Los Angeles herald., 1893-01-01
Los ANGELES HERALD: SUNDAY MORNING. JANUARY l. lsss

over the capitol, now the st. Charles
hotel. The small garrison he left was
driven out by an uprising of the people,
but Commodore Stockton reoccupied
the city January 10, 1847.
April 4, 1850, the city was incorporat-
by the legislature of the state of Califor-
MIA, and succeeded to all the rights,
titles, interests and equities of the Mex
ican pueblo.
September s, 1877, the golden spike
was driven which gave Los Angeles rail-
road communication with the outside
world-San Francisco and the entire
east.
In 1880 direct railroad communication
was opened with the east through the
Southern Pacific.
Novembr 29. 1885, the first Santa Fe
train entered the city from Barstow and
the east.
June 1, 1887, its trains arrived for the
first time on its own track from San Ber-
nardinc.
Los Angeles city, from the very first,
has held its own as the leading center OF
Southern California. Established first
as an agricultural colony, it's never
failing crops placed it in the front rank.
With the growth of the livestock inter
ests it continued to be the chief center
of trade. The first decade under
American rule was very prosperous. as
its Golfers were filled with northern gold
in exchange for southern beef. Again.
it's commerce reached out to and beyond
Salt Lake, and fortunes were acquired.
The railroad came, and gave easy trans
portation for its fruits and wines to the
great eastern markets. The fruits were
toothsome and in demand. Fruit
lands became valuable. People began
hocking in to acquire some Of
these valuable lands. With the up
ward movement in real estate all other
lines of business fourished. As lie
characteristic with the American, q
good thing was overdone, as usual.
A dry year, broken bank and
an incipient epidemic retarded progress
for while. Still people continued to
raise crops and sell them. The genial
climate continued to attract the home
seeker. Times gradually grew better.
Then little railroad was built out to
Pasadena. Later it was extended to the
San Gabriel river. People whispered
that it was part of the great Santa Fe
route. This it's promoters strenuously
denied. But people didn't believe their
denials. One day the Santa Fe people
| quietly went to work, and began track
building westerly along the north side
of the great San Bernardino valley. Be-
fore their surveyors reached the termi-
nus of the little road out from Los An
geles everybody knew their designs, and
everybody became very much excited.
Here was the advent of a second trans
continental railroad. This meant COM
petition, cheaper freights and passage
easier and quicker transportation in
creased population; more settled lands
more farms; more produce; more money.
Even in their minds eye they saw in
the frequent and increasing passenger
excursions the first ripples OF the flood
tide of population rolling westward.
They counted the figures of their growth.
Each year had witnessed great in
crease in population, wealth and buai
ness. The failures were few; every
body was successful. The prolific soil
the genial skies, the sunshine and the
balm were the background of the rosy
picture. Intoxicated (who would not
be under such conditions they
! dreamed that the departed glories oi
the older civilizations of Greece and
! Rome would here again shine forth
Land would be heritage which gold
eventually could not buy. He who
owned an orangery or an olive grove
would transmit to his children legacy
4 greater than gold. So everybody be
came land sbuyer. The old pasture
lands of the city were staked out into
25-foot lots, and everybody bought
them.
The eligible townsites along the new
and building railroad from San Bernar-
dino were the choicest bits at first, but
afterwards 25-foot lots looked good
everywhere, whether on rocky deserts
alkai fats or miry seashore. A
real estate dementia prevailed
They discounted too heavily on the
future. Here and there wise head
sold; and others turned property over
rapidly, as desperate gambler does
his faro chips, but they were few,
Great enterprises were inaugurated anC
completed, that otherwise than for the
boom would not now be enjoyed. Great
ranches were divided. Storage reservoirs
and irrigation bitches and fumes were
constructed. Great hotels, cable cal
systems, cement sidewalks, paved streets
and score of other enterprises were
born of the liberality of the boom.
The summer of 1887 witnessed the
elimination OF the boom. The land
buyers were overloaded. A majority
having bought on installments, hat
more than they could pay for. All haG
been buyers; the vanguard of the great
expected body of eastern buyers did not
come. The fall of that year witnessed
rapid retrenchment. Buyers became sell
ers, or tried to become such. Thing
looked discouraging in horticulture
lines. The town-lot craze had destroyed
many orangeries and vineyards. Th,
dread white-cottony cushion scal'
threatened to annihilate the orang'
trees. The malnero disease broke ou
among the vines, and thousands of acre.
were destroyed.
Southern Californians were not borr
to be discouraged. The greater the OBJ
stacle, the greater the victory to be OBJ
tanned. The vedalia cardinalias, ol
Australian ladybug, proved to be ar
effective antidote for the white scale
The malnero soon ran its course. The
fields went on yielding wheat, barley
maize and beans. The orange, olive
1 and deciduous orchards soon attained
their old-time fruitfulness. The vine
yards again became profitable. The
gold, silver, tin and salt mines have in
creased their output each year. The
petroleum fields have more producing
wells today than ever. The inflow oi
money into Southern California the pas
four years in exchange for the product!
of field and mine amounts to many mil
af 1AIIo ,trxv los,