Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-09-26
Letter From California,

SeH WHO al liiiHS w lHVeIest you
but thought | would try.
During the past summer few
days were quite hot, and some were
quite warm. The weather at the
present time is most lovely. was
told it was ll2o one day last sum
her but our thermometer said los c !.
The most of the time it was from
800 to l0l and not SO very many
days of that heat. For all it was so
warm men worked out in the sun,
and there was not one fatality or
heat prostration in this valley that |
read or heard of, and there are sew
eral cities and towns, even tho it
was called the hottest sumner in the
memory of the Oldest inhabitant. :"
What caused the heat was the unus-
ual number of electrical storms on
the desert over the mountains, which
drove the heat there over into this
valley. Many times the storms came
over this side Of the mountain tops
and once or twice the rain came into
the towns nearest the foot hills, and
we could see the lightning and hear
the thunder and we thought sure it
was coming here, but it passed by
on the other side. For several
days in succession we saw the i'm
mense thunder heads" looming up
from behind the mountains from 500
to HOO q. M, then would come the
heat, but as there was always wind
we did not mind the heat so much.
We have never suffered with the heat
here as those sitting days back in
eastern Iowa when the Thermometer
was 800 or less. And growing?
Well, you never saw anything grow
as everything does here. Grapevines
on our home place that have several
punches Of grapes, were little short
sticks stuck into the earth year ago
last spring. Our peach and pear
trees that were not much more than
little twigs with roots on one end,
set out year ago last spring, every
one bore fruit this year; one
tree having over 30 The trees are
now from 10 to IL #. in height,
should think. Everything grows,
accordingly. Our blackberriss are
now bearing their second crop this
year. We have had strawberries of
our vines for the table since last
April do not count the few we
had in February and March and
there are now on the vines blossoms
and berries from the smallest green
up to the ripe ores. | picked 3 qts
a day or so ago and two or three
days before that picked 3 OTIS. A
j. got a lot of sawdust and put j,
between the rows, which / think
benefited them. We had severa
hundred pounds of onions which We
sold to a peddler. We have cab
bage, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, mel
ons, etc, which are doing well.
One would think there would BE-
swarms of flies, but there are com
paratively few; Aeas are not known
here.
We have had, | believe, but ont
rain here since last spring. Though
Colonies, who have been sojourn
ing in the mountains, have expert
enced several, and some severe ones
but as all sorts of conveniences ar,
provided for those who enjoy tn
mountains during the summer, the,
delight in any sort Of weather tina
comes along. Some of our sclloo
teachers were up there during thei
vacation this summer. One Of then
told me there was frost up there
good many nights, and that the al
was very bracing. They paid $500
, per week and everything furnished
There are camping places all alon,
: the canon, from the mouth of thu
canon to the top of the mountains
and some Of the purest and coldes
springs of water, with the lovlies
of mountain scenery.
b. A. Stone and family, and tn
general foreman of r. R. machin
shops at San Bernardino, with hi
family, took a pleasure trip into tn
mountains not long ago and reported
a fine time. One item of their sigh
seeing was Little Creek Falls" o
over 100 it,, sheer fall, which alon
paid them for all the journey there
1t would take about six hours 10 ge
as far as they went from here. TIT
canon is from a few rods to mil,
wide; people have farms in different
places up the canon, SO it is yer,
pleasant for those who go sightsee
ing or camping.
We are just as much in love will
Cotton, and still think it the health
lest town of any around here. 1t ii
near to the mountains, near to ho
Sulphur Springs and ifanyone wants
to visit the different coast resorts
2 or 3 hours ride will take then
there some of Colton's citizens Wis
it both places in one season, anc
some summers it is the mountain.
and we know il consumptives, o.
those threatened with that dread dis
ease, would only come out here in
stead of going elsewhere, they coulc
have the benefit OF the above men
toned remedies and would be bene
| fitted if not cured. We know sever
al here who were nearly gone wher
they came here 3 or 4 years ago anc
are now well. This place is fa1
ahead of Colorado, tho that is ;
good place. 1t is dry and bracine
there but it gets SO cold. Here it il
dry and warm and during the rainy
season one can be careful and i,
does them no harm. | know where.
of | write or | would not write it
There are small orange groves, as
well as large ones, where there might