Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-03-04
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.

Mr.. Editor:
Since writing you last that the city
was full Of eastern people the Santa
Fe and Southern Pacific railroads
have cut the rates to less than half
fare, or thirty dollars from Chicago to
Los Angeles or San Francisco. This
has seemed to cut everything loose,
and they come, they come! And if
they keep on as they have the past
week the natives viii have to give up
the town to visitors. One of the most
Interesting places in the city to the
visitor is the chamber of commerce
at the corner of Broadway and Fourth
streets. 1t is free to all and is visited
daily by hundreds of people. Here
one can see the resources and indus
tries of southern California, Every
coVhty and almost every town has an
exhibit of some kind in this building.
Some have their oranges, some their
lemons, some their raisins; others
their grapes, olives, figs, almonds,
and honey, etc. Others their canned
peaches, pears, cherries and all kinds
of fruit put up in large glass cans to
show them to the best advantage.
Here can be found a large collection
of minerals-gold, silver and copper
in their crude state, right from the
mines, old Indian relics, paintings
and photograp phs. A bureau of infor-
nation is also one of the m ain feat
ures Of this organization. They give
out free pamphlets and answer all
correspondence relative to the re-
sources of southern California. Upon
the desk is a register where you are
invited to register your name and
residence. This book shows that
over 200, eco people have visited and
booked their names here within the
past twelve months. It is a little
worlds fair exposition and one of the
greatest attractions Of the city
Southern California is chiefly noted
as horticultural section of the state,
but its mineral wealth is Of great i'm
portance. 1t has many rich gold,
silver and copper mines. The Rand
Gold Mine Co. in southern California
last year produced A per cent. of the
total mineral products of the entire
state. But the most remarkable de-
velopment of southern. California dur
ing the past four years has been the
production of petroleum. For over
thirty five years oil has been pro-
duced on ? limited scale in Los An
geles and Ventura counties, but it is
only within the past four or five years
since the discovery of the rich fields
which today are attracting the atten-
ton of capitalists throughout the
country. Every day new corpora
tiOns are being organized, new wells !
are being sunk, and many fortunes
have already Seen made in oil. 1t is |
evident that the development of !
petroleum in California is yet in it's |
Infancy. Oil has been found through |
out the entire length of the state and |
there is every reason to believe that |
within d few years California will be |
one of the leading petroleum states.
This industry has been a great benefit |
to southern California as the oil is
now used for fuel on all the railroads
and also by all manufactures in the
city, as at the present price of one dol
lar per barrel it is cheaper than coal
at S4.OO per ton. Fuel has been one
of the great drawbacks to southern
California up to the oil discovery.
Coal is worth here today S11.OO per
ton and wood $500 per cord and very
poor at that.
l will make this letter short by tel
ling the boys bear story that is
going the rounds among the hunters
here, causing quite sensation. cold
Clubfoot is dead at last" is in every
Old hunters mouth. The bear was
o )isoned up in Ventura county and
his carcass has been found in the
mountains. "Old Clubfoot' is the
name given to an old grizzly bear
that lost one foot in a trap back in the
seventies. All the old time Califor-
mans knew Clubfoot, as he was the
terror of the ranchmen as well as the
hunters. He was seen many times
and shot at but no one was ever able