plenty, recreation, and every pleasure
and comfort known to man. Magnolia
avenue at Riverside has become famous
all over the world equally go well,
Ocean avenue at Santa Monica, which
stretches from Front street to
the cafion distance of over three miies,
it now being completed to the northern
city limits. 1t is spacious avenue
which follows the bluff and has the sea
ever in view. On the easterly side 1T is
aligned by the elegant residences OF
sunland's uppertendom. The summer
home of Nevada's silver king, Senator
J, p. Jones, is on the northerly limits OF
the boulevard. On the westerly side is
the espianade, which has been dedicated
to park purposes. II. Rowland Lee, the
landscape architect, is now at work on
the plans for beautifyiDg the same,
which will cost upwards of $4,000 to COM
plete, and when finished it will be the
finest ocean park on the continent,
rivaling any in the known world.
REALTY.
While Santa Monica realty has always
held its own, Notwithstanding the de-
pressing influences following the col
lapse to the boom, the advent of the
Santa Fe, which was duly chronicled in
the HERALD, has caused the real estate
market to take an upward tendency.
This is particularly noticeable on what
is known as the south side, where, dur
ing the past two months, the sales have
been of numerous character.
The majority of the purchases
being for home purposes. The Santa
Monica Commercial company, who own
large holdings, have placed one tract on
the market at the remarkably low fig
ure of 500 per lot to home seekers, and
have in the short space of time enumer-
ated above sold over two-thirds OF the
tract, and are about putting on the mar
ket another tract, which for beauty OF
situation, overlooking the sea, is unri-
vailed anywhere, but the sales are not
confined to any one portion of the town,
every direction feeling the impulse,
and the upbuilding OF every part OF the
city is in progress.
IMPROVEMENTS.
During the past year the improve
ments have been many, amounting to
we'll nigh 100000, outside of those in
course of construction and being COM
pleted by the railroad corporations,
The work of the Southern Pacific alone
will reach the magnificent sum OF 9
million dollars before their present
plans are completed. They have built
track from their depot here, tunneline
the bluff, up the beach to a spoi
about mile above Old Santa Monies
cafion, where they will build the
finest wharf in the United States
mile and a quarter long. There they
will build round house and all the
other concomitant feature necessary To-
large shipping business.
They will ballast their track from Lol
Angeles to the sea, lay steel rails OF thu
heaviest character and probably reduct
their running time to so minutes. AnC
when they have the piece of coast lint
under construction from Santa Mar
guerita to San Luis Obispo, and from
Santa Barbara to Santa Monica com
pleted, Santa Monica will be on tht
coast route of the Southern Pacific, the
finest tourist line in the United States
They will also build short spur Il
Cold Water cafion, distance of about
eight miles to rock for rip-rapping theil
wharf, and tapping the Soldiers home
The Santa Fe are also at work anC
will continually improve their road tC
the sea and terminal facilities unit
they are of the highest order of excel
lence. A wharf on the South Side will
be built, and then they will have the
two greatest corporations in America
competing for the the travel and trade
of the future port of Southern California
which will mean rapid and quick com
munication, low fares and tariff rates
and ocean communication with the
world.
The immediate future will undoubt
edly see Santa Monica connected witt
Los Angeles by the electric system
which is now only few miles away
The president of the corporation, M. H
Sherman, making is Santa Monica hii
home.
STATISTICS.
Santa Monica has over five miles O.
graded streets, two parks about to bt
beautified. seven miles of cement side
walks, $500 population within the cor
porate limits, good water system, tht
finest beach ON the coast, beautiful anC
picturesque drives, cafions innumerable
the only town on the western sea the
terminus of the two great transcontinen-
tai railroads. the Southern Pacific and
Santa Fe, fine churches, good schools, a
high school manned by educators of rec.
ognized merit, public library equal to
amy on the coast, numerous business
blocks, courteous and substantial mer-
chants, whose stores are the equal oil
any in the country, lodges of Masons,
Odd Fellows, Forestere, G. A. r. and
Good Templars The city ia noted for
its cleanliness and the city officials are at
work on sewer system to be built in
the immediate future.
Her hotels are good and many and her
homes roae-embowered abodes of iuxuri-