Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1907-04-04
Letter from California.

Letter from California.
Huntington Park,
March Oath, 1907.
Dear folks at home:
We are just home from Gaia
lima Island where we spent
three days. The weather was
ideal and the water fine, so there
was nothing left for us but to
enjoy ourselves.
Catalina Island II RI 5
from San Pedro, wne4e we take
the boat "Cabrill,' and reached
the Island in time for dinner.
The little bay of Avalon forms
a complete crescent, in the cen
ter of which, and at the mouth
of the canyon is the city of Az
alon, or in other words, "The
Gem of the Ocean" On one
point of the Crescent is the
Sugar Loaf Rock" some 100
feet high, from which the fire
works are displayed at night.
The reflection on the water ma
king a very pretty sight. On
the other end of the Crescent
is "The Angels Flight" a little
car which lands you on top of
the mountain, defending in like
manner On the other side, you
are now at "The Lovers Cave"
Here you are met by the glass
bottom boat, and spend hours
looking down in the depths of
the ocean, as the boat glides
slowly over the water. One can
hardly believe that there is so
much beauty hidden under this
great ocean, but no other place
in the world are these marine
gardens to be seen; here are
fish, red, blue, green and gold.
Fish looking like some Of our
vegetables, most beautiful ferns
flowers, moss, shells of every
variety. The boatn1an names
to you the marine plants and.
fish, and goi..y long by the
boat are young boys who, for the
sum of Is cents will dive down
and get you any shell you point
out. The water is blue and
clear, and at the depth of 100
feet you can see as plain as if
but one foot down. Onthe bot
tom the sea throws beautiful
reflections, real trees with long
branches waving. From the
boat you are landed at the Aqua
RAM where a display is made
of plants and animals of Avalon
Bay. 1t is said by those who
have visited Switzerland, that
this Island resembles that coun-
try more than any other, and
here sickness is unknown, as
the salt air for 5000 miles on
one side and q miles on the
makes the air so pure di.
sease cannot be contracted.
The Island is % miles long.
and from one-half to 8 miles in
width, and was discovered by
Cabrillo in 1912. and christened
catalina" 1902. 1t originally
was a Mexican grant, but has
changed hands a number of
times and finally became the
property of Banning Bros, who
now have a beautiful summer
home in Descanco Canyon.
Cataline would not seem nat
ural to the people who go to
Avalon to spend the summer.
were it not for "Old Ben" the
seal; he stays down on the beach
and begs the fishermen for his
meals he is so tame he comes
out on the land and takes the
fish from your hand; sometimes
he comes down and brings his
family with him, from seven to
ten at a time. At the Seal
Rocks you see hundreds of them
from one foot in length to large
ones, waiting to take in every
thing.
We concluded to take the
ride up the mountain; after a
walk of ten blocks to get to the
starting point, we enter a car
riage and drive about six blocks
when we stop at the place al
most exactly from where we
had started; the driver got out.
supposed we were to continue
the drive, when the driver said:
"Get out" when Immediately,
we asked: els this all the ride?"'
Wonder, he said, "What can
you expect for two bits? We
found that all the tourists that
day were taken in the same
way, so when it came to going
no to the wireless telegraphv