Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1904-05-10
N. Gerard's Trip to Mexico.


Diego We took the National & Otay Ry.
to Tia Juana. When we arrived at the
boundry line between United States
and Old Mexico we were met BY
Edward Z. Hill, excursion agent and
guide, with fourhorse team and a
large blackboard wagon with six seats
that was sufficient to carry the crowd
OF twelve men and women: we went
down a steep hill on to what they
called river, but it was nothing but
the dry, sandy bed of the Tia Juana
river. We made very slow progress
across the river bed, some of the
passengers complained to the driver
that be was not making good time,
but he said he was not making the
best time he could and that he would
take US through in good shape.
After getting up hill on hard ground
we soon reached our destination at
Tia Juana, here our guide took us
through the custom house. It Is a
small, one story house of three rooms.
We took off our hats as we passed
through these three rooms, bowed to
three dark Completed men we took to
be officers. After leaving the custom
house we went over to a curio store
and made some purchases of various
kinds of paintings, needle-work,
blankets and cigars, then we went
over to a restaurants for lunch. the
principle dish in the bill of fare was
soup and the principle ingredient was
red pepper; that was what they called a
genuine Spanish dinner. The chief
mode of travel there is on horseback.
A Mexican rides up to the store, or
tavern as The case might be, gets off
MS horse, takes small rope from his
pack and ties the front legs of his
horse together. They do not have
any hitching posts in that town.
They have the back hogs and
1T is said they can run nearly as fast
as a horse. When the people are
likely to get short of meat they catch
one Of these hogs and tie one of his
mind legs up to his body so they can
get him when they want him.
This is billy, dry, barron country,
scarcely green thing to be seen:
they tell us they have some valleys
where they raise grass, and vegetables
of various kinds.
we took the same conveyance back
to the boundary line and here we
waited about an hour for the train.
They have granite monument about
SIX feet across and about eight or ten
feet high inscribed Boundary Line
Between the United States and
Mexico, Treaty 1853" erected in 1882.
These monuments are six miles apart
and extend across the entire boundary.
On our return we visited the famous
SWeetwater Dam. Here we found
another dry river. This dam is a fine
piece OF mason work about eighty feet
nigh built at an expense of ST. 900, 900
but does not hold much water, the
water passing through the sand in the
bottom of the river. only a small
amount remaining in the dam.
From there we made our way back
to San Diego: this is city with one
OF the finest harbors in the world,
about 10000 inhabitants, we'll built.
fine streets, hotels and houses. Gen.
Grant Jr. has about the largest and
hpest house in the city. They are
building large steel works there.
They draw the trade from fifty miles.
there being no other town of any size
In That distance. [ think it has
bright future providing as MANY
"tender-foot" fasteners continue to
go down there as have been going
this year. San Diego is perfectly
adapted for sojourn, its chief inte-
rest to the tourist lies in it's superb
climate, its manifold and divers
beauties and attractions and the
prosperous rural life which its en-
.vironS afford. California can BOAST mo-
more magnificent or more profitable
orchards and vineyards, in proportion
TO their size, than are found ia its
contiguous valleys, although their
number is as yet too small for The
m lintenance of great com nercial
center. We continued our journey to
Monrovia where we will now stop
In the Gem of the foot hillsn and
the finest little town ia southern
California.
Respectfully yours,
NORMAN GERARD.