The herald., 1896-04-22

Thirty miles to the northwest of Los
Angeles, and Just over the Sierra Madre
range, lies the largest valley in South
ern California. Not only the largest
but in some respects the least known,
although now it gives splendid pros
poets of devclopment-inf fact, is enjoy
ing an improvement boom of no mean
pretenSionS.
The Antelope valley is thd most
northerly part of Los Angeles county
and while not content with absorbing
third of the area of this county, it
embraces large slice of Kern county
and laps over into San Bernardino. 1t
is great elevated valley, averaging
$500 feet above sea level, bounded on the
north and west by the Tehachepi noun
tains, on the south by the Sierra Mad
res, and on the east by the Lovejoy
buttes. 1t is ninety miles long and from
ten to forty miles wide. In area it is a
small empire. in which the state OF
Delaware could easily repose.
Several large streams traverse its
plains; raging torrents in winter, tiny
threads of water or dry arroyos in sum-
mer. Its soil is a rich sandy loan
formed from the decomposition of the
granite mountains which surround it. A
thick blanket of chapparal covers the
ground, consisting of sage and thorn
brush, cacti and the giant yucca palm,
while along the foothills in close com
panionship with the juniper and the
greasewood. the wild almond, olive
cherry and plum indicate with pro-
phetic eXactitude the future use of these
vast plains. fs
In the spring time the Antelope val
ley is carpeted with flowers of every
description, which, with the miles upon
miles of growing grain make a sight
beautiful to behold. In summer and fall
the country assumes the conventional
brown of California, only relieved now
and then by an occasional patch of al
falfa or orchard of almonds or prunes.
The climate is similar to most of the
interior valleys of the stakeholder
than Los Angeles in winter and warmer
in summer. The high elevation, the
great desert on the east and the noun
tains on the south and west make the
atmosphere clear and dry. There is no
fog and a dew has rarely been known.
In winter there is some ice, never strong
enough to hold the weight of man,
occasional frosts and once in every few
years a storm of snow.
THE ARTESIAN BELT
In the center of the valley lies the
great Lancaster artesian belt of 1000
acres, with several hundred flowing
wells, its many thrifty farms of alfalfa
and the prosperous and growing town of
Lancaster. Surely a country of great
promise for the dairymen and stock
raisers. West and southwest of Lam
caster is the grain district of the valley,
where 10000 acres We're sown this year
to wheat and barley, and a crop of 1000
carloads has been gathered.
Beyond the Antelope hills, in the
western part of the valley, are the thrv-
Ing colonies of Manzana Fairmont and
Alessandro, with a happy population of
eastern people having homes in the
midst of beautiful young orchards of al
mondS and prunes. Many hundreds of
acres of these 2. 8 and 4-year-old or
chards are scattered throughout this
section, and they give every evidence of
being prolific and profitable bearers.
On the 18th of last May the people of
Antelope valley met in convention at
Lancaster and organized the Antelope
Valley association, the object of which
is to advance the interests of the whole
valley. The associations are divided ir'to
three local associations, and the terri
tory assigned to the local associatio
is divided into school districts as fol-
lows: First, the western division in
cludes the school districts of Dry Lake
(Goman station), La Liebre, Del Norte,
Fairmont and TETON: second the CEN
trail division includes the school districts
of Lancaster, Del Sur, Eliza beth Lake,
Rosamond and Belleview; third, the
eastern division includes the school dis
tricts of Harold. Palmdale, Little Rock,
Almondale and 1lano. The regular meet
ings are held the first Tuesday in May
and the first Tuesday in October. ANY
resident or anyone interested in the ad-
vancement of Antelope valley is eligible
to membership on signing the roll and
on payment of so cents per year. Profess
sor A. r. Sprague of Fairmont is presi-
dent, w. s. Melick of Lancaster secre-
tary and treasurer, o. S. Bulkley of Lit
tie Rock, James p. Ward of Lancaster
Of NTa
idents
The association has taken vigorous
measures to keep out all the fruit pests
which have so troubled other localities.
Thus far not a pest of any kind has made
its way to this upper valley, and with
such precautions as are now taken it
is expected to keep its many orchards en-
tirely free from scale, moth. etc.
A word about the various colonies may
be of interest:
The colony known as
MANZANA
Lies largely on the northern slope of the
range of mountains that bound the val
ley on the south, stretching out and up
into fertile canons and along the low
foothills with which this range abounds.
The surface here is free from sage and
yucca, and the land which is not plant
cd to trees is sown to grain.
The ManZana colony was organized
by the first owners of the land to estab-
lish an industrial, cooperative commu-
nifty of intelligent people for the purpose
of fruit raising, with almonds as basis.
at least risk, lowest terms, economical
and most favorable condi-
tions for purchaser either as investor or
colonist.
1t is in a pre-eminently healthful loca-
ton, where pulmonary and kindred
troubles are unknown. The absence of
fog and dew makes it most desirable as a
health giving residence.
The projectors of this colony are max
ing an honest effort to be successful in
the highest degree, both for themselves
and their patrons. and to help others to
settle and avoid the losses due to mis-
takes and ineXperience. They are in no
sense spectators. They decline to sell