The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-06-02
TRIP TO LOS ANGELES.
John A. Frescholtz Writes Of His
Journey Across Continent.

John A. Frescholtz writes to The Free
Press as follows from Los Angeles:
Probably some of my friends would
like to hear of my trip to California.
We left Mankato on May 10 and arrived
in Council Bluffs, Iowa, very fine city,
with paved streets and electric railways.
The streets were paved mostly with as
phalt. The Burlington depot at this
city is the finest | have seen for a long
time; also the Union depot across the
river in Omaha, Neb., is very large.
"The state of Iowa, l was told had
never seen so much rain before as the
entire state was covered with water and
the farmers would have to replant all
of their corn and it had rained almost
| the entire month. After we had taken
in the city of Council Bluffs for five
hours, we continued our trip to Kan
sas City via the river route of the
| muddy Missouri. The scene was grand
as the river was high from the continu-
Gus rains. We arrived in Kansas City
and had to stop seven hours, so we took
in this city. The city is very large, but
it is in poor shape, large portion of
it here and large part there and it is
very mountainous but as I saw Kansas
/ City it seems to be widea and
fourishing. | did not like it at all
We then left via the Rock Island for
Ell Paso, Texas, and train-load after
trainload of passengers were Ell route
for Oklahoma. The new cities there
were all on the boom, as we passed
through, and the crops looked we'll.
Some people had small shanties to live
in, while others had fairly good homes.
The town of Hooker is a booming city.
The land is now selling at S. to SIS
per acre. The settlers are coming in
fast, as land can be had farther out at
SIPS per acre.
"This was a beautiful trip across
the prairie. We did not see many mules
on our trip. | was told the govern
ment had taken the bulk of the mules.
We could see thousands of Shetland
ponies from the train. Very few cattle
were to be seen. The entire state of
Kansas had the rains this month, as
also did Missouri. st. Joseph, Mo-. is a
very fine city. It's manufacturing plants
are very large. The streets are we'll
paved and everything is on the boom.
I'VE arrived in Ell Paso, Texas, at 10 a.
M, and l 'phoned to DR.. Ed Christen-
sen, Mankato boy, who is doing fine
business in his line here. | found my
watch to be two hours fast with the Pa
cific time. Ell Paso is a fine place,
but was hot and dusty
1--WE had intended to take an cleo
trio car into old Mexico, but it was get
ting late and we concluded not to 60
The MeXicans were selling their wares
at Ell Paso, and the cow boys were also
there with their bronchoes The build
ings were very fine and the streets
were of hard clay. The prices of food
here were reasonable, but at other
places the tourists were robbed
"The mountains covered with snow
were a fine sight from a distance and
they were high. We also saw plenty
of coyotes and prairie dogs. At every
station there were hundreds of Indian
women and children. We seemed to
come to all the good cities in the day
time, which we liked very much. As the
| train stroled through Arizona, we came
! to Tucson. Here the Indian women
were galore with wares to sell. This
! also is fine city and our whole car
of passengers would get out and take
| in the sights at each station.
"The depots i'll this country are large
and fine, but built of wood. From Tue
son we travelled by night to Yuma,
beautiful city, but small. From mere
we commenced going through the orange
and lemon groves. There were thousands
of ripe oranges and lemons. We
bought the largest oranges at five
cents per dozen and the people beg
you to buy of them. A great sight was
the city of Pomona, CAL, with its beau
tiful parks of different palm trees from
ten to twenty feet high and twenty
feet across. Then we came to Ontario.
another fine place, with beautiful parks
at each station. A fine park was seen
with an artificial lake i'm the center at
each railroad station along the line The
dairy farms in this section are grand"
.sss All Bids the Same.