Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-03-01
ARE REvELING IN The
LAND OF SUNSHINE
Lancaster People in California
Having Pleasant Time.
Herman Buchner Writes Interesting and
Cosby Letter Concerning Local
People on the Coast.

The following letter from Cali
fornia, written by Herman .Buchner
to r. B. Showalter, Of this city, is
given to the Herald for publication
in the belief that it will be interest
ing to great many of our readers:
Ocean Park, Cal. Feb. 3, 1911.
Friend Showalter:-
The difficult matter for the
tourists around here is to find time to
write. There is almost always so
much to see or to go to.
I got to Ocean Park Friday before
| New Years. [ found the Lancaster
contingent" as Kate eastman calls
us in force and we'll established ex-
cepting Belle Bartlett, who fingered
at Long Beach for some reason or
other. The beach towns are so full of
rich widowers and rich widows it is
like the meeting of the tide in the
straits east of Van Couver. B. G.
There are more old veterans around
here than I saw assembled since the
Grand Review in Washington in 1865.
This place has the finest beach ON
this bay, Santa Monica Bay. A
cement walk about twenty feet wide
or more runs along the beach for miles.
It is fine promenade evenings for it
is we'll lighted. The principal occu-
pations are real estate agents and
restaurants. The former are so shrewd
that even John Day would have no
chance; they would beat him out of
his automobile and in return give him
a sand pile in Santa Monica Noun
tains, miles away.
But very little cooking is done by
our women here. They can go down
to the so called delicatassen store and
buy everything cooked. Cooked fried
and stowed meats, all hot, 10 cents
potatoes. mashed baked, and stewed
6 cents; stewed carrots, turnips
tomatoes and caulifOwer cents;
wheat bread, rye and corn bread or
two luke warm biscuits and two fakes
of butter each five cents all kinds of
salad, pie, cake and pudding. cup of
coffee or tea each five cents. Some
places you can buy fair meal for a
quarter.
I found place where I could get
three waffle cakes and maple syrup,
(oh such syrup, two flakes Of butter
(fshy favor and cup of Ooh such)
coffee for ten cents. never could
induce the others to try this joint.
Well talking about wood. it is gen
orally sold by the sack, forty and
fifty cents par; the latter is juniper
wood which is little more solid than
pine.
Eucalyptus is the wood of this
country. In five years it is ready for
the Market it is cut off about six to
eight feet above the ground and sold
for $14 per cord. Three or four sprouts
come right up out of the stump and
in five years it can be topped again
and so on indefinitely. You can kill
them off,
| visited Clinton Dewitt at San
Dimas; he was'formerly Platteville
resident. his wife Mabel Huntington
used to teach school in Lancaster.
Clinton has a fine 20 acre ranch of
which six acres are set ont in
eucalyptus or gum trees as they are
commonly called. He has 5000 of
them, they are set about eight feet
apart. Some that were set out last
spring are twelve feet high. He
will have a picnic after while. He
has fine ranch. I got there one
evening. 1t rained hard he had just
prepared the ground around his house
for seeding, the ground was soft; be-
fore l got out of the carriage he had
to supply me with a pair of rubber
boots as my highly BACKED shoes
could not stand soaking. Although
the house was very comfortable and
had all the modern improvements,
was not very favorably impressed
with the surroundings. Next morn
ing it was clear, the sun shone warm;
when | stepped on the porch 1 was
surprised.
The San Bernardino mountain
range, four miles away, stand westerly;
Mount Lowe could be seen, the
observatory buildings could be easily
observed with glass.
Little to the northeast Badly. the
greatest mountain of the range showed
its snow capped crest over the foot
hills. The Pomona twin peaks also
snow capped are to the east, then the
range runs for nearly forty miles east,
where it loses itself and old Gray
back can be seen far away. 1t was a
charming view.
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