Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1911-02-16
A MID.WINTER TRIP
WAY OUT TO CALIFORNIA
Messrs Taggart & fierndon Continue
Account OF Their Visit To
The Western Coast.
Continued from last week.

The Sacramento Valley is about
200 miles long and from 30 to so miles
wide The land is either flat or gently
rolling and has an altitude of from 50
to 300 feet The city of Sacramento,
which is the county seat, and also the
capital of the state, and the metrop-
oils OF this great valley, is 80 miles
from San Francisco by rail, and l2O
miles by water The Sacramento river
is navigable for large boats for $50
miles and large amount of fruit and
farm products is taken to the coast
in this way.
One OF the first visits was to the
state capital which was only two
blocks from the hotel at which we
were staying, The building stands in
fine park of 80 acres. And so beau
tiful that anxious as we were to enter
the large white building with its gold
capped dome, we could not refrain
from stopping to revel in its glorious
lawns and flowers. We were told
by the party in charge that there are
over three hundred varieties of trees
and shrubs brought from nearly every
corner OF the globe. Arctic pines and
evergreens touch with tropical palms
and magnolias. The row of palms by
the curbstone around the park, 2le
feet in diameter, form beautiful
sight. There were roses, geraniums
and orange trees laden with their
l golden fruit. The writer being inter-
ested in trees and flowers and lover
OF the same made the remark that this
must be the heaven of America, bur
we had to hasten as our mission was
4 to see and talk with the secretary Of
agriculture who gave us facts con-
A corning the soil and its adaptability to
the different fruits and grains. We
4 found ourselves well repaid for visit
to the rooms Of the state horticultural
society.
4 In our auto trip through the city
4 we saw many things of interest, such
as the new 100000 theatre and the
sS00,0O0 city hall Also 100000
court house and a $250,0O0 school
building. The car shops employ 1000
men. The beautiful parks and drives
\ and the many new buildings under
construction indicate that the popula-
ton win be doubled in very few
4 years.
4 The next morning We accepted an
invitation to take an auto trip and ex-
anime the big ranch that is being di'
vided for sale. It is fine tract with
an oiled boulevard running through it
23 miles in length, and passing
through thousands of acres OF grapes
peaches, plums, apricots, prunes and
English walnuts, besides many acres
of oranges and lemons.
At Folsom, small town nesting
among the hills, We saw the place
4 where the first gold was mined in CAL
4 ifornia. I'VE saw hundreds OF acres oil
the river bed that had been dug over
in search of the yellow stuff. And we
were told that over million dollars
was taken out last year. We made
good time returning, running 20 miles
a in 80 minutes. After spending three
days in and around Sacramento we
ran down to San Francisco, a place OF
100000 people and the New York OF
the western coast. Though 1t has
built up rapidly since the earthquake
yet there are still some ruins to be
seen. Our stop there was only one
day but we went out to the Golden
vGate Park and the Cliff House where
the ocean vessels enter and leave the
1harbor
n We left San Francisco for Los An
ugeles in the morning taking the coas'
line, which is one of the best sight
seeing roads between the two cities
I'VE spent two days in AMI
about Los Angeles. taking the street
Tears to different parts OF the city
I've were told that $4,000 people from
Iowa live here. In fact you lind many
Iowa people everywhere in California
I'VE had the pleasure OF meeting VIII
Mcconnell. !. P. Baker and family, aud
MRS Zion of Audubon. all OF whom