Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-04-23
MESSAGE FROM CALIFORNIA
Norman Gerard Writes of His Experiences in
The Far West

| MANROvIA, CAL, April 6, 19O3H
| A. l.. FONTAINE,
Dear Sir:-I came here last fall to
get rid of our cold Wisconsin winters
! and that l will soon be making nv
| way back to Wisconsin. This town is
| located in the San Gabriel valley and
very appropriately called "The gem
| of the Foot Hills" One of the high
| est mountain peaks is called Old Balla
and it's top is always covered with
snow
In the winter Manrovia is dry
town nine miles east from Pasadena
and the people have got to go to Los
Angeles, Is miles to the southwest to
get their wet goods. They have 2OO
saloons there and the mayor refuses to
grant any more licenses there he
thinks that 200 is enough for the
present.
February II. was Wisconsin day at
Long Beach and | went down to help
swell the number and it was extended
| that there was 400 people from Wis
conSin they met in a great pavilion
out on the pier and had a band of
music and each person had a badge on
| the lapel of his coat giving his name
and former place of residence. There
were eight Or ten speakers giving
some OF their experience of their
Wisconsin life. Among the speakers
were Theodore Gnos, Frank Porter.
Mr.. BabcOck and General Cobb. We
took the Pacific Electric railroad at
95th street and Ninth street at Los
Angeles, a distance of 20 miles for Long
Beach. On our way there we passed
the ruins of an old Spanish chapel
where Remana worshiped and where
Catholic Bishops held devine service
more than one hundred years ago.
Long Beach has population of about
5000 and one of their attractions there
is the great 800, 900 bath house on the
beach where hundreds 60 in bathing
daily in the great pool 120 feet wide
and 200 feet long. The Chautauqua of
California meets yearly every summer
in large Tabernacle built for that
purpose. Long BeacL is very popular
and is called the Saratoga of the west.
That is dry town the same as Man.
rOvia.
On the 18th of March was the
formal opening of Orange Belt Elec-
trio Double Track railroad from Los
Angles to Manrovia, a distance of Is
miles and about $500 visitors were
brought in that day The electric
road is taking nearly all the local trade
away from the steam cars. We have
two railroads here, the Southern
Pacific and the SanteFee and the
overland trains continue to bring in
from one to two thousand passengers
every day and Los Angeles is the great
dumping ground. Everything is
coming on the S33 rate, the good and
bao are all coming, the tramps and
pickpockets are all coming with the
crowd.
Last week / went down to Riverside,
fifty miles east from here to visit an
old lumberman from Wisconsin, d.
A. Wheeler and found him living in a
fine 1000 home and taking life easy.
He has 30 acre orange orchard to
look after to help pass away his leisure
time and four or five lumber yards in
Iowa and he divides his time between
California and Iowa. Mr.. Wheeler
took me out for drive over the noted
Magnolia avenue about eight miles to
the Sherman institute, a school for
the training and educating of Indian
children. The government has
expended over S2O0,OOO and about 300
boys and girls are being educated there
and the government expects to
increase the capacity SO that they can
accommodate 1000 people. Riverside