The herald., 1898-05-08
a MODERN MIRACLE IN Diff
CULT FINANCIERING
S1,5OO,OOO SPENT ON THE
PROPERTY
The Largest Bearing Navel Orange
Orchard in the United States
SALE TO AN ENGLISH COMPANY

Serious Complications Arise-Settle-
ment to Be Made in the United
States Circuit Court
4 sketch of the development of the River
side settlement from its foundation in 1871
to date is one of the most interesting bits
of history in a state that is replete with
interesting incidents. Twenty-seven
years in that valley has witnessed some OF
the most wonderful developments, some Of
the most wonderful financial movements
end some of the most valuable horticul-
tural discoveries that the world has ever
seen, and some of the names of the men
who have figured prominently in that work
will live in future ages. while their works
may be nearly forgotten or not fully ap-
preciated in the present
A Reciaimable Desert
In 1870 the Riverside plain was a worth
less sheep range thai YES assessed for Is
cents an acre and the board of equalization
was asked ID rea1cs that bu-6ensome
valuation
The Riverside canal was completed in
1s71 to a point aocut three miles south of
the present business center Of the city of
Riverside. 4 portion Of tte Rubidoux
rancho was purchased. the water was put
on the land, the land was subdivided and
sold to settlers with the water right for
the sum of so to SIS an acre.
Silk Worms and Opium
Just prior to this movement it was the
Intention of the owners of the land to es.
tablish a silk worm colony and make that
the great industry of the settlement. This
idea was abandoned and the new settlers,
after the completion of the canal, thought
that the poppy would make fortunes for
the people by the production of opium.
Afterwards all kinds of fruits were ex-
perimented with; some varieties were re.
tanned as profitable and others were re.
jected.
The Great Orange Center
Riverside in the course of a few years
became the greatest orange producing
country in the world. No other acreage in
the world today, in compact form, pro-
6uces so many carloads of oranges as does
the Riverside settlement.
Riverside is the home of the celebrated
Washington navel, an orange that sur
passes any other orange to be found today
in the civilized world. This is reputation
of which any section might we'll feel
proud.
Winds and Frost
Riverside has always been considered a
very windy country, and this reputation
has been honestly earned, but it is the
north winds in winter that prevent
damaging frosts. AS the orchard trees
nd bn ind hra
denser and taller, the winds were checked
In their progress and frosts became more
frequent and more damaging, so that dam
aging frosts now occur where none were
known few years ago.
The original Riverside canal did not cover
over one-half of the mesa lands lying be-
tween the river on the west and the foot
hills on the east. The half that was thus
brought under irrigation was the lower
and level lands of the valley, and therefore
the more subject to frost.
Government Lands
While these lands under the Riverside
canals were being brought into high state
of cultivation, the other half of the valley
above the canals was mostly government,
land, subject to settlement under the home
stead, pre-emption, desert land and timber
culture acts.
In 1882 Riverside had 5000 acres of citrus
orchards and was beginning to ship oranges
In carload lots.
The Gage System
During this year Matthew Gage, almost a
stranger in Riverside, made desert lant
filing in the Los Angeles land office, COW
ering section 30," which has since become
historic. and began at great expense tc
exploit the various supposed water sources
In the vicinity with a view to the reclama
tion of the section. His efforts and outlay
however, were vain and fruitless
During 1854 he purchased 2S0O acres Of
water-bearing land located on the Santa
Ana river, midway between San Bernardo
no and Redlands. He also purchased the
Hunt & Cooley ditch, which was entitled
to some $50 inches of river water This
ditch became the foundation of the Gag,
canal and its water rights.
During 1884 and the early part of lSS
he surveyed canal line from said ditcl
across the Riverside mesa in a southerl,
direction Crossing section 3O) to the Ter
quisquita arroyo, distance of about L
miles.
Mortgaging Five-Dollar Land
He then agreed with the owners of som
8000 acres Of the mesa land lying under th
now of the proposed canal to sell then
water rights for S100 an acre, agreeing, t.
give them supply equal to the continuou
now of one inch to each five acres Tn
water was to be delivered at point on tn
main canal near the land to be irrigated
and the annual charges for maintainin
the system and delivering the water wer
to be borne pro rata by the owners of wa
ter rights in the canal.
To secure him, the owners of the Ian
gave him their notes, due in five year
from the time the water was ready 70
delivery, and were to draw per cent in
terest from the date of such delivery; tn
notes were secured by first mortgages O
thelonds. These notes and mortgages (som
100000 An alb were placed in escrow an
we're to b. delivered to Gage only upo