Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-01-14
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
Mr.. Editor:

Mr. Editor:
I promised in my last to write you
something about the Cliff Dwellers of
Arizona, but it will be some like
Horace Greeley's book of ''What
Know About Farming but that the
region around Flagstaff abounds in
ruins of the dwellings of prehistoric
people is self evident. 1t is here that
the cliff dwellings are found in great
number. Most of these dwellings
have fallen into decay, others have
stubbornly resisted the weatherirg Of
time. Nothing but fragments of pot
terry now remain, but that here race
of human beings once dwelt is con-
ceded now by the most scientific peo-
pie. Their aspirations, their struggles,
and their fate are all unwritten. Fix
ed like swallows nests one above
another, on precipice seemingly un-
approachable from above or below, all
seems to show that these caves We're
their fortified retreats, and that at
some dark period this race Of beings
became extinct. That these caves
were long inhabited is clearly appar-
ent as fragments Of shattered pottery
lie on every hand, but they left no
other print on time. Near Prescott
there are great mineral developments.
Here is found one Of the richest cop
per mines in the United States, also
rich gold mines. Near where we pass
is a gorge of uplifted rock that looks
as though it would be impossible to
construct path for q locomotive to
pass through, but it has been accom-
plished by the ingenuity of man.
Yonder on a slope you can look out
and see far below the track you are
on, parallel track and still below this
q third track, forminga & loop by which
a safe descent is made possible. This
is called ''The Needless The valley
below these mountains is one of mar
velous beauty and is called the Salt
River valley. A few miles further
and we are in California and after
crossing the great sterile plains of
sand, allzali, and black patches of lava
where not even the cry Of a wolf
breaks the grim silence of desolation,
we cross the San Bernadino noun
tains and drop down into the Gardens
of California. Here on either hand
are seen orchards of peach, apricot,
prune, olive, fig, almond, walnut and
the long anticipated orange grove;
here you can almost pluck oranges
from the car window as we pass.
There is really everything in Califor-
MIA that has been credited to it.
There is a large amount of waste
land however and a great lack of
wood and water; the mountains are
high and treeless and in the winter
season the dry hills turn brown and
seem to sleep, while thousands Of gar
dens just below are green summer
and winter with fragrant flowers of
endless varieties. The markets are
filed today with ripe strawberries,
green peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, and
all kinds Of summer vegetables.
find large number of Vermont
PCOH4C LC4O 1i4 SOOIlAhSlJ AdpPys Az
Pasadena we find Mr.. Twombly and
his sons doing a flourishing business,
we also found there Mrs. F. r. Ran
dali whom you will all remember here
and IN Lyndon, very nicely situated
in a beautiful home of her own on one
of the best resident streets with an
income more than she knows how to
spend. At South Pasadena we, find
John Jacobs in a nice cosy home.
His health is poor but he is looking
after the money he and Smith lost
and the Jacobs viii and vigilance will
find it if possible. Beckwith and
Jewett Corliss are also here at South
Pasadena. Mrs. Spaulding and her
mother are nicely situated in Los An
geles. I will leave Mr.. Fletcher, the
oil king of Los Angeles, out until my
next as his is long story.
Yours truly,
III. F. PILLSBURY.
Los angeles, Cal, Dec. 2S, 1900.