Mexico Missouri message., 1901-03-21
AN OVERLAND TRIP "
" TO CAFE ORNIA.

where II SAID that san Juan was
at the head of San Francisco Bay;
it should have said, San Jose, or,
as the Spaniards say, Sanosay.
Dad and | found work at saw
mill II few miles up the Shiant
River. Soon after we arrived at
the mill we, with several others,
were put to work getting logs in
that were cut up above the mill,
about two hundred Yards, up on
the side of the mountain. The
logs were so large and the noun
tain so steep that they could not
be hauled, as many of them were
fifteen feet in diameter. We would
roll them along the side of the
mountain by wrapping rope or
cable around them and hitch on
three or four yoke of oxen. In
this way we would roll them along
until we got them to Il chute or
clear place and then turn them
around and let them 90 down the
hill into the mill pond. If you
could have seen them going down
YOU would have thought that they
would gather momentum enough
to be going yet. The oxen were
Spanish cattle and instead of us
ing yokes as we do they have il
round pole and lay it on their
necks just behind the horns and
tie the pole to the horns with raw
hide straps. They look very odd
thus harnesscd, but can pull even
better than with yoke. When
Dad first saw them he said that it
might do for ii Spaniard but
wouldn't do for white man.
We soon tired of the log bust
ness and went down the valley II
few miles and went to work on il
ranch on Sequel creek. The sea
shore was the eastern boundary of
the ranch, and when the sea was
calm we could often see drOvcs of
whales squirting water high in the
air Hundreds of sea lions ut II
time could be seen lying out on
the rocks near the shore. When
the tide was down we would go
out on the beach and gather clans.
which are much better than oys-
ters. Here | met Il young man
whose home was in CarroltOn, IL
linoiS. His name was Jacob
Frank, and he has friends now
living in Mexico. He was a splen-
did young fellow, but had been in
hard luck and was much discour-
aged and homesick. He had been
IN business up near Sacramento
City and failed, as many others
did, and he came to the valley and
worked for n man about a year
and the man failed and left him
ragged and discouraged among
strangers. | went over to see him
one bright Sunday morning. |
found him lying down. He SEEM
ed to have lost all hope of ever
getting back home to see his good
old mother and an only sister
whom he frequently spoke of with
tears III his eyes. | talked to him
awhile and told him to cheer up,
that things would come around all
right after Il while. | asked him
to go with me up to Santa Cruz,
and he did, and when we got there
| took him to store aud bought
him some clothes and went to IA
barber shop and had him shaved,
and then we went to a hotel and
got dinner. After that he checred
up and went to work and seemed
like another man.
Soon after this Dad and | went
down the bay to Pajaro valley, n
distance of about fifteen miles.
We had been there but few weeks
when we heard that Jacob Frank
was dead. Poor boy, died among
strangers without the presence of
that good old mother and loving
sister of whom he spoke so often.
His lonely grave is in the shadow
of the evergreen trees on the brink
of the little stream where the cryS-
tai water flows. Its muImuring is
all that breaks his sweet repose.
Dad and | concluded to try farm
ing, so we bought our teams and
put in forty acres of potatoes, AS
there is no place in the world
where they can be raised better
than here. The season before they
sold on the beach ut S. per bushel.