The herald., 1897-10-10
"THE IMPERIAL COUNTY"
PEN PICTURE OF SAN BERnARDlnO

perity of the county Is largely dependen
upon this industry. 1t must not be-
thought that the full measure of tbs
fruit business has been reached yet in
this county, for there are still thous a nd 6
of acres of as good land unoccupied as
any that now bears fruit, and with a
constantly increasir 6 mo rket the futur
Of the business is most promising.
1t may seem like going back to frs
principles TO invest in mining, but as
history is said to repeat itself. there is
nothing strange in the INDUSTRY that first
settled this coast again coming to the
front as one of the fea turesof its growth
Within the past year an interest in the
mines of this county has come to the
front that thereatens to ever dwarf In
Importance the favorite fruit industry
San Bernardino couZty has been the 10
cation of gold and silver mines from
its earliest days, but 1t seems as though
it would under the present impetus de-
velop into one vast mining camp
hundreds of miles in extent, east and
west and north and south Mines that
were abandoned thirty years ago are be-
ing worked with rich results Locali-
ties that were prospected in a super
fetal manner and deserted for more
promising fields are now eagerly sought
after and are being developed most sat
isfactorily. The opening up of the
Johannesburg and Randsburg camp or
.he edge of this, and Kern counties. is of
such importance that a railroad will
soon onrect it with the rest of the world
and with plenty of water surrounded by
agricultural lands that are tributary to
Il, the twin towns have an excellent
future before them In the other di-
rection, to the east the discoveries in
Virginia district have been most salts
factory. so much so that the townsite
of Dale City. with postoffice. hote.
shops and stores and newspaper. has
become a necessity for the increasing
amount of business congregating there
By another year railroad connection
will be necessary, and as it lies between
the two great transcontinertal lines Il
will probably be connected with both
At present lines of stages subsidized by
the roads, are running to Dale City. one
tapping the Southern Pacific at Walters
and the other connecting with the Santa
Fe at Amboy. Eagle Mountain is be-
coming favorite mining district and
The recent sale of the Iron Chief mine
for S1o0,000 has added TO the interest,"
attached to this location.
One of the oldest mining camps in the
county is the Holcomb Valley, which
after series of years of comparative
quiet, is again coming to the front as
a gold producer. The Green Lead, onco
famous for its output. gave great prom
Use, but mismanagement checked its
prosperity, but there is great wealth
there when conducted as it should be
The Rose mine in that district is another
rich gold producer. 1t was sold about
year ago by its original owners for
high figure, and within the year after
the sale the new purchasers took enough,
gold as net profit from the mine to pay
the purchase price. Holcomb Valley is
also taVorite place for placer mining.
especially during the summer, for lis
hlgh attitude makes it the favorite spot
lor summer mining at a season when the
neat drives in the miners from the deser;
dlgglngs Very valuable copper deposits
extending for miles in length, have, Just
been discovered.
Other sections of the county are rich
IN mines of gold, silver and copper.
While the borax deposits of Calico dis
trict VIII be source Of wealth for hu1y~
dreds OF years to come. There are no
idle men in the county who wish to work
for there is constant demand for all the
men that care to labor in the mines. and
IN ADDITION to the present large army of
miners there is room for other armies
either to prospect for themselves as
there is plenty of territory undeveloped
or TO work by the week or month for
those who have mines. The future of the
mining interests of this county is most
brilliant and an excellent opening fo,
investment.
Another great industry of the county
is the development of power by changing
the rainfall into electricity before it is
used to irrigate the orchards and fields
of the plains, and with this electricity
furnishing light and power to the cities
and villages in the valley The greatest
of the corporations for this purpose is
at Redlands. where it proposes to
utilize many times over the flow of the
Santa Ana river and Mill creek and their
tributaries. Already it supplies River
side, Redlands and Highland and Col
ton, and is investing a million dollars
to extend its works and supply Los An
geles with electricity for lighting and
power purposes. Another company iii
the same business is the San Bernardipo
Power company, which has the contract
for lighting the city of San Bernardiuo
for the next ten years and is preparing
to extend its lines. The power is gem
Grated by the waters of Warm creek and
. nf 1a
side canal at Highgrove is utilized for
this purpose. 1t not only lights the city
and most of the places of business, but
it has day current for power purposes
and in time expects to accommodate the
rarchers of the valley with power for
pumping purposes, as a small motor on
ranch will pump enough water from a
we'll to irrigate the entire ranch.
The waters of Lytle creek have been
filed upon by different parties for power
purposes, and there iS vast amount Of
power TO be obtained from that source.
but the development work is not such s.
to give promise for the future, but it is
only matter of time when either the
present owners of the filings or future
ones will coin wealth from this source.
Another source of future power is being
developed by the Arrowhead Reservoir
company, that has possession of the
headwaters of the Mojave river, which it
proposes to bring through and down on
this side Of the range of mountains and.
deliver on the plains for irrigation pur-
poses by mearAs of an extensive system
of tunnels and reservoirs. This water
comirig down several thousand feet in