Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-04-11
CAN TESTIFY TO
GROWTH OF CITY
PIONEER REMEMBERS WHEN 1T
WAS MERE HAMLET
DROVE STAGE IN EARLY DAYS
TO SAN BERNARDINo
Veteran Pathfinder Recalls interesting
"reminiscences of Times That Pre-
coded the Coming of the
Railroad

From a struggling hamlet of 1000
population to a colossal city with a
population nearing the 100000 mark is
the transition of Los Angeles that A.
B. Frank" Carpenter, pioneer stage
driver, prospector and frontiersman.
has witnessed and helped to bring
about by blazing the trails to the far
west, carrying mail and passengers
and supplies to the early settlers of
California.
Despite the hardships and adventures
that came to his lot in the early SOS,
the grizzled veteran of the early stage
lines still retains an active and accu-
rate memory, and as he comfortably
passes the autumn of life in his cozy
Los Angeles home his memory takes
him back and he marvels at the won
derful growth of what he first knew
as an obscure hamlet.
II know that some day Los Angeles
would be great city, but such sud-
den and wonderful growth 1 never
dreamed of, and it shows that the
younger generation inherited a large
supply of that energy and aggressive
ness that characterized the western
emigrants.
'And, by the way, 1t must be admit
ted that some of the credit of your
beautiful city and the other cities of
California and the west must be given
to us old-timers, who made such
progress and advancement possible.
I'm 1869, when / drove q stage coach
between Los Angeles and San Ber-
nardtno, this was wild country, and
you who live here now will never real
lie the hardships and the obstacles
that had to be overcome before we
finally came irno our rights.
Not Like Gods Country
sat that time there was nothing but
wild and treacherous country on all
sides, with little hamlets scattered far
apart, and it looked then anything but
like Gods own country as you ad-
vertise 1t nowadays.
AT that time the stage, the team and
burroi were the only means of trans
portation, and, instead of your tower
| ing Office buildings, business blocks
banking houses and spacious hotels
there stood only few rows of shacks
gambling houses and dance halls.
Instead of the prosperous looking
! business men and stylishly gownec
women, there were the gambler witt
! his gaudy waistcoat, and the courtesan
"And churches! Why, such thing
while probably thought of at that time
among the element that held sway II
makes man who has been through the
mill from the start to the present time
wish he could begin life again, with the
value of his early experience.
There are none of the old crowd left
! the familiar little shacks have been
torn down to make way for progress
and I believe that the west, as 1t was
lives now only in story books
Drove Stage for Years
Mr.. Carpenter, who was one of the
pioneer stage drivers of the west has
a wonderful record t. that line, both In
California and in Arizona; for, in addi-
ton to driving between Los Angeles
and San Bernardino for three years, he
cracked the whip over his six-in-haf1d
from Silver City, Ariz. to Globe, Ariz.
He thinks his feats will bear favora bic
comparison with any others.
For three years prior to $780, said
Mr.. Carpenter. II drove stage between
Globe and Silver City, and each year
I Travelled $3.50 miles, or a total OF
1850 miles. An interesting fact in
connection with this record is that
never saw the road in daylight, as my
run of seventy miles, going and COM
ing, was made after nightfall. I don't
think there is a stage driver in the
world that can better or equal this
record. / want to say also, that at that
time the Indians were bad. but I found
the white man worse, and harder to
deal with.
IT can also boast of the fact that I
never missed a mail. and / take credit
in saying that had the honor of bring
ing to California many of the early
settlers
mot only in California, but all over
the west, have helped to found towns
and blaze out the trails for new viii
lagos"