Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-26
Fertile Soil, Pure Water and
Perfect Climate.
The Home of the Orange, Lemon
and Grape.
An Interesting Description of an
Ideal Community.
The Grapeland Irrigation District-Its
Horticultural capitalization
lures of It's LOcation-A
Lovely Section.

10 keep pace WIN Cne wonderful de-
velopment now going on in Southern
California is no easy matter, but the
HERALD, in accordance with it's custom
of keeping it's readers informed as to the
march of improvements, had one of it's
representatives visit Grapeland, one of
our newer irrigation districts, and the
results of his observations are as follows:
The Grapeland irrigation district COM
prises IL 900 acres of as fine citrus land
as can be found in the world, and is cit
uated Just to the west OF the Cajon pass
and about seven miles northwest of San
Bernardino and Cotton. 1t is bounded
on the east and south by the lands of the
Semi Tropic Land and Water company
and on the west by the lands of beauti-
full Etiwanda, while to the north tower
the lofty granite mountains of the Sierra
Madre range. With magnifcently fer
tile soil, climate of absolute perfection
and warm, sunny exposure, here all
manner of citrus and deciduous fruits,
vines and nut-bearing trees flourish to
perfection, and damage from frosts or
pests is unknown. The elevation of
Grapeland is from 1400 to 1900 feet above
sea level, the land having gentle slope
from the mountains of about 75 feet to
the mile, and, while this slope is hardly
perceptible to the eye, it renders every
acre easy OF irrigation, aud affords an
unsurpassed view of the surrounding
country.
On this sunny southern slope are
grown oranges, lemons, raisins, olives,
peaches, apricots, apples, prunes and
other fruits that challenge comparison
with any other section, and the dry,
rare air, in which the humidity is hardly
perceptible, renders the drying of the
grapes and other fruits natural pro-
cess. Owing to the climatic advantages
enjoyed here, the raisin grape natures
earlier than in less favored places in the
lower valley, there being, therefore, less
liability to danger from unreasonable
rains. Almost every horticultural pro-
duct known in the state has been sue
cessfully grown here, and new orchards
and vineyards are now being planted in
every direction.
Grapeland is not production or relic
OF the late boom. Here no town lots
were etaked out, and the speculator did
not roam over it's fertile acres. AS early as
the sixties, the Perdew brothers, Hawker
and others settled at the base of the
mountains, attracted by the perfect eli
mate: the fruitful soil and the pure
mountain water, and here they raised
fruit and vegetables for sale to the miner
and immigrant, the only possible mar
ket at that time. Until the advent of
the Southern Pacific railroad the coun-
try was comparatively solitude, as was
the whole section between Old Cuca-
monga and San Bernardino. Along the
} line where today are the wonderful set
Elements of Pomona, Ontario, Cucamon-
ga, Etiwands, Grapeland, Rialto, Red
lands aud others, with their thousands
OF inhabitants, the solitude was only
broken by the overland mail stage and
the freight team conveying goods to Ari-
zona along the old base line road.
About five years ago the section en-
braced in Grapeland commenced to at
tract attention, and the lands within
the present district were secured largely
by actual settlers who have gone stead.
lily on improving their lands, and show
ing the capabilities of the soil. Most of
the settlers owned water interests in
Lytle creek, the magnificent mountain
stream that flows to the east of Grape
land, but as the area of cultivation in
creased, it was found that more water
was needed, and the Grapeland Irriga
tion district was formed as the best
means of securing an ample supply, and
the following officers were elected:
President, j. d. Ousterhout; secre-
tary, E. II. Myers; directors, j. ID. Gus
terhout, w. d. Nevin, J. l.. Adams, A.
G. Peidew, E. I. Myers; treasurer, j.
A. Scott; collector, A. G. Pier assessor,
E. E. Scott.
The organization of the district has
been confirmed by the courts as having
fully complied with all the requirements
OF the law, thus making their bonds an
Investment OF absolute safety.
In the formation of the district, a
much larger area of land could have
been included within its boundaries but
it was deemed best to include no lands
south of the base line, but to make it
small and compact. 80 as to be more
easily managed and economically ad-
ministered. In this respect Grapeland
is model that might we'll be followed
in other districts. Expenses have been
kept down to the minimum, and bonds
have not been sold faster than necessary
to provide for work actually performed,
or property purchased. By this method
irrigation taxes have been kept down to
the lowest possible rate.
The directors have since purchased
320 acres bordering ON both sides of
Lytle o4~,k, and propose to run a bed
rock tunnel to tap the underground
flow of the creek, the district engineer
being fully confident that a supply
ample for the needs OF the entire dis
trict, or one inch to each ten acres, will
be obtained from this source. The dis
trict has been bonded for 5000, 900, and
as an indication of the harmony and in.
terest taken, all of the first years tax
has been promptly paid, with the ex-
ception of $3.50.
Grapeland is reached from Sansevain
station On the Southern Pacific, four
miles distant, or from Etiwanda, Fon-
tana, or Rialto on the Santa Fe road,
from two to three miles away, but the
present visit was made by way of Col
ton, and behind good team, in order
to see the line of Improvement through
the lands of the Semi Tropic company.
Grapeland was reached in this way in
an hour and quarter. After leaving
Cotton, for miles the drive is through
lands of the Semi Tropic Land and
Water company and through the town
of Rialto, the entire distance being one
succession of orange groves, vineyards
and beautiful homes, all planted and
huilt uitb;v, %lc oo< four