Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-02-03

read before meeting Of the Pasadena Pioneers
Association, Jan. 10. 1891
In my boyhood days on a Maine farm, in
winter time, in the woodshed of the old
home, exercising with a buck-saw on
hackmatack, birch, maple, poplar, fir and
spruce Of a big woodpiie, with the ther-
mometer down around zero, had many n
time longed for home in a country and
climate like this. With stick ON the
buck and the saw halt way through it,
had time and time again made seat OF
the saw horse and stick, and sitting
down beside the saw, thought seriously
and deeply respecting my circumstances,
situation and state OF health; and / assur
you had some very blue thoughts and
! unpleasant experiences.
wondered IL there were some spot in
Uncle Sans country that would better fit
my case; and this led me to a more careful
examination of the maps OF the several
states and territories, and descriptions of
them found in the geography which
studied while attending school in the slit
tie red schoolhouse", in district No. 2 OF
| our country town, and somehow seemed
to feel in my bones, flesh and mind that
tn re did exist such place for me, and
that would sometime come in possession
| of it.
Therefore resolved to make every en-
deavor to find it as soon as possible after
becoming my own man and could act in
| accordance with my own inclination and
feelings respecting the matter; and it took
me just nine years to get through this
! wilderness OF my wanderings, when ! was
! permitted to look FOR the first time on
| that high wall of mud at Santa Monica,
that says to the waters Of the Pacific,
''Thus far shalt thou come, but no far
| Their"
| On our way down the coast from San
Francisco, on board the little steamer Los
Angeles, il my memory serves me cor
rectiy, we neared the land in many places,
the weather being clear and sea smooth,
20 in daytime l had excellent opportu-
nifty OF viewing the shore, and of compar-
ing the coast with that OF New England. It
seemed to me as If some huge trimmer had
been run along the coast, cutting of most
of the points, promontories and head
lands; and had made such close shave
it had taken out all the harbors as well !;
and the pieces of land cut off seemed to
have been sunk in too deep water for max
ing islands.
! 1t was to me very interesting coast. l
had never seen anything like it before !;
| for all New England coast is full of in
donations, with islands covering their
entrances; and therefore they are of the
| finest natural harbors in the world, few
OF which would come in handy here on
this coast. In those days Of trade in hides
and tallow, on this coast, described by
Dana, in his book, 1.-TWO Years Before the
Mast" harbors like those on the coast OF
| Maine would have been Of great advan-
tage to the poor sailors whose business it
| was to load with these commodities the
great gray gulls of the ocean which had
rounded Cape Horn coming from the great
trade centres on the Atlantic coast.
On this passage down the coast my room
mate was a gentleman interested in the
boom in progress at Santa Monica at that
time. he told me that he had built hotel
there and was on his way home from San
Francisco, where he had gone to buy
furniture, which was part Of the freight
! Of our little steamer.
He was very anxious about two things:
First, he wished to know whether l WAS
acquainted with the pranks and jokes OF
''Oid Neptune; for, as occupied the berth
above him, it would greatly relieve his
mind to know that was. In this matter
I assured him that 1 had met the old
fellow several times in the Bay Of Fundy
and elsewhere, and yet the old joker often
gets the best Of me in rough weather.
| Second, he wished me to seize upon the
golden opportunity afforded at Santa
Monica; and thereby make lot Of money
investing in real estate. He explained to
me how Santa Monica would surely become
| the metropolis Of southern California. 1t
was on the ocean, and terminus of the
railroad connecting it with Los Angeles,
which road would join the Southern
Pacific, coming into Los Angeles from the
north, and also from the east-in two lines
as it were OF one system, rapidly approach
ing the city.
His idea was, this new city springing up
| by the sea, as if it had been kicked into
existence in single night, would become
a great shipping port, centre for ship
ping by water as by rail with the great
valley of southern California to feed it.
He could see pile driving aud piers shoot
ing out westward, inviting trade relations
! from north and south and west. He GER
tainly made the scheme look very attrac-
tive to me, and l might have bitten had
not started for Los Angeles, when i took
my hindmost foot off the soil in Fall River,
Mass, taking q steamer up the Sound for
New York. Los Angeles would see, even
il thought it best for me to return to
Santa Monica.
had been told by one or more men IN
San Francisco that l would not like Los
80 otad q