The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-10-04
CALIFORNIA, THE GOLDEN.
NOTES OF A TOUR IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA.

When the heat of summer drove
tourists from the Salt River Valley OF
Arizona, | decided to journey to the
coast instead of mountain-Ward, thus
gratifying the great desire cherished
since childhood of some time travelling
over california the Golden and be-
holding some OF its tar-famed wonders.
Procuring a ''Stop-over" ticket | spent
short time en- route at Prescott,
bright. breezy western city, with the
health-givlng mountain air one finds IN
all such towns whose altitude is we'll
up in the thousands.
From there I took the electric line
one and half miles out TO Fort v hip
pie. This fort, which had been abandon
ed and greatly neglected, getting into
somewhat ruinous condition, is now
garrisoned and being rapidly rebuilt as
a modern army post to accommodate
all three branches, infantry, cavalry
and artillery. The Commissary Ser
geant, who is an old friend of MY hus-
band, had but recently returned from
foreign service, and in his home is the
finest and most valuable collection l
lave yet seen brought from the islands;
rich silks, linen, exquisite embrold-
cries. carved ivory, china and brlca-
brac from China and Japan, bracelets
and sets of the old Spanish jewelry,
and many rare and costly relics OF
Spanish and native Cuban design, with
fierce array of Philippine bolo's and
spears, as we'll as several specimens
of curious native hats and dress pat
terms of the various cloths woven by
the Philippine women. Two thousand
dollars could not purchase this col
lection.
My next stop-off was at Needles,
Cal, and | was once more IN the
United States, after spending two and
a half years in our grandest and rich
est Territory. Needles is situated just
over the boundary line. that being the
Colorado river, and sklrted on the OPP
posite side of the great Mohave desert.
Large numbers of the Plrva indians
congregated about the incoming train
to sell their beautiful beadWork, and L
found the little place to be a curious
aggregation of Mexicans, Negroes,
small colony of whites. The greater
portion of the former are employed,
around the large car shops, that being
the one industry of the place. The few
cheap hotels are run on the European
plan: on the one main street are sew
eral dirty little shacks called Testau
rants, where one must eat or go hungry.
With another lady who, like myself,
was doing the town. with curious
eyes,-I sideled cautiously into the
least disreputable looking place and
squeezed into corner where we mad
good view of the motley crowd and
closely packed room. Here we dlned
sparingly, furtively cycling our visa
Wis, an ill-favored ''GreaSer,' and al
though our stomachs were but poorly
satisfied cur curiosity was fully.
The climate is rather trying to white
person; the mornings were comfortable,
but later the hot breath of the desert
with scorching effect swept the little
place, which is built on a sand heap,
and as the train rolled away across the
long stretch of desert we gladly Do
adieu to the toughest town 1t had
yet been our lot to tarry in, closing
our car windows for many miles to
keep out the heat which beat on our
faces like the hot air from furnace.
Our next stop was at the beautiful
city of Pasadena at the foot OF the
Sierra Madre mountains, the extreme
opposite of the scenery we had SO re-
Gently left. and here we reveed IN
| tile gorgeous piooil anu WIN
which this city is SO famous. 1t is in
deed a modern Garden of Eden" for
beauty OF landscape and climate and
the gathering place of the wealthy
and refined, with beautiful homes sur
rounded by artistic grounds. plenty OF
shade, and the gorgeous colorlng Of
infinite bloom that can be found no
where else as in southern California.
Everyone has heard or read of the
wonderful tournament of roses which
occurs annually on New Years Day, it
being the only city in the world that
has floral parade Oh the first day OF
January.
Only nine miles farther Oh we enter
ed Los Angeles angel city with its
population of 220 900. This is one of
the best ''all- the year-round' cities on
the globe, as the flowers bloom pro-
fusely all winter, there being but from
fifteen to twenty degrees difference
between the average temperature of
January and July. The weather
bureau records say that the thermom-
eter dropped below thirty two degrees
only six times during the past ten
years, and the summer | find to be
we'll nigh perfect, with its continual
sunshine and cooling breezes, sultry.