The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-25
MARTINEZ TN
CONTRA COSTA.
Continued from First Page.

| Il
tiful and stately, presided over by earnest
wives and mothers who are active factors
in the social and religious life OF Martinez.
Mrs. L. l. Fish is deeply interested in edu-
cational matters, having been principal of
the San Jose Normal School before her
marriage. Her residence faces the bay and
Benicia in the distance. Mrs. Fish calls
the large grounds in the rear of the house
my husbands experimental station"
Here Mr.. Fish has oranges, lemons, olives,
almonds in abundance; also many orna-
mental palms and trees, one especially rare
is Spanish cork oak. Mr.. Fish grows
choice English walnuts by grating the
English variety into the California.
In this corner of the world brothers seem
to have said to each other Come, let us
work together for 1 find the Blum
brothers, Simon and Gabriel, with union
OF interests These men give much
strength and backbone to the business life
of the community. Sturdy, energetic,
kindly Simon Blum, with the assistance
OF his manly son Albert, manages the great
lumber, grain and coal yards on the wharf
G. Blum has charge of the largest general
merchandise store of the town. But really
| the great business interests of the Blums
| fade into nothingness and are forgotten bv
! Gabriel Blum in the presence of golden
| haired little native son Max, who is the
idol of this mans life Mrs. Simon Blum
is very popular with the young people.
She is ever in full sympathy with any plan
! which will bring them pleasure. Mrs
Blum gives largely to all who call upon
her for aid.
| Business in all lines in this rambling,
| picturesque town is conducted in an at
tractive manner. The drugstores are par
ticularly noticeable, especially those of
| William K. Cole and George A. Sherman,
the latter being the CALL agent at this
point. The Lasell Co. Gncorporated) man
age stores in Martinez md Crockett Their
stock of dry goods and agricultural imple-
ments is surprisingly large.
| Martinez should have planning mills and
sash and door factories on the wharf. Lum-
| Der seasoned in this climate would work
| like a charm when used in the interior.
All the people seem happy and friendly
| disposed to each other, q refreshing atmOS-
| phere in which to breathe.
| In the Courthouse the young men are at
| the helm-native sons not only of Califor-
MIA but of Contra Costa County. All are
| Republicans but two. G. G.. Brown, Dis
| trict-Attorney, who is son and grandson
of the eminent jurists of that name, had
| too good a name and record to be beaten
even if a Democrat. Henry ]. Curry, the
Coroner has made such a success of him
self and the large livery stable in which he
| is interested that he, too, could not be de-
feated. Energetic T. HI. Glass who is serv-
ing second term in the County Clerks
off iS
with all classes. In the Sheriff's office is
H. V. Alvarado, son of the late Governor
Alvarado. The Auditor, A J. Soto, is
serving his sixth term, having been elected
to the office when but % years of age. He
is descendant of the old Spanish De Soto
family. l found his hobby good one
the Public Library and Reading-room, an
institution of which Martinez should be
proud.
The library owes its life and success to
the continued zeal of Mrs. r. H. Nc
Mahon, a cultured little woman, who
graduated at Berkeley in the same class
with her husband. The library contains
about 1000 well-chosen books and all the
best magazines and papers are on file in
the reading-room. Mrs. Mcmahon is as
sisted by Mrs. II. A. Downer, who is bet
ter known as Ruth Rambler" a name
over which she has written many pleasant
helpful thoughts The Public Library AS
ISOLATION has lately received gift of a COR
ner lot from Mrs. DR.. Strentzel, the pioneer
wife of the late DR.. Strentzel, who came
over the plains to Alhambra Valley, back
of Martinez, in an ox-team wagon in 1849.
DR.. StrentZel first owned sixteen acres of
land on which he cultivated and expert
mented in fruit. Now his widow and her
only child Louisa, who is the wife of John
Muir, the naturalist, own royal heritage
OF 5000 acres down through the beautiful
| Alhambra. Thirty acres of this land,
which produces the best table grapes in the
world, recently sold for $21 600, not such
great price when it is known to have
yielded net profit of $3.50 an acre. Navel
oranges grow on this ranch to perfection.
To-day the limbs of the trees are partly
broken by the bountlful yellow crop.
1t Is great surprise to many to know
that the climate of Contra Costa is suited
to orange and lemon culture. Well, people
will know some day that the valleys where
the early Spanish chose their homes were
the Eden spots of California. In this beau
| tlful home of the late DIR. Strentzel l found
| that prose-poet John Muir One room in
| the house is held sacred as "Mr Muir's
| room" To that sanctum sanctorum l was
taken by Mrs. Muir. 1t is spacious
room, with a CHEEKY, open hearth, but
dearer to the master, no doubt, is the great
open baywindow, with its view over the
Valley of Alhambra, the shady town, the
| bay and Benicia to the Solano hills that
loom up in blush haze. In front of this
window is the study table of the man who
makes us see 'the intense azure of the
sky, the purplish grays of the granite, the
red and browns of dry meadows, and the
translucent purple and crimson of buckle
berry boys; the flaming yellow of aspen
groves, the silvery flashing of the streams
and bright green and blue of the glacier
lakes" In his late book, THE Mountains
of California" John Muir paints pictures
in words that are more vivid than ever art
| lists brush immortalized on canvas.
! eyes, will publish book on Alaska
some day" he answered, in response to a
| question.
| Mrs. Muir loves everything in nature,
! o,,I i II