Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1900-03-22
FROM CALIFORNIA.
Letter From n Former Beldingite Now I'm
The Golden State-Looks Forward to
His Return To Michigan.

his Return To michigan.
MONTEREY, CAL, March 9, 1900.
Mr.. EDIToR:-After reading your
paper OF last Thursday and noting
where 1t said the mercury was down to
10 and IL degrees below zero, / thought
| would try and give you little de-
scription of California.
We left Belding on the 18th OF Sep.
tember, 1899, and arrived in the Golden
State on the 18th. We went direct to
Placerville, FL Dorado county "a mining
town situated in the foot hills of the
Sierra Nevada (but should call them
mountains when one attempts to walk
over them). There are three kinds of
mining, placer, quartz and pocket.
Placer mining is where they wash the
dirt of the bed rock and then they pan
or wash the gold out OF the dirt.
Quartz mining is where they dig tun-
nels and sink shafts, take the gold out
OF the mines in quartz, then it is taken
to the mill and from the mill sent to
the mints. Pocket mining is where
they find gold in large nuggets Tor in
lunches, which are called pockets).
L worked in the mines for while.
Placerville is the county seat of El
Dorado county and is only eight miles
from Coloma, where gold was first dis
covered. The weather was very fine,
cool nights and quite warm days. The
sun would shine very hot, while we
could 60 out of doors and see snow on |
the mountains 40 miles away, which |
stood up so high they looked like pin
nacles of churches. It's grand sight
when the sun shines on them.
A person gets great opinion of Cali
fornia in the east. People come to the
southern part, where it's very hot, and
they say oranges grow on the trees the
year round, it never rains or SHOWS,
neither is there any thunder or light
ming. But let me tell you it done
little OF everything while we were in
Placerville. 1t showed, rained, hailed.
Numbered and lightened, but very
light mot like it does in Michigan but
while it's raining in one place perhaps
three miles away the climate would be
quite different The climate differs all
over the state, and will say here, if
person comes to California they must
not judge one place by the other, for
,hey are all different
We left Placerville and came to
Monterey. which. is one of the healthi-
est and best climates in the world; the
temperature is about go the year round.
It's also one OF the oldest towns in the
state, is situated on Monterey bay, one
nile from the large Del Monte hotel
Ind two miles from Pacific Grove,
which Is one of the most religious re-
orts in the state. Most of the people
around here are Spanish, it being set
led by the Spaniards in l770 Flowers '
ire in bloom the year round, with good I
except when it rains, and l
winter Is the rainy season, which the {
people all like to see when it's time for I
t. II it should rain in the summer it's I
liable to spoil the fruit in some places. t
q the Santa Clara valley, Fresno and t
LOS Angeles it's very, very hot in the c
ummer. @
We have bought the bakery and i
andy kitchen in Monterey, where we i
xpect to remain until we can go back
o Michigan (of course we all will be i
ack some dayl for you all know there I
) no place like home. But we like /,
california very much and if person c
as lots of money there is no better c
lace for any one to live, but honestly IA
hink the Eastern states are the best @
Or laboring man. l will close until II
ou hear from me again. remain, Q
Your old friend and citizen, 81
FRANK WYETH A