Los Angeles herald., 1893-01-01
THE SEVEN SOUTHERN COUNTIES
Southern California Described
in Detail by Divisions.
A General Review of Size, Wealth and
Population.
The Topography, Climate, Resources,
Products and Industries of Each
County Accurately Set
Forth.
4142 square miles.

| Population III 1890, 1Ol 454.
| Assessment of 1892, $50, 1899, ,924.
Los Angeles was one of the original
counties, having been organized in 1850.
Its territory then included all that of
Kern county lying south of the summit
of the Sierra Nevada, and the present
counties of San Bernardino and Orange.
The county rises in three grand ter
races from the sea to height OF 2200
feet. Back of these elevated plains are
majestic mountain ranges from 5000 to
5000 feet high, with occasional peaks
having an altitude of 5000 and 10000
feet.
The lowest OF these three great benches
rises from the sea to an altitude of about
500 feet. South and west the Pacific
ocean, the largest body of water in the
world, washes its shores. On the north
side of this first terrace or plain is
range OF hills, which have an average
altitude of 1900 feet. They run easterly
from the Ventura coast line through the
county to the San Bernardino county
line. Three passes, known as the Ca
huenga, Los Angeles and San Gabriel,
break through this range. Through the
last two named passes respectively flow
the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers
on their way toward the sea. AS is the
custom in sll Spanish countries, as this
was formerly, this range bears different
names, as it is broken or it's direction
changes. On the west it is known as
the Santa Monica, then as the Ca
huenga. Los Angeles and San Gabriel,
and finally as the Puente hills.
THE FIRST GRAND TERRACE.
The terrace itself is divided into two
valleys. The one to the northwest is
known as the Cahuenga valley. and the
one on the southwest as the Los Angeles
valley. The divide" between the two
valleys, however, is very slight. This is
shown by the old bed of the Los Angeles
river, which formerly crossed this ''di-
vide," and found an entrance to the
ocean through the lake called La Ball
ona, which is situated at the mouth of
the Cshuenga valley.
This latter valley has it's greatest
length of about 20 miles, and it's greatest
width of about 10 miles. but is quite ir-
regular in shape. On the west table
land projects southerly from the Santa
Monica hills along the ocean shore to
La Ballona lake, and easterly from the
ocean shore line for some three or four
miles. On the south eide Of the valley
the tableland rises again and eliminates
in the high point OF the Palos Verdes
peninsula.
The Los Angeles valley, or properly
plain, is some 30 miles long by 20 wide.
1t reaches over into Orange county on
the southeast, and lies between the
ocean on the south and the Puente and
San Gabriel hills on the north. The
surface OF this valley rises gently from
the sea to an altitude OF some 500 or 900
feet.
THE SECOND GRAND TERRACE
consists OF the magnificent valleys Of
San Fernando and San Gabriel. These
valleys are separated from each other
by small spur OF hills known as the
San Rafael, which project southerly
from the Sierra Madre mountains aud
terminate opposite the Los Angeles pass.
The San Fernando valley is about 36
miles long by IL miles wide. 1t has
gentle slope from the Sierra Madre on
the north down towards the Santa
Monica and Cahuenga hills on the
south. On the west side are the Santa
Susana hills. The valley has an eleva-
ton above the sea level from about 800
to 1000 feet.
The San Gabriel valley is about 25
miles long by 10 miles wide. Like the
San Fernando valley, it slopes gradually
from the Sierra Madre down to the San
Gabriel and Puente hills. Its elevation
runs from about 500 to 1900 feet.
Rising to the north of the two valleys
OF San Fernando and San Gabriel, which
form the second grand terrace of Los
Angeles county. are the Sierra Madre
mountains. AS in other countries which
have been dominated by Spanish Gus
toms, these mountains have different
local names. On the west they are
known as the San Fernando, again as
the San Gabriel, and still further east as
the San Bernardino. This has occa-
stoned considerable confusion, and
majority of writers and map makers
have sensibly agreed upon the appro-
pirate name of Sierra Madre for the
whole range. These words are Spanish,
and literally mean the serrated mother,
or mother mountains, which their geo
logical formation shows them to be.
Indeed, this is the name given to the
same range on the California peninsula.
The Sierra Madre runs from Ventura
county southeasterly Through Los An
geles county into San Bernardino county.
Their average altitude in Los Angeles
county is about 5000 feet. Their highest
points in this county are Mount San
| Antonio, commonly known as Old
Baldy, which has an altitude OF, over
5000 feet, and North Badly. These
mountains are very precipitous on their
southern slopes, but have gentler slope
on their northern sides. From the val
leys to the south they present the ap-
pearance of majestic wall. Such, in
deed, they are, and their effect upon
the climate of the country will be no
ticed under that subject. In Los Angeles
county these mountains have two passes.
the Soledad and Tejunga. Soledad pass
has an elevation of 32l0 feet, and opene
south OF west into Ventura county.
THE THIRD GRAND TERRACE
includes all that part OF the Mojavs
desert, known as Antelope valley, iyine
between the Sierra Madre on the south
and the Sierra Nevada on the north ane
west. The east line of Antelope vale,
is defined by the Lovejoy buttes, spu
OF detached hills, from $50 to 25O fee