The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-03-13
COLONIES IN CALIFORNIA.

There is evidently a revival of the colony
movement from the other side of the coun-
try to California. This was foreshadowed
some time ago. There are now in this
State nearly or quite a million acres that
have been mapped for colony settlements.
OF course, at the bottom of these move
ments Is the desire to sell large tracts OF
land that have been waiting for occupa-
tion these many years. But the purpose
to sell land. even at a considerable profit.
may be consonant with the best interests
OF the settlers. A few years ago there was
tendency to buy and hold large tracts.
1t seemed a good thing for single indi-
yidual to hold. say 10000 acres. But for
years such owners did not get back the
interest on their investments. Taxes in
creased. The product of unmproved lands
was next to nothing. The reputation Of
being a large landholder did not amount
TO much.
Immigrants who came singly made very
little impression on these large tracts. A
single settler who wanted only from twen-
~ to forty acres could not buy 1t out OF
one of these large ranches. But II a hun
dred settlers had proposed TO Duy az the
same time there would have been little
difficulty in coming TO terms. The single
Immigrants turned aside from these large
holdings and went into the foothills or
wherever they could find small parcels.
Every such settler added something to the
prospective wealth of the State. Home
steads were multiplied in the most pic
furesQue places, vineyards erept up the
mountain sides. There were clearings for
orchards and for little patches Of grass.
Openings were made all along the foot
hills. This dispersion of settlers was a
gain all round. individuals profited most
by it. In this way the growth of the State
has been less apparent than real The
individual settler seemed to be swallowed
uD as it were by the greatness of his envi-
rOnments. That is the direction which
settlements in this State have taken dur
ing the last few years.
AT an earlier date the most important
gains made to the population outside Of
cities were those made on the colony plan
OF settlement. Anaheim, Pasadena, Riv-
erside and many others Of the brightest
towns in this State originated in that way.
The land was cheap and apparently unin-
viting for single occupants. Pasadena
tie more than dry plain. One settler or
two or four could do little in such a place,
but hundred could found town and in
sure prosperity for the entire community.
One might have heard many times during
the last few years statements like this: II
could have bought land where that town is
for 81 % an acre. but l could do nothing
with it; now l cannot buy the same land
for 500 an acre." That may De all true,
and yet the land may still be cheap at this
enhanced price. Large sums may have
been expended for irrigation purposes,
while every man who has planted an or
chard and created cultivated homestead
has added to the value of his neighbor's
holdings.
1t is evident that the colony system is to
have greater prominence in California than
ever before. Some of the largest land
holders have taken these plans of settle
ment to Eastern cities. The speculative
feature has not been made very prominent
as yet. Whenever colony proposition
has been placed on the right bass there
has been no great difficulty in securing a
good number of colonists. The difficulty
heretofore has been that very few had al
tractiVe lands to offer, or having them, for
some reason did not place them On the
market in the most taking way. Five or
six colony enterprises have already taken
shape to the extent that the first occupants
are now on their way or are about to start
for the new settlements. These people
have means. They bring enterprise and
capital enough to create homesteads at
once. Some of these settlements will be
made in Tulare and Kern counties, others
will be made in the citrus belt of South
ern California. while others will be made
in the upper Sacramento Valley. These
are in some sense pioneer movements.
They probably precede other and greater
ones.
The outside center of this colonization
advance appears TO be in Chicago. But
the colonists are drawn from many of the
Western States, and some from the At
lantic States. 1t is announced that no
land will be sold except for actual occu-
patton and Improvement. 1t is not likely
that the spectators boom that occurred
in Southern California a few years ago
will ever be revived. But the colony plan.
which accomplished so much at an earlier
date. has already been revived, and ap-
parently on a larger scale than at any
former time.