Los Angeles herald., 1893-01-01
ANTELOPE VALLEY ALL RIGHT,
A Section Which Has Resources
Without Limit.
Wonderful Progress Made During
the Past Year.
A Great Ares = Facts and Figures
About the Northern Part
of the County of Los
Angeles.

By Waiter s. Melick, editor of the Lancaster
Gazetie.1
Antelope valley Where is it? What
does it produce? Is it good place to
live in? Hundreds of travellers from
Los Angeles and elsewhere have ridden
on the cars of the Southern Pacific
across the weary sage brush plain be-
tween Acton and Tehachepi and seen
the brush, sand. jack rabbits, yuccas,
etc, said it was desert and think they
know all about Antelope valley. Not 80.
What they have seen from the car win
dow is but the reverse side of most
beautiful picture. they have seen the
unplaned and unjointed board on the
back when il they bad stopped and in
yestigated the right side Of the picture
would have shown picture more per-
feet and more beautiful than the fin
ished touches OF an old master.
Antelope valley comprises the north
ern portion of Los Angeles county and
the southern portion of Kern county.
1t extends east and west about 20 miles,
and is about 80 miles wide at the east
end and runs to point at the west,
where the Tehachepi and San Bernar-
dino mountain ranges intersect. Thus
the valley is larger than the state o!
Delaware.
the valley was always a model pas
ture ground. When the early settlers
came here immense herds of antelope
were 10 be eeen grazing on the esculent
grasses and basking in the bright
sunshine. From these vast herds
to be seen here the valley de-
rived it's name. The cattle and
sheep men took possession and held
this broad domain for years. When the
early settlers came in the cattle men
told preposterous stories and used every
means possible to keep them out.
About eeven years ago the town OF
Lancaster wac laid out by NJ. L. Wicks,
who took pains to locate settlers IN the
surrounding country. Then many home
seekers came in and filed on the land for
10 or IL miles west of town. Then a
couple of wears aiterward came another
rush of settlers who pushed on west
ward beyond Del Sur aud established
Fairmont, 20 miles west of Lancaster,
and then Neenach, II miles further and
midway towards German station.
This valley might be divided into two
parts according to what is or can be
produced-the good and the worthless.
The good may be described as the por-
tions which will produce without irfigs-
ton, or which lies in such a position
that it can be irrigated. The worthless
portion which will not produce without
irrigation and for which there is no
mode or water for irrigation. The good
land has all been taken up. There is
no use of nybody coming here with the
expectation of finding government land
on which they can file. They will be
disappointed, 1t is not here.
If it Was we who are here
would file upon it. There are thousands
of acres of worthless lands here. I eau
ton ell who contemplate getting home
here to first come and look at the land.
1t is in locating settlers on the worthless
lands that the land locators of your city
and elsewhere reap their rewards
Many have come and settled ON these
worthless lands, built their cabins,
stayed for months trying to get some
thing to grow and failed. Then they
would leave dishesrtened to curse and
blame the whole valley.
To any who will stop and investigate
l think they will find that this valley
will show that man with limited
means can make more On his invest
ments than in any other place. Good
lands that will raise wheat, barley, al
falfa or dc ciduous fruits may be had at
prices ranging from $40 to $25 per acre.
Again, the valley might be divided
into fonr narts:
First-Tha psrt that is irrigated by
mountain streams. Palmdale colony
lands are irrigated from the Little Rock
creek. This colony's lands lie to the
east OF the Southern Pacific's track as it
leaves the mountains going north. In
this vicinity are many young orchards.
The peaches, pears, plums, prunes, ap.
PIES apricots, grapes, etc, are of the
finest quality and flavor. The cherries.
apricots ard pums of Palmdale were
the earliest in the Los Angeles market
in 1892. A new townsite was lately laid
out and is booming under the able man
agement OF George L. Arnold of Los An
geles. 1t is called Palmdale station. A
brick store, hotel, depot. postoffice,
schoolhouse and other buildings have
been lately erected, while the Arnold
Development company has brought
down frem the mountains water in
abundance. East of Palmdale station
three miles lies old Palmdale, with it's
thrifty German settlement and healthy
fruit trees and vines and YER
dant alfalfa fields, irrigated by
the Palmdaie Irrigation company
East of this ia the fertile land
lately organized under the Wright act
Of the J. tile Rock Greek Irrigation dis
trict, of n hich Nathan Cole, jr., OF your
city is manager. Then east of this is
the Big Rock Greek Irrigation district
On account of the controversy over titles
to railroad lands, this district has not
been abe TO sell it's bonds. When theee
sre cold reservoirs will be built and
ditchss made, which will make hun
dreds of such prolific orchards az may
be seen out there now growing. Henry
w. Carter, l. G. Tilghman, j. II. Carter
and others have demonstrated what can
be done on Big Rock creek when en-
ergy, soil, water and climate are COM
bined.
Second-That part of the valley in the
ariesian belt. This belt is not strictly
defined, but so far as known Lancaster
is about the center, and it extends eight
miles east and eight west, and six miles
north and south. The land in this belt
is covered with eege brush, and looks
rough and desertlike; but when piowed
up and leyeled it can be made to produce
wonderfully, with water. DIR. E. T.
Barber's land is within this belt. With
a single we'll be irrigates 20 acres of
trees and alfalfa. never saw healthier,
brighter, better balanced or more