The Oskaloosa herald., 1904-12-15
OUR COLORED SOCIETYHISTORIC San ANTONIO
Harry Phinney Writes Entertain
ingly of the South

marry II. IuluuGyp WIZ - SouAAh6
the south this winter in the effort to
keep away from the changeable eli
mate of Iowa winter months, has
camped for the time being at San
Antonio, Texas, and along with a
letter of a business nature the young
man tells some things about the old
town that are Of general interest.
We quote from the letter as follows:
AS you will notice by the date line
/ have finally reached historic San
Antonio, and what a city!
Here, the plazas scattered through
out the city, are a mass Of green; on
trees and palms and grass, bordered
with bright colored foliage plants
and resplendant with the bloom of
the rose in all their different shades
and hues. First, on alighting from
the train here / was amazed by the
sight of bananas growing on the
plaza on which the depot is located,
all bordered by a green and wonder
fully trimmed hedge plant with
which / am not familiar, and around
and through it pretty drives of
white gravel and bordered walks, all
in a mounting of green grass, This
is perhaps one of the most cosmopol-
itan cities in the States; all colors
and kinds of people, only there is a
noticeable absence of poor people.
The Mexicans seem to be in the ma
jority, though there are many ne
groes. In connection with these peo-
pie, the situation was rather peculiar
to one from the north; the trains
waiting to go on their journey have
one car with a placard, " For me-
groes," and so in the street cars also
on the real seats you are greeted
with the same sign. If there is
another city in the world that has
as confusing number of crooked
streets as this I would like to see 1t.
You never can find a place by being
directed, for they run in all direc-
tons, at times radiating alike from
a common center, coming together
Unexpectedly at times and ending
frequently as abruptly. In fact,
wherever there was a cross country
trail OF path it became a street, mar
row and crooked, so narrow that
there is blocks OF walk on which
there is scarcely room to pass, and
oftentimes the curbing is right
against some old Mexican house,
which eve among it's more modern
surroundings. is left unmolested and
traffic must seek its way around it.
Altogether it is an interesting and
strange mingling of the ancient and
modern life. On the streets the car
riage and pair with their coachman of
the city's 400" are mixed with the
Mexican and his burro; stores, equal
to those you see anywhere in cities Of
this size are strangely adjacent to
little patched up Mexican curio and
candy shops; and advertisements side
by side announce the coming of Fred
erick Ward and Cathryn Kidder and
a bull fight III the Mexican boun.
dairy line. Have been here a week
now,and have visited some interesting
places. Spent n day at San Pedro
park, n of the most beautiful places
I have eve seen with its lake Of clear
water, fed by bubbling springs and
fairly alive with fish of different kinds
from gold to catfish of, eight and ten
pounds weight. There is also the
Zoo garden, which contains a large col
lection of animals from all countries,
and around through all this park are
seats along the well kept white walks,
here and there are little bridges, sug-
gestive of the effect on the Grand
Court at the Worlds Fair. Then
there are the acres of well cared for
lawns and no spectre confronting you
with Keep off the Grass"
Have been out to the u. S. Post,
Fort Sam Houston, and it is an inter-
esting and beautiful spot on Govt.
Hill. 1t was Sunday when I was
there SO did not get to see the soldiers
and cavalry in their regular drill. An
other place of intense interest Is the
old mission house, "The Alamo"
standing well in the center of the
city and adjacent to Alamo Plaza.
This is the building used for a fort
when Santa Anna beseiged the city.
Here is where the last stand was
made, wherein Bowie, Travis, Crock
ct, Bowman and many other laid town
their lives in defense of Texas, and
n can spend many interested hours
in this old building, which is kept OPP
en- to the public by the Daughters of
the Republic of Texas. Roaming
through the rooms and viewing the
portraits of these heroes, with here
and there sketches of the battle, re-
minds one of the tales Of pioneer life
depicted in Daniel Boone" and tales
of the Northwestern Border"
did not meal to take up SO much
of your time, but in the language of
Robt. Grail, This is living" BY the
way, If you remember it, tell Bob that
this is sure the place to eat fish, and
I have learned the game.
There are several old missions out
$40 ko.., -