Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1902-03-13
IN SUNNY CALIFORNIA.
P. u. Morris Writes of Scenes in
and About stockton-A Manufac-
turing Point Of Importance.

I
Correspondence OF the Ledger
STOCKTON, CAL, March i.-In lS49,
the year after gold was discovered at
Suffers Mill, Stockton was, or the
place where it is now, a town of tents,
a distributing point from which sup
plies were hauled to the mines. 1t
was named in honor OF Commodore
Stockton, Of the old navy.
1t is situated at the head Of the
Weber Slough, now called Stockton
lChannel, which was dredged out and
wldened and which connects with the
SanJoaquin river about miles west Of
here and 90 miles east Of San Fran
Icisco.
The city Of Stockton proper is ex-
actly miles square and contains
about 10000 people, the suburbs about
5000 more. The boundaries of the city
on three sides are estreets or boulevards |
graded up, mading nice driyeways,
called East, North and South streets.
The west boundry not being so graded |
on account of the navigation OF the
waterway. The streets all run at |
right angels and the blocks are all 300
feet square, about acres In each block,
and strange to say, there is not an
alley in the city, not even in the busl-
ness portion. There are 2 transporta-
tion companies with wharves and
warehouses, whose steamers make
regular trips to San Francisco and in
termediate points, carrying passen-
gers and freight. Besides the steam.
ers there are numerous barges,
schooners, steam tugs, scows, etc, con-
stantly running between this point
and the different bays on the coast.
There are large manufacturing in
terests here, consisting Of flour mills,
iron works, breweries, wineries, can
neries and tanneries. Also woolen
mills, planning mills and a briquette
manufactory and others now under
process Of construction, among which
are an ice plant, glass factory and
an iron foundry.
The output OF one of the large flour
mills for the month OF January, last,
was "A, 900 tons Of flour; the capacity of
the same mill being 5000 barrels per
day. The warehouse capacity of the
mills here is 10000 tons Of wheat.
The tannery here covers at least
acres of ground, the finished product
Of which goes to China, Japan and Eu-
rope.
Stockton, or rather the ground it
stands on, is as level as a pancake
and during its existence has been three
times overfowed with water. The
other day l met a man on the street,
1t was raining hard and l remarked
that l had been told that the city had
been under water two or three times
and he responded: "Yes, tis a pity
the id town didn't wash away.
1t is no good nohow." So you see all
the klckers don't live in Mis-
souri,. He may have come from Mis-
souri,, though, and will likely return,
as they ''all come back, Ha! Hal
The government is building a post
Office here, or rather a building for a
post-ofiice, to cost $4,000, which will
soon be completed,
The Court House is a fine building,
costing $780, 900, and from the dome Of
which fine view Of the city and sur
rounding country can be had. The
public library is another fine building.
The State lunatlc asylum is located
here and consists Of very large build
ings, one for males and one forfemales,
being situated about I of a mile
apart The grounds are very extern
slve, some 10 or 50 acres, part being in
cultivation, the rest beautifully laid
walks and drives amid nearly all kinds
of tropical growths, such as eucalyp-
ties, magnoliaS, palms, pepper trees \
two kinds of umbrella trees, and
many Others new to me. 1t is a lovely
place, still don't care to locate there.
Then there is the cemetery, the
city Of the dead, the most beautiful l
ever saw, but l don't wish to locate
there either.
There are scores of beautiful resi-
residences with grassy yards, flowers, :
vines and fruit trees, One citizen
invited me into his back yard, which :
was only so by 10 feet and In which
found the following fruit trees: One
each white, black and strawberry fig !,
trees, red Hungarian plum, 2 cherry,
peach, 2 Washington navel orange, 3
Mediterranean sweet orange and l
Seeding orange, l Bartlett pear, ,
pomegranate, apricot, almond and .
nectarine, beside red and black rasp-
berries and several kinds of flowers
have seen more wheat, barley and I,
Irish potatoes since came here than /,
in my wholelife. before and all in sacks;
and more grapes and oranges, some Of
last years crop of oranges are yet on ]