River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-10-23
From California,
Oroville, Butte Co., Cal, Oct. 10

time make my promise good and
write you, SO this afternoon as am
waiting for the stage to take me to
my next destination, will drop you
a few lines.
This is a delightful time of the
year to be here. The recent showers
have turned the brown of summer
to fresh May green. No frost; the
landscape is as fresh and green as
in the spring The principal occu-
patton of the farmers about here is
fruit raising. Of these there is a
great variety cultivated and i'm
mense quantities raised. This is
the harvest time for many kinds of
fruit and large quantities are being
brought TO market. 1t is a strange
sight to me to see many four and
six-horse loads of peaches, pears,
prunes and grapes standing in line
waiting for their turn TO unload at
the packing houses and wineries.
| had always thought of the fruits
of California as coming from the
southern part of the state, but /
find that the Sacramento Valley
produces large part of the best
varieties of oranges, lemons, prunes,
plums, pears, peaches, apples,
(none in the foothills) figs and
olives. Of the nut varieties there
are grown almonds, English wal
nuts and chestnuts, in fact it looks
as though anything can be raised
here where water for irrigation can
be had. Strawberries are fresh
from the vines all the year round.
| notice that the flavor of the apple
is not so fine as that of the apples
from Michigan and New York
more spongy and tasteless.
Flowers are in bloom about. l
notice now the oleander, which is
an out-of-door shrub here and grows
very large, is loaded down with
blossoms, and the roses, though
not so abundant as in the spring,
are quite profuse. The annoyance
here at this time is the mosquito.
They go through the screens and
are pesky nuisance in doors and
out. The common house fly is also
here in countless numbers-in vast
swarms.
The nights are very cool here and
if l go out evenings for the train or
by stage am obliged to wear win
ter overcoat, and on ones bed wool
blankets are a necessity.
For the last two or three weeks l
have been in the Sierra Mountains
in the northern part of the state.
Mt. Shasta is in this range and |
could see snow every day. On one
divide whichsI crossed by stage |
was over 5000 feet above sea level
and in snow for half an hour; inside
of three hours l was down in the
valley where the weather was like
that of a perfect June day. That
was passing from mid winter to
summer the quickest | ever expert
enced. 1t is oftentimes great
pleasure to travel by stage, especial
1y when l can secure my favorite
top seat on the coach next to the
driver. While obtaining a good
view of the mountains and valleys |
get on good terms with the driver
and encourage him to tell his Oft
repeated lies about his hair-breadth
escapes from danger. These dr1v-
ers are generally old men who have
followed staging from early life and
think it degrading to be in any other
calling. They tell you about how
in this p1ace-pointing with whip
they were held up and robbed by
"road agents." and at such place
the Indians killed the stage horses
and wounded the driver, also that
in one place, a rocky turn, big,
grizzly bear came out and killed his
near leader. These drivers like to
tell these stories. They have a
peculiar twang of voice and an I'M
dialect, but they are inter
esting. enjoy short ride on these
old, Concord, thorough-brace stages,
but long journey in one is very
tedious.
The drivers are, as rule, jolly
iokers. l remember once getting
into my favorite seat and comfort
ably seated. The driver, on climb
ing up, looked at me and got down,
saving: Come down out of that. "
What is the matter with your" |
asked. well, if you will promise
to keep your face in line with the
horses and not look sideways you
may stay; for if you should look
sideways while on the divide you
would turn the whole outfit clean
round and we would be coming in
stead of going" | knew | had
generous nose and was frequently