Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-08-17
Santa Paula, CAL,
Aug s. 1910.

Aug 8, 1910.
Editor Tribune:-
Eevr since coming to "Sunny
California" have had it in mind
to write back to my fellow towns
men in Minnesota in a general way
through the columns of your paper.
1t hardly seems possible that eight
months and more have slipped by
since our coming to the coast but
"tempus does fugit.' as we used
to say in our high school days
and the best part Of year has
passed into history since leaving
Willmar. However, this may be
the best time to write, for now
can say something about more than
one season of the year in this region.
We are living in a beautifully To-
Gated town in the Santa Clara VAL
ley sixty-six miles north and west
of los Angeles and fourteen miles
east of the Pacific Ocean. To the
north and south of us are pictur-
esque mountains which one never
tires of looking at, and through
the valley and about half a mile
south Of town, flows the Santa Cla-
ra river which is a rather diminu-
tive stream in the summer time,
but mighty torrent after a heavy
rain in the winter season. some-
times changing it's course and steal
ing away the adjacent lands.
have heard of several who pur-
chased land too close to the river
bed which was washed entirely
away, but this has not occurred in
recent years.
From here to the ocean lies one
of the prettiest and most prolific
valleys in the state. if not in the
whole country. Every acre and al
most every square rod of land is in
cultivat ION, even the land beside
the roads and along the R. R..
track being utilized. No weeds
are allowed to grow except the
wild morning glory which has got
ten into some places and which
seems impossible to exterminate.
One feature that makes this valley
interesting is the great variety of
its products. Riverside and it's
environs are beautiful but there is
a sameness and an atifciality about
the scenery there on account of it's
being almost exclusively planted to
oranges, while here we have or
chards of lemon, orange, apricot,
and walnut trees, and vast fields of
lima beans and sugar beets with
barley and oats growing on the
foot hills, above the irrigated dis
tricts, all of which produces a most
pleasing view.
| need not say that land here is
held pretty high in price if for sale
at all and not a great deal seems
to be on the market. There is
really no real estate business being
done here in Santa Paula except in
the sale of town property. Owners
of ranches are so we'll satisfied that
they do not care to sell. l called
at a real estate office in Ventura,
"by the sea-, short time ago and
they had listed Is acre walnut or
chard situated about seven miles
from here, down the valley. and
the price they wanted was $50, 1000.
l did not buy! Of course there are
occasional opportunities to secure
land at lesser price per acre than
this. An eight acre lemon ranch
sold the other day for $1,000. Lots
in town are not as high in price as
in Willmar and l believe that
houses can be built at less expense
than there.
The winter climate was, OF
course, a very agreeable change
for people coming from the rigor.
Gus Minnesota climate, but the
people here thought it was ex-
tremely cold for California, and
there was some frost quite a num-
Der OF mornings, and the "chill'
was quite penetrating even to the
easterner. But it was certainly
mild compared with the tempera-
lures ali over the east. The sum
mer climate here is even preferable
to the winter. We have TIE cool
ocean breeze every day and altho
it gets pretty warm in the sun for
several hours, the nights are al
ways cool, one requiring about as
much bed clothing as in winter.
People come here to escape the
cold Of winter-I would advise
those who can to come to escape
the heat Of summer. There are no
rains here in the summer time. and
yet it does not get exceedingly dus-
ty as most Of the roads in the coun-
try as we'll as the streets of town,
are oiled. You can go camping
and sleep out of doors every night
without fearing that you will be
caught in shower. You can set
a time to have Sunday School pic
mic without fearing that it will