The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-11-04
Cnnl In Texaa.


Victoria, Tex, October "A. 1910
Dear News: Before leaving Stanton
last June to locate in the famous
Gulf Coast country promised Norfolk
friends that when had been in Texas
long enough to thoroughly convince
my own mind as to its merits | would
inform them personally or through the
columns of The News what | thought
of the country as an agricultural sec
ton as well as Il place for home.
| have now been here four months
and have not for one single moment
regretted that | ceased to be postmast
er at Stanton and settled i'm the beauti.
full little city of Victoria. | have
found the climate and general condi.
tons even more favorable than | eX-
pected, and ! was assuredly a Gulf
Coast enthusiast from the moment il
stepped from the train at Victoria
Tex. Here let me state that the person
who has gone with an excursion on
some of the special land cars to Cor
pus Christa, Brownville and other
points, via San Antonio, has not seen
the best of the coastal country, not
by any means. There is not the least
room for comparison between the sec
tons | have mentioned and this sec
ton, stretching from the San Antonio
river east and north across Calhoun,
Victoria, Jackson and Matagordo
counties, where rain falls in abund.
ance and we'll distributed throughout
the entire year, where water is sweet,
pure and plentiful and can be had at
almost any depth, ranging from only
a few feet for shallow or surface"
wells to about forty feet for IA deeper
sheet and where artcSian water can
be obtained at depth averaging
around 500 feet.
All the reports that have been cir
Culated through press and by person
of Il drouth in Texas do not apply to
this section. 1t seldom becomes so
dry here as to injurc crops. The past
summer came as near to it as it ever
does and still we came through with
splendid crops in almost every line.
The climate is all that has been
claimed for it. Myself and family
passed through the hot season with
less discomforture than we were wont
to experience in Nebraska. The sun
shines hot, but the heat is tempered
by the cool gulf breeze, which is near
ly always blowing There is little
wind at Victoria aside from this gulf
breeze and none of the severe coast
storms have ever touched here with
injurious effect
Just now we are passing through
about as cold a spell as they often
have here yet | am writing in shirt
sleeves and without fire. There are
but few days throughout the winter
when fire is essential to comfort.
Victoria is a city somewhat larger
than Norfolk I"t different in arrange.
ment, business buildings not being
confined to any one or two or three
particular Suc,ts, nor all centered
within Il few blocks but small stores,
shops, cotton gins. drinking places and
other places of business are encounter
ed in different parts of the town.
There are more fine homes and more
wealth per capita i'm Victoria than in
any city in the United States. 1t is
called "The City of Roses" because of
the abundance of this beautiful flower,
which are to be seen in almost endless
varieties and all months of the year,
but are at their most beauty and pro.
fusion about the holiday season.
The soil varies from the rich deep
alluvial of the river valleys and the
equally rich and even blacker hog
wallow uplands TO the gray or light
sandy, which latter with the black
sands are considered best FOR truck
ing. TO the south and east of Victoria
stretches the largest and best belt of
rich black lands | ever saw and do
not believe its equal can be found any
where in any country, when quality
of soil, drainage, rainfall and water
are considered.
Victoria is situated on the Guada.
lupe river and through its channel has
water connection with the gulf, thirty
two miles away.
The city has as good a water sys.
TEN as there is anywhere, the water
being thrown up by artesian wells
COO feet deep There is an ice plant.
electric light and power plant, cream.