Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-14
TIE sEcrIoN's PROGRESS : POMONA.

dbo0LhihS tihb a nCW1J -oCbOiCQ COuAtiy
like Southern California, is mission
ary field, he believes that it would be
we'll if this journal should indulge in a
brief interregnum in political and gen
eral editorial disquisition, the space be-
ing devoted to what is going on in the
country round about us. 1t is easy to
write politics any day, or to essay to
write literature, but little chat about
the way the country tributary to Los
Angeles is growing up may not be amiss.
Pomona is one of our newer colonies,
although the appearance of SO many
"brand new" and fourishing settle
ments would seem to throw it into the
more staid and settled group. 1t is
about thirty miles inland from the City
of the Angels. 1t is located on
stretch of country which might
have been variously known as the San
Jose valley, the Palomares ranch or the
Chino ranch, in the early days. The city
and settlement known as Pomona is as
yet scarcely ten years old, although the
Messrs. T. A. Carey, L. M. Holt and
other citizens of Los Angeles at that
time, started the project of town there
fifteen or sixteen years ago. They were
attracted by the abundant artesian wells
of the Palomares ranch, which have
since been supplemented by copious sup
plies OF the precious fluid drawn from
the mountains.
The location of Pomona is picturesque
and romantic to notable degree. Her
mountain environment on all sides is
seldom surpassed in majesty on any por-
tion of the globe. From the Cajon range
to "Old Grayback" there is a feast of
the sublime and beautiful, which, by
the way, is supplemented by the useful.
These mountains, with their tremendous
watersheds, guarantee never-failing
source of water supply. The val
lev has been settled by
very enterprising class of people,
who have, in an incredibly short time,
created beauty and wealth, and wealth
producing agencies. Pomona is ira
versed by two great transcontinental
railways, the Southern Pacific and the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. The
two are connected by a motor railway,
and many trains on both roads, going
to and fro daily, between transcontinent-
al termini and local points, afford her
people splendid transportation facilities.
Probably no inland city on the conti-
nent surpasses her in this respect.
The people of Pomona have devoted
themselves to the cultivation of the
citrus fruits with great success, but
they have by no means restricted them
selves to this specially. One of the
most interesting OF their staples is
the successful cultivation of the
olive. This industry was introduced at
an early stage by the old Mission
fathers, who showed what potentialities
there were in this fruit. The Rev.
G. F. Loop brought the culture of the
olive to great perfection, benefiting
his fellow hortculturists by an expert
ence derived from years OF travel in
Europe. The apricots and other decid-
uous fruits have received marked atten-
tion in Pomona.
In fact, every agricultural, viticul-
tural and pomological interest is repre-
sented in attractive forms in the terri
tory embraced in what is known as
Pomona. 1t adjoins Mr.. Richard Gird' g
sugar and cattle producing principally,
the "Chino," and will benefit from the
expansion OF the sugar beet speciality.
1t is doubtful whether the people of
Pomona proper will ever care to devote
their own eclectic acreage to such a
crop, but they could if they would.
The late "northers" s"-and these have
constituted the first disagreeable ex-
periences this people have encountered
have unquestionably done some dam
age, but it has been of temporary
character. Some nursery stock has
been injured, but that is easily repara-
BILE. As to the rest, there is no question
of the vitality and prosperity of the city.
The center of an immediate territory of
10000 to 5000 acres of the most pro-
ductive and best watered lands on the
footstool, the future of Pomona is as
sured.
As to the city itself it is attractive
from all points Of view. The more
closely built portion is ornamented by
many blocks built in the most ornate
style of modern architecture. Many of
the business edifces-and this is
notably true as to some OF the banks
would embellish metropolis. 1t is
needless to say that enterprise is a dis
tinguishing feature of people who have
accomplished so much in such a short
time. When one abandons the am
bilious young city, and hies ones self
to the splendid scope of country filed
with orange and olive groves, vineyards,
orchards of deciduous fruits, and plan
tations set out in ornamental shrubs,
with elegant villas diversifying the
landscape on every hand, one is then
really in Pomona! Then the appropri-
ateness of the original selection of the
name ia realized.
The unique thing about Pomona is
that the people first selected the name,
and then built up to it. When the
project of founding a city based on hor-
ticultural production was originally con-
ceived there was nothing but the old