The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-09-06
FRISCO Of THE FUTURE
City on the Bay as"Metropolis
by Act Of God.
HERNATURAL RESOURCES
Only Port for a Flourishing Country,
Rich I'm all Things - Fresno
Largest Raisin Shipper i'm the
World-Heavy Beet Sugar Inter-
est.

WOFlO--HCaVy Dcct OuS" A~A
est.
San Francisco is to be rebuilt. Even
though the capitalists involved agree
by mutual consent to withdraw from
the peninsula, they will have to re-
build on the shores of San Francisco
Bay, for this a metropolis not by. the
hand of man but by the act Of God.
says the New York Tribune.
It does not exist because lines of
transportation have agreed upon 1t
as a site, but because 1t is the only
natural site, the only possible site for
the port of entry and the metropolis
of California and all the country
which lies back of it to the Rockies.
Seattle, on the only good harbor to
the north, has been pressing 1t close
for some of the Pacific trade and has
nearly taken away the Alaskan
trade, which used to be in the hands
of Californians, but 1t can never be
the port of entry and Of exit for the
country of central and northern
California and for the mountain re-
gions further inland.
These are the resources of that
part of California which lies tribu-
tary to San Francisco:
There are two great interior
valleys running for 400 miles be-
tween the Coast Range and the Sier
"a Nevada, and tributary to the Sac
ramento and San Joaquin Rivers.
San Francisco Bay is at the mouth of
these rivers, which are navigable
through their richest districts.
Once, these valleys were all In
wheat; now, when the bottom is cut
Of that crop, they are beginning to
break up these rich lands into small
tracts and to raise concentrated
crops. In these valleys, but more es-
pecially In the smaller valleys, like
the Santa Clara, fourishes the great
dried fruit industry of the United
States. There was great industry in
fresh fruits for the Eastern markets,
also, and most of the fresh deciduous
fruits sent to the Eastern markets
come from the North.
The orange and lemon industry Is
mainly l. the South through the
country tributary to Los Angeles,
but lately it has been found that
oranges do well in the hot interior
valleys at a latitude even with Phila
ielphia; and the orange industry of
the north was increasing. Every year
more and more wheat land was go
ing into concentrated crops.
Fresno ships more raisins than
any other city in the world; Petalu7
ma is one Of the greatest ''hen
towns" in the country. The Santa
Clara Valley, beginning just below
San Francisco and running for sew
enty or eighty miles down the coast,
| Is one great orchard.
There is heavy beet sugar Indus
try. The little Napa and Sonoma
valleys are the center of the wine in
dustry, which Is growing steadily as
the wine men win out in their fight
for the improvement and recogni-
ton of California vintages. This Is
only narrow and brief summary OF
the agricultural resources.
Up the coast, north of San Fran
cisco stretches an unbroken forest,
one of the few considerable tracts Of
forest land left in this country. The
State is steady and persistent pro-
Queer of gold-$17. 100000 last
year. Once, it led in this respect, but
Colorado has passed it. This comes
in the main from the mother lode of
the Sierra-and the end of the
mother lode is, not yet in sight. This
mining country is naturally tributary
to San Francisco; SO is all Nevada.
California is the only State which
produces quicksilver in quantities,
and these mines lay in the bay re-
gion. The copper industry is grow
Ing. The base metals of the Sierra
are hardly touched, and Californians
have been bowling for Eastern CAPT
tai to come in and do something.
One thing the State lacks-coal
There Is only one bed, and that OF
inferior quality The fuel coal is
brought from Washington, Although
the power transmission lines, which
have turned the torrents of the Sier-
"a into light, heat and the whirl of
wheels are industrial wonders of the
world, there can never be any great
and general manufacturing.
The backbone Of California wealth
is the incompatible richness Of the
lands, which, under that soft, grow
ing climate which makes all things
large, has an immense producing
power. Secondary, but still impor-
tant, is the mining wealth, by nc
means fully developed.