The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-03-02
HE WAS CONVERTED
Chaplain Winfield Scott Tells Of Early and
Later Impressions

have faith I can declare it on any occa-
sion. I have faith in this valley. | ex-
pect that none OF you ever saw a more
lively kicker against coming to Arizona
than was before visiting this valley. For
two years | said all the mean things about
it that | could think of in resisting the
efforts and arguments of q good friend of
the valley to come here. He was the gem
eral baggage agent of the Southern Pacific
Railroad Company, o. c. Wheeler. He
told me there was kingdom here and he
earnestly urged me to come out here and
resistance he paid my fare and sleeping
car ticket, and | consented to come and
look at it. | passed through Los Angeles
on my way here, but | wouldn't tell my
friends what | was going to do. was
ashamed to let them know where was
l got off the cars and looked
around | laughed and said: Poor
old mamie is in his dotage. HE has
made great mistaken" and when came
on into the valley did not make myself
known. | was determined to make my
own Investigations and wanted to go to
the bottom of things. | went into the
Chinese gardens, the alfalfa ranches, with
their stock, and to the orchards and vine
Yards. | rode into the country some fit
teen or twenty miles in each direction
through the long alfalfa fields, then came
back to the Court House and took view
from the top of the clock tower; and |
finally said to myself The old man is
right; here is kingdom. That was
seven years ago; but my mind has never
been changed to this day. | began six
years ago by taking this desert act land
law plan. | bought out man up beyond
the Arizona Falls, at the lower end OF
Paradise Valley. think can safely say
that plowed the first furrow east of the
Arizona Cross-Cut, and have been farm
ing there in rough-and- tumble way ever
since, but now | am beginning to make it
tell
Most of you know that I was in the
army so that | have had to farm it with
foreman for all except the last two
army and only lately have | been per-
mitted to be on my ranch. 1t is mag
niiicent valley. | have kept a correct
record of the temperature of the valley
for the last five years and | know what it
has been. My record shows what the
thermometer indicates at clock in the
morning, at II O'Clock at noon and at
O'Clock at night on each day.
Paradise Valley is good SOIL think we
have as good soil as you can find any
where. 1t is good for all purposes. 1t
will give the best of fruits and the earliest
fruits. | have about 100 or ITO acres in
fruit. | raise peanuts and sweet potatoes
and Egyptian corn and everything else
that can make a profit on between the
rows OF trees until they come into bear
ing. 1t is getting now so that the fruit
raising part OF 1t is a success. | know
that it is success. The upper end of the
valley will do tae same; and the gentle
men that take hold of this enterprise will
find Just as good land and as good places
homes nd top nd fnrf lo
ing of oranges and lemons than we have
vet developed.
| have watched the lines of immigra-
ton and have been interested in seeing
the filling up of this great Western coun-
try. spent,in Kansas, seven years; in
Colorado, four years; in California, nine
years; in Washington and Oregon, three
years, and during all the time I was in
the army service | noticed that the things
that we call out here, in popular parlance,
the snaps, shave been taken largely by these
great tides of people that have been seek
ing homes in the hopes of lettering
their condition and that of their families.
When | saw this salt River Valley said
TO myself, it is but the bite of cherry to-
wards supplying the thousands of people
who will want to come here as soon as
they learn of the advantages of the coun-
try and the benefits to be derived in this
valley. | said to myself, there is q king
boill llCIt III bllS COulllTN. LOON at Gn6
Salt river the ella river and the Verde,
with all these broad acres available and
surrounded by such a rich mining region,
it will some day be the most thickly pop
ulated, most fertile and wealthy valley in
the whole country. u "r
When there shall be $4,000 or 100, 0O0
acres in bearing orchards in this valley SO
that we can combine our shipments as
they do i'll the state of California, then
the fruit business will pay one hundred
fold more than it does today. We are not
competitors with California, our fruit is
all ripened, shipped out and eaten before
the growers of California can lay fruit OF
the same sort upon their own market.
have shipped fruit to Los Angeles, to San
Bernardino, Riverside and other places
on the coast and received 10 cents per
pound for my apricots before there was a
single pound of California fruit shipped
into theiI markets. After shipping my
fruit | wrote to the commission men there
and asked them how the shipment sold
and to know how long befo e their fruits
would be placed upon the market; and
they wrote me in reply that there would
be no apricots in the market from the
state of California for at least three or
four weeks, and for me to send them on
all that | could possibly ship. Applause.
| like large-hearted men, broad minded
men. They are useful citizens in the
home, in society, in the church or in the
army, or anywhere else. | admire a man
that can wear something above a number
six hat and | am informed that the gen
tllemen in this enterprise all wear num-
Der seven and a half hats. Laughter and
applause.
| was IN Denver when there was only
one main line of railroad in that city, the
Rio Grande railway, and there was not a
single foot of street railway. 1t was not
as large as this city then, the public build
ings were all poor, and it was just in its
infancy, SO to speak. In talking with a
friend one day | said to him: You will
live long enough in Denver to see this a
city of $4,000 people, and believe he did.
The census of that city now gives its pop
ulation as $4,000 people, and the time
will come within the next ten years, while
these enterprises are being developed, that
you will see a great change in the popula-
zion of this city, and more particularly
this valley. There is not foot of soil
around Denver within fifty miles of the
city that can compare with the land OF
this valley.
| believe that these mountains are stored
with greater wealth than we have yet
known, and when capital is assured | be-
lieve the mining interests will be devel-
oped, other railroads will be pushing in
here and population will reach 100, 900 in
this immediate valley. | have been thirty
years in getting across the continent. The
people are taking possession of the land
that will support them and for climate,
put this against the best | have ever seen.
Every place is, of course the best place
sas, and that is better than the New York
al, 70 l hnu in fI,pt