The herald., 1894-01-01

the growth OF the i've STOCK interests 1t
continued to be the chief center of trade.
The first decade under American rule
was very prosperous, as its Golfers we've
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 rail-
road came, and gave easy transportation
for its fruits and wines to the great eaet-
markets. The fruits were toothsome
and in demand. Fruit lands became val
liable. People began focking in to &C.
quire some OF these valuable lands.
With the upward movement in real es-
tate all other lines of business fourished.
As is characteristic with the American,
good thing was overdone, as usual. A
dry year, broken bank and an incipi-
ent epidemic retarded progress for q
crops and sell them. The genial climate
continued to attract the home-seeker.
Times gradually grew better.
BOOM DAYS.
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 its 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 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 q great in
crease in population. wealth and busi-
ness. The failures were few {; everybody
was successful. The prolific soil, the
genial skies, the sunshine and the balm
were the background of the rosy pic
ture. Intoxicated, they dreamed that
the departed glories of the older civili-
cations of Greece and Rome would here
again shine forth. Land would be q
heritage which gold eventually could
not buy. He who owned an orsngery
or an olive grove would transmit to his
children legacy greater than gold. So
everybody became land buyer. 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 Bsrnar-
dino were the choicest bits at first, but
afterwards 25-foot lots looked good ey-
erywherc, whether on rocky deserts, al
kali fields or miry seashore. A real es-
tate dementia prevailed. They dis
counted too heavily on the future. Here
and there wise head sold; and others
turned property over rapidly, as des-
perate gambler does his faro chips, but
they were few.
Great enterprises were inaugurated
and completed, that otherwise than for
the boom would not now bc enjoyed.
Great ranches were divided. Storage
reservoirs and irrigation bitches and
fumes were constructed, Great hotels,
cable car systems, cement sidewalks,
paved strests and score OF other enter
prises were born OF the libetality of the
boom.
The summer OF 1887 witnessed the
elimination OF the boom. The land
buyers were overloaded. A majority
having bought on installments, had
more than they could pay for. All had
been buyers; the vanguard of the great
expected body OF eastern buyers did not
come. The fall OF that year witnessed
rapid retrenchmeut. Buyers became
sellers, or tried to become such Things
looked discoursging in horticultural
lines. The town-lot craze had destroyed
many orangeries and vineyards. The
dread white-cottony cushion scale
threatened to annihilate hthe orange
trees. The NAL nero disease broke out
among the vince, and thousands of acres
were destroyed.
Southern Californians were not born to
be discouraged. The greater the obsta-
Gle the greater the victory to be OBJ
tanned. The vedalia cardinalias, or
Australian ladybug, proved to be an eff
fective antidote for the white scale. The
NAL nero soon ran its course. The fields
and beans. The orange, olive and de-
! ciduous orchards soon attained their
old-time iruitfulness. The vineyards
again became profitable. The gold,
silver and salt mines have increased their
output each year. The petroleum fields
have more producing wells today than
ever. The inflow of money into Southern
California in the past four years in ex-
change for the products of field and
mine amounts to many million dollars.
The country long ago passed all danger
of crisie, andis once more on the up
ward path OF progress and prosperity.
There is activity in all lines of develop
ment OF the natural resources. The
foverishness of the boom is gone, but its
vigor and enterprise remain.
Los Angeles, as the heart of Southern
California, beats firmly and vigorously
in response to the rapid march of i'm
provements. From reports of the
United States land office and real estate
transfers, it seems that the tide OF i'm
migration never actually ceased. While
it did not come with the rapidity that
the boomers desired, still it continued
right along without any stoppsge. Nor
has the city ceased to grow, az the
building inspectors report showe.
Costly business blocks, and residences
have lined street after street. Streets
have been graded and paved, sidewalks
have been laid. In every department,
whether business, municipal, educational
or otherwise, the progress OF the city
for 1898 has been very gratifying. A
careful perusal of the tables of figures
and various official statements follow
ing will be found most interesting and
beneficial.