Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-03-21
The anricots are lust in bloom now

claim to get 800, 900 from good crop
of walnuts.
Down along the coast are many
picturesque little towns. Long Beach
is ssthe New Port" of California
There all the tourists and travellers
who can afford it 60 to take baths
and frolic about generally.
One town called Venice is made as
near like the real Venice as possible.
There is also a Naples now building
in which no one can build unless the
building has a red-tiled roof.
The electric line which goes to
these little towns passed through a
ranch which contained originally
$50, 900 acres. 1t is called the Gonzales
ranch and is now somewhat dimin-
ished in size, as they have sold about
$1,000 acres. A short distance from
this place, is the historical spot where
Gen. Z. efnont fought his last battle
with the Indians.
At South Pasadena, short distance
from Los Angeles is the Cawston
Ostrich farm advertised in most
current magazines. 1t is very in
teresting place to visit, with its
almost tropical vegetation and birds.
A guide accompanies one through the
different enclosures and explains all
about the different species and the
habits of the ostriches, which are
very peculiar. One of the most inter-
esting things to me is that they
choose mate at the age of years
and thereafter never change as long
as either lives. They have, at the
farm, one pair of ostriches which cost
$4,000. These are the naturally curly
feathered birds and are brought from
southern Africa. The ostrich sits on
it's eggs 40 days for Matching young,
during which time the female stays
on the eggs in the day and the male
at night.
Most people coming here visit the
old missions of which there are many.
The oldest of them is the San Gabriel
mission only short distance from
Los Angeles. 1t was founded in It'll
and withstands the usages of time
very well indeed. For a payment of
dime one may go inside, and then
comes disappointment. For the
interior has been fitted new in ex-
pensive woods and beautifully arched
and shining. Where one would ex-
pect picturesque decay is a cleaning
brilliancy.
Next door to the old mission is an
old adobe house and back of it is a
grapevine 40 years old. 1t covers
1000 square feet.
Right in the city of Los Angeles, in
fact only few blocks from where we
live, are about $50 oil wells. Up at
Bakersfield Tor Oil City short dis
lance from Bakersfeld) 1877 miles from
here, there are hundreds of wells.
They turn out 100 car loads per day
or 5000 barrels.
| About miles from Santa Barbara
at little place called Summerland
are about 300 wells, which stand in
the ocean some OF them 600 feet from
the shore and 400 feet in depth. Al
Summerland there are also wells Of
natural gas, which is used by citizens
without refining at all.
| Gasoline wells are also quite nu
merous in this section of the country
All locomotives and most othel
engines are fired with oil.
Crude oil is used in great quantitie:
for the purpose of making country
roads. 1t makes them smooth anC
almost dustless.
This is pleasant place to live i
one likes city life.
There are all classes of people, but
the common Mexican or Cholo mostl,
predominates among the lower class
There are many Chinese and japanese
also many Greeks.
There is chinatown" in the cit,
through which the stranger can no
60 without guide.
There is much agitation about tn,
Japs here now and even the children
have taken up the matter, some O.
them complaining because they hav,
to 60 to school with the Japs.
There are many churches here an(
many people who don't 60 to church
There are numberless almost
"theaters" at sc and 1Oc beside ;
number of really good theaters.
The electric car service is the city,
boast, claimed to be best in U.
On Sundays in the busy part of TIT
city they have half hour service
The streets are not what might b,
called clean. When it rains they ar,
ankle deep in midland when it doesn'
rain they are almost as bad in dust
his is literally true of many streets
The parks of Los Angeles ar,
beautiful, ana Unere are sixteen o
them.
Real estate is high, very high, bu
still coming up so real estate men say
rent depends on the location.
We have four room cottage will
bath and gas, also nice yard, TO
which we pay s13per month. But w
are not in a fashionable quarter.
Il Living expenses are high here
Most vegetables are cheap excep
potatoes. All winter best butte
sold at 45c and soc, while eggs wer
also 45c and SOC. Milk is 1Oc and y
per quart and poor at that.
Fuel is very high, coal is SIS pc
OIL :. -