Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-02
REMOVES OASIS
FROM DISTRICT
LEAHY HOMESTEAD SOLD FOR
FACTORY SITE
Connecting Link Between Ancient
Pueblo and Modern City Soon
to Vsnlsh--MlIllon Dollar
Plant Projected

acres of the Leahy division, facing
Alameda street, to the Bishop com
pany. Selling price sSS,OO0."
Such was the small notice in the real
estate transfers of Los Angeles yes
terday, but beneath Its sterotyped feat
ures rests a story Of love, tenderness
and heartburnlng, the like of which
has never graced the pages of any
novel, for around that patch of white
sand and alkal Is woven a large slice
Of the history OF Los Angeles and the
story of two loving and courageous
beings, who, through prosperity and
hardship. kept loyalty to their tasks,
receiving no recognition for their serv-
Ices, inspired only by love of home and
country.
For the past hundred years that
small patch of country has remained
unchanged. Foundries and factories
have been built about; great gas tanks
and car shops have reared their noisy
heads to obstruct the view and make
, the day and night hideous with vibra-
tions of steel against steel, but down
In the flats, just east of Central ave-
nue., has remained the old Leahy home
stead, an adobe dwelling with an old
time ranch house attached and
wealth of trees and flowers, cactus and
grass, all in the old time wild fra
grance, bright spots in the picture his
tory of the great and mysterious west.
Present Environment
Just to see and know the old place
before it went down before the unre-
lenting hand of Advancement, a Herald
reporter went to visit the old Leahy
homestead yesterday. He left the Cen
trail avenue car at Seventh street, and
ploughed through alkali dust and sand
past the great yards of the car shops.
On the side street a hundred Hun
garians were calling each other un-
sentimental names while they banged
away at mass of steel and iron. They
were fashioning some great steel
monster and they took Joy in the crea-
tion, but the sound was ear-splittlng.
On to Alameda street and then a
turn and to north and south lay the
shining steels of the tracks, the guild
ing posts of the steam railway, wind
ing as far as the eye could follow be-
tween great foundries and mills, only
to be lost in the distance.
To the left of the street great gas
engine sputtered its hoarse protesta-
tions at being compelled to work Sat
urday afternoons; further on a mass
of buildings rocked with the thud Of
machinery and huge and fiaring sign
notified the public of the wonderful
manufactures being pumped out from
that particular edifice.
Old Leahy Homestead
Then there came a break in that
mass of brick, mortar and lumber.
Like an oasis in the desert, the old
Leahy homestead slumbered In the
simmering heat of the afternoon.
The great weeping branches of the
pepper trees caressed the dull-colored
ridgepole of the old ranch house, just
as they had done for a half century
back. The bees swarmed and buzzed
among the old fashioned flowers in the
garden; a great hunting dog snapped
at the pestering insects and bathed his
soft muzzle in the cool waters Of a
lille pond.
The long arched veranda told only
too well of the architecture of its per-
iod of building and 1t was but natural
to look for an ola, relic of the by
gone days when Spaniards cooled
drinking water in those unique vessels.
And the ola was there.
Such was the old Leahy homestead,
like a page torn from the old day his
tory of Los Angeles under the rule Of
the good Don Pho Pico and soon to
fade away into history as one Of the
good things to be remembered. The
homestead was old.
Advent of Pioneers
1t was old when the GRIM quiet men
of the hills and desert trotted quietly by
its welcoming doors in the twilight
bound for the pueblo of Los Angeles.
For Alameda street, before the days
when Tom Leahy, the pioneer. gave
his land for its making, was narrow
road, splitting the country like a
sinewy brown snake and forming the
highway and stage route from Los
Angeles to San Pedro and to the hills.
From those early days when passen-
gers waved a hearty welcome from the
Banning coaches as they whirled past,
down to the present day when eastern
ers and tourists look out with interest
on the quaint old building. the members
Of the Leahy family have lived in that
homestead, loving 1t as though it were
a human being and cherishing 1t for its
close association with every act of joy
and sorrow in their lives.
And now they are to leave it. Like
the children Of God, driven from the
garden of Eden, they are to be sent out
In the world, away from all they love
and all they have known. and a great
corporation is to sweep in and take
possession.
There seemed to be an air Of tragedy
hanging over the place. 1t sets back
from the street about fifty yards and a
long. narrow sand path forms the walk.
The fervent heat of the southland
was everywhere, bringing up recollec-
tions of the stories of the padres, and
like the days of old. the great dogs
started from their reveries and came
bounding forward, giving voice to their
warming and reception.
Reception of Visitor
Then there was silence and presently
a voice of welcome came from the door
way from beneath the vine-covered
porch. The dogs walked back to their
places of retreat In stately silence and
Mrs. Leahy stepped out to receive the
visitor
And like the home which has been
hers for the many years past Mrs.
Leahy is also a discipel of the early
days, gifted with those strange, sweet
manners which were formerly consid- :
cred proper but which have changed to
the present explosive manner of talk
ing and acting.
'Oh, yes. we have sold the old place
at last" said the woman. and her voice
sounded like the whispered chanting OF
the holy mothers as they wept for a de-
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