Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1898-01-26
PLEAsANTVIILE N. j, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 90, 1898.
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
Captain Lakes Observation I'm
the Golden state am d Across
tile Continent.

tine GOIuen SlHlG an u ACIO08
the Continent.
Los ANGELES, CAL, Jan. IL, 1898.
To the Editor of the Pleasantville Press
My first letter was penciled on the
train as we neared San Francisco, and
while the Santa Fe route was new, The
scenery was similar to the routes travel
ed by us last winter. To write interest
ingly, one should be familiar with the
country and it's history. After leaving
the Allegheny mountains, in Pennsyl-
vania, the county is more level. Long
stretches of rolling country and prairie
lands checkered with farms and patches
of woodland with now and then q
thrifty village fills the long space across
the states OF Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Mis-
souri,, and Kansas to Colorado, where
the scene changes and the earth's surface
presents an altogether different appear
ance. The first mountains are the
Spanish Peaks with the famous Pixies
Peak in the distance and only visible
with clear atmosphere. New Mexico,
Arizona and California are an almost
continuous scene of ofrugged mountains.
Passing the City of Trinidad, Colorado,
the road begins to ascend. Two power
full iron horses hitched tandem to our
slowly moving train belch and puff as
they drag this heavy load of freight up
and around the curves, now and then
in open view from the car windows as
they double the short loops over this
mountain pass Previous to the build
ing of the railroad all of the overland
traffic to California was by stage,
horseback, prairie schooner, pack mule
OF Shank's mare. 1t was known as the
Santa Fe trail. 1t is now followed
many miles by the railroad. At an
elevation of 900 feet, we pass the
State line, between Colorado and New
Mexico, dart through half mile tunnel,
and go winding down the steep noun
tain pass at swift pace as fsto make
up for the slow ascent. Along this
1.-The Santa Fe trail'' big caravans of
valuable merchandise, although guarded
by military escort, were frequently 'sheld
up" by the native Indian tribes. Many
of the dime novels stories had their
origin from scenes (ambush and mas
sacre) on the Santa Fe trail. On we
go through New Mexico past dead vol
canoes, and beds of laya, burnt and
twisted rock all seemingly of recent date
but perhaps many centuries old. The
clear aud .rarefied air, by Elusive vision,
brings the distant mountain peaks to
remarkable nearness. Sheep, cattle
horses and hogs each on their own
ranches are passed and at the water
stations Mexican and Indians predomin-
ate. Their homes are "adobe", one
story, and built of mud bricks dried in
the sun with q door and one or two
window openings. They are rooted over
with dried mud resting on poles laid
across four rafters. The Indian Squaws
with pappooses strapped to their back
pass along by the cars and beg passen-
gers for money. Their faces are painted
and CREASED and with their long coarse
unkempt hair they presenta most mis-
cradle appearance.
Passing the Territorial line or divide,
we enter Arizonia noted for it's wonder
full canon, it's petrified forests, and OF
cities and canals, too old for history.
The scenery is similar to that of New
Mexico where our road runs through
long belt of mountain pine, straight tall
trees, the largest ones three feet through.
At Flagstaff steam saw mill cuts lum-
Der for shipment. The trees are sawed
down and only the first log is used. The
remainder which would make from one
to three logs is left to rot, a shameful
waste as the forest fires destroy and
prevent young growth. During q
three-days' stay at San Francisco we
visited Golden Gate Park, Sutro Garder,
The Cliff House and ,ths, Sutro nus-
cum and the accademy of sciences.
Golden Gate Park belongs to the City,
and contains over 1,0oO acres. 1t is in
the sand hill part of the City. It's i'm
proved part was covered with rich loan
brought in on steam cars. 1t has fine
walks and drives and enclosurers where
deer, bears and wild animals seem con-
tented. 1t also has small herd of
buffalo, and much tropical trees and
shrubery that would not live in our
eastern cities, In the ocean a few
yards from the Cliff House are 'sSeal
Rocks where hundreds of seal bask in
the sun and below. They are constant
ly climbing up and tumbling of like a
lot of mammoth maggots. The penalty
for killing one is heavy. Here and in
operation in the summer is the Haunt
ed Swing" that took in in one day $500.
At the Shute Park in the City is another
Pleasantville invention, called ga trip to
Ogden" tits running successfully. Nearly
all of the car lines are cable roads, as