Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-01

Southern California is that part of the
state lying between the Sierra Nevada
mountains and the Mexican boundary
line, with the Pacific ocean on it's west
and tine Colorado river and the Nevada
state line for its eastern boundary. 1t
includes the extreme southwest corner
of the United States. Geographically,
it lies between the 32d degree and 35th
degree parallels OF north latitude and
114th degree and 121st degree, longitude
west of Greenwich.
That there are three CALIFORNIA; is a
fact generally overlooked. The name
California was invented by o. de Mon
talvo, Spanish novelist OF the six
teenth century. He gave it to sup
posed island ION the right hand of the
Indies, very near the gates OF the. ter
restrial PARADISE" The early Spanish
explorers applied the name first to the
peninsula of California, which for nearly
100 yeras after its discovery they sup
posed to be an island. With the extern
sion of Spanish domain northward in
the year 1869 to the 42d degree
of latitude they carried the name.
Afterwards, when the outlying province
sof California was politically divided on
about the 320 parallel of latitude; the
upper portion was called Alte or Upper
California, while the peninsula was
known as Baja or Lower California. In
1848 Upper California was purchased of
the Mexican republic by the United
States, and two years afterwards was ad
mitted as a state.
l. - krko oe
MIA is divided into two distinct sections,
as different in climate, products and in
terests, as are France and Italy. The
Sierra Nevada mountains, which consti-
tute the eastern boundary OF the state
for nearly half its length on the north,
at an average altitude OF over 1000 feet
above sea level, swing around to the
west, and, cutting the STAGE in twain,
terminate in the bold bluff OF Point
Conception.
That part of California lying to the
north OF this high range of mountains
has climate like that of France. That
part OF the state lying south of these
mountains has a climate like that of
Italy south OF the Alps.
Southern California includes the coun-
ties of Inyo, San Bernardino, San Diego,
Orange, Los Angeles and Venture, and
parts of the counties OF Santa Barbara
and Kern, embracing an area OF about
10000 square miles.
The topography of Southern California
is divided by the Sierra Madre, mount
ain range with an average altitude of
1000 feet, into two great plains. These
mountains, beginning in Ventura coun-
ty on the northwest, bend around to the
south, and, running 750 miles, termin-
ats in the headland of Cape St. Lucas at
the southern end of the peninsula OF
Lower California.
On their eastern side is portion of
the great plain or basin of the Colorado
valley, whose river drains large part
of the territory between the Rocky
mountains and the Sierra Nevada. The
larger portion of this basin within the
limits OF Southern California is unin-
habitable, except along the valleys of
the Owens river, Mojave river and the
Colorado river, and Antelope valley.
West of the Sierra Madre is cres-
centshaped territory lying between the
mountains and the sea, including about
100000 acres OF the finest land and
climate on the face of the globe. The
horns of this crescent have their tips
at Point Conception on the north and
Point Iona on the south. These are
about 2l5 miles apart in straight line
from point to point. The bow of the
crescent-shaped land is about eighty
miles wide in its thickest part, from
San Pedro to Banning, on the summit of
the Sierra Madre. 1t is in this narrow
strip OF territory that very dense pop
ulation will be found within few years.
The principal attractions are, ii irst, an
equable climate, and second, rich soil.
The climate OF Southern California in
cludes all kinds, from the burning sands
of the Colorado desert to the snow
crowned summits OF its sierras. In the
habitable portions the climate is very
equabe. The greatest extremes ever
noted were a minimum OF ~ degrees and
maximum Of l35 degrees. The first
occurred many years ago at KeeIer, Inyo
county. on the occasion OF very cold
wind from off the submits of the Sierra
Nevada in mid-winter. The second hap
Bened 1T Santa Barbara several yeara
1fnce during hot wind from the Aojavc