The herald., 1896-08-30
UNSURPASSED SOIL AND CLIMATE
Rich in Agricultural and Mineral
Resources
VERY PROMISING OIL FIELD
Remarkable Development Of Oil Wells at
Summerland
The Coast Railroad and Its Importance to
Southern California
How II VIII Build Up the Undeveloped Re-
sources Of These Two Counties and
Benefit the City Of Los
Angeles
The Coast Railroad and Its Importance to
Southern California

Among the nine counties comprising
the geographical division of the state
known as Southern California none
surpass the counties of Ventura and
Santa Barbara in magnitude and diver
sity of resources, picturesque scenery
and climatic advantages. The superb
charms of the climate and scenery of
Santa Barbara and vicinity have been
depicted in poetry and prose by some
of the most eminent poets and writ
ers of America, hence it i'll becomes the
writer to attempt to describe what has
been so graphically portrayed by master
minds of our country. Moreover, this
article is designed to briefly show
readers of The Herald who are not IA
miliar with the resources of Ventura
and Santa Barbara counties their great
advantages and possibilities from an
Industrial and commercial standpoint,
and how they will be materially en-
hanced by the completion of the South
ern Pacific coast road
AS shown in the Introductory article
to each county, the range of productions
now grown and which can be materially
increased, Is marvellous. The peculiar
location of the land, with its favorable
exposure to the sun and the ocean COM
bine to produce crops of unsurpassed
abundance and value. The fruit can
ming and drying, canning of vegetables,
dairying, olive oil, petroleum, asphaltum
and many other industries, are already
important, and, with increased trans
portation facilities by railroad and
ocean, will be multiplied to an enor-
nous extent.
THE COAST RAILROAD.
This important branch of the South
ern Pacific railway system will be when
completed a most potent factor in the
development of the resources of these
counties, bringing their natural and
manufactured products from many Sec
tons now inaccessible by railroad to
Los Angeles the metropolis and distrib-
Iting point of Southern California, with
all the benefits that will accrue from a
shorter haul and a better market than
San Francisco. This will naturally
bring all the Wholesale trade of those
counties to Los Angeles by reason of
cheaper freights than from San Fran
cisco. besides the incentive to purchase
supplies In a city that furnishes the
best market for their products. Los
Angeles will thereby materially extend
its wholesale territory and the same
changed conditions will doubtless in
crease the retail trade of Los Angeles
in those sections, particularly the north
ern part of Santa Barbara county. Los
Angeles capitalists and investors from
elsewhere seeking in Los Angeles OPEN
ings for the investment of capital, will.
when the railroad is completed, natur-
ally be attracted to Ventura and Santa
Barbara counties as a promising field
for land and industrial enterprises. es-
pecially as the charming scenery along
this route. its proximity to the ocean for
a long distance in Santa Barbara and
Ventura counties it's so miles less dis
tance to San Francisco, and freedoms
from the unpleasant summer features
of railroad travel in the San Joaquin
valley, will unquestionably make this
the popular tourist line and overland
route from San Francisco to the east.
The accompanying cut of the coast"
railroad shows that the line Is completed
south to Lompoc landing The gap
extending to Ellwood is about 60 miles,
part of which is contracted for, but there
is some heavy tunneling and bridging
yet to be done, which will require many
months steady work by large force
of men. Opinions differ greatly, even
among railroad officials, regarding the
manifested In the disposition of the rail-
road company to push the work speedily
to completion. But the consensus Of
opinion seems to favor the theory that
with prospective competition in an
overland route to San Francisco. of
which the new San Joaquin Valley rail-
road may form a part, the Southern
Pacific Railroad company will COM
plete the coast" line in time for tour
ist travel of the fall and winter of 1897,
II not before