Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1907-12-26
Letter from California
Doctor r / Harris Gives His impress
sions OF The Pacific Coast

my impression of California. We left
Audubon on October twelve over the
Santa Fe System, reaching here in
three days. Left Omaha AT half-past
ten, reaching Kansas City at eight
thirty the next morning. Here we
found wonderful mart of busy com
mercialism, the union depotmore than
block long filled with confused
tourist throng; then on through Law
renee, Topeka, Hutchinson and the in
tervening country with every evidence
of an abundant harvest but the Great
American Desert surprised me most.
IL was splendidly Picturesque, reml-
niscenses of the long ago yet remain,
including the Indian, Mexican and the
ancient adobe houses; thousands OF
the latter flank the railroad all through
Mexico and Arizona. Civilization is
Just invading this wildregion and soon
the desert will be turned into u
garden. Las Vegas, Albuquerque and
Sante Fe are up to date in all modern
improvements. All three are beautiful
places with large department stores
and each, too. has buildings set apart
filled with Indian relics that wake the
echoes of long ago. AS the train stops
specimens Of handiwork and the old In
dian grand father holds the young pa
poose while the root OF all evil
drops into the black hand of Ameri-
cas- primitive inhabitant. Three days
out from Audubon we struck the Nee
dies, after crossingthe Coloradorlver,
Then commenced the ascent OF the
mountain, two mighty engines pulling
and one pushing up and up over inter-
yening level places. Then up and up
again looping grade called " Horse
shoe, passing a Mission church, said
to be three hundred years old, then
passing a place called the " Bottom
less pitt" on It's border beautiful How
ers we're in full bloom as il attempting
to screen the chasm. Great herds Oh
sheep and goats roam over all inns re-
gion: Mexico is paradise for sheep
industry. Over all this so called will
derness such visions of beauty greet
the eye that one dislikes to have the
shadows of night shut them out. The
real California burst on our sight al
San Bernardino, just three days out
| from Audubon. The strawberry pick
ers were at work in field of twenty
acres: how strange IT seemed in YER
dant fields and fragrant blossoms al
| this season of the year: il is verify q
land of beautiful surprises. Pasadena
| is q wilderness of flowers, the droop
ing pepper trees, the palm date, gun
eucalyptus, olive, lemon, orange anC
a score ofothers transports you TO Tho
| Garden of Eden. At Pasadena ] saw
my first multi millionaire, an old mar
| STOPPING with age; the door knobs oil
| his palatial home are pure gold; the
external surroundings are surely a
| vision Of beauty, even bewildering II
| splendor Of tenaces, balconies anC
| alcoves, radiant with beautiful flowers
| from ground TO pinnacle. ] drank 1t al
in as passed by, to the full transcend
antly imposing il was; Whittier
Barefoot Boy" score OF them IN
wild abandon glee sped under his ever
| green hedges; but not one atom OF al
| this beauty did the multi-millionairt
! ee-he was stone blind. Visited Santa
| Monica, Venice and Sawtelle (Soldiers
| National Home). AT Venice caught
my first sight of the ocean as it lay
| tranquil and gently beautiful in the
early Imorning sun. Far out at sea
were great American ships on their
way from China with weights Of com.
merce how imposing this first vision
of the mighty deep; ! thought of Han
ford's lines:
"There shall be no more sea.
| A radiant land
Lies shimmering in the Light of Coo
| where seas
No more shall foam in tempest OF
awake in storm;
No wrecks shall mar the beauty o
| that strand
| There shall be no more Sea.
| 1t is well worth trip across tht
continent to see Venice. The streets
| run transverse to the ocean. IL is o
city of children; scores and scores o
them run up and down the beach bare
| footed in the warm sand; the mothers
too, throw up parasol, drop dowr
| in the sand for a sun bath and In three
minutes are fast asleep. Oh, it is trul,
a wonder land of dreamy delight
| spent a good half day ut the Soldier:
| Home where Uncle Sam has spent mil
lions for the gay old soldier boys. u
| is simply great government hote
near the foot hills and ocean embow
cred in groves Of tropical fruits ant
lowers One would think he had sud
denly been transported to the Garder
Of Eden. | took dinner with the old
4" boys" the day ! was there; iifteeI
hundred guests surely were well fed
ouethousand were out, coming in iron
from time TO time. May il be with then
all in the sunset of life AS the outer
man perishes the inner man isrenewec
day by day." In the hospital fount
a once brilliant man, Hugh McJunkin
at one time prosecuting attorney IL
the Ninth Iowa District, under Jndg'
III. Il. Reed. Many Audubon county
people will remember him; he also wa
once assistant United States attorney
and q member of the California legis
lature. He helped make not little o
the early history Of Audubon ant
Cass Counties; a genial good man h
was: now filled with bodily ailment:
he sits in the southwest corner of tn
great hospital in rocking chair tax
ing his daily sun bath, gently talking
OF other days: his battery service witt
Hon. J. Kuhn, our fellow townsman
of Audubon, Iowa; and his once exten
sive law practice in Iowa and Califor
MIA. And thus some day while lookin,
at the mountains and ocean his spiri
will take its flight. Ihave not time Il
speak of our visit to Long Beach, tina
Saratoga of the Pacific, or Los Ange
les where this fall over one hundre
thousand visitors have come. Fror
the CANCELS Flight | obtained
birds-eye view of this vast city Of tire
hundred thousand people. Spanis
, tradition has il one day some angel
we're lost and after a long time an
search they were found in this enchani
! ed spot; then from "Angels Flight
sped away to gardens new; II so, the
] may have descended at Hollywood
the home OF our former Audible
townsman, Byron Phelps; so froi
{" Angels Flight we visited Holly
: wood, Byron and his good compar