Imperial Valley press., 1914-02-16

gled through the Sierras, braving
the famine and horror of the desert,
and the perils of predatory Indians.
Women and children shared with men
the privatons of the terrible overland
trail. simultaneously with the com
ing of the overland contingent, ships
were fitted out for the long voyage
around Cape Horn and steamers
were put on to carry people by way
of Panama. The majority of the new
comers were young, unmarried men OF
Drawn and vigor, contemptuous OF OBJ
stacles and reckless of their lives.
Thew had the qualities which made
them fit to do battle with and to
overcome wild men and nature. They
came with one idea-to get rich
quickly and return home. The scram-
Bile for gold lasted until the noun.
tains' and gulches had been scratched
over and a decline in gold produc-
/ ton had set in. Then those who came
to mine remained to till. The PICK
and the shovel, gave way to the ploW
and the hoe. Instead of golden mug
gets the earth was made to yield
harvest of golden grain. This was
the beginning of the great wheat
planting area, before the versatility
of CALIFORNIA; soil was realized. The
completion of the transcontlnental
railroad in 1869 furthered the state
and gave an impetus to the immlgra-
ton of home builders.
CALIFORNIA; second "gold" discovery
the navel orange-dates from the
ehn1
was the magnet to draw to the state
thousands of strangers. These, un-
like the first corners, were colonlsts
who brought with them their house.
hold goods and set up homes, laid out
orange groves and waited results.
The orange was the incentive to
other horticultural discoveries, and to-
day California has no equal among
the states, nor indeed, among the
countries of the world, in horticul-
tural possibilities.
It's beet sugar is a formidable rival
to the cane product of tropic lands.
1t exports raisins to Spain, prunes
to Germany and France, and will
very soon take the fig trade Of the
world from Smyrna.
The first olive trees to be planted
in California were introduced about
ITO by the Spanish padres. Some OF
the olive trees planted by the padres
are still to be found at several OF
the ruined missions and although re.
ceiving practically no care, they con-
tinue to yield fruit bearing ample
testimony of their longevity. Their
the olive oil that is manufactured
here in California and there are sc
many other industries that it seems
to me / could go on and on talking
to you about California. Still, il
may not be amiss to speak of some
of the early California stories whic!
are sometimes passed by the reader
seeking for books of modern life, ant
which are filled with tales of low
and romance more thrilling and aliv'
than any present day story could pos
sibly be, for they are founded OIL
facts.
What story could hold deepe
heart interest than Ryan's "For tn
Soul of Rafael" or Helen Hunt Jack
sons Ramona" which so clearly de
scribes the care free and Joyous lif
of the early days when the rancho
of one man stretched from the noun
tains to the sea. The winning o
Barbara Worth" by Harold Be
Wright, the tales or the miners Wn
came at the cry of gold are told b,
Garfield in "The Diary of 49er" an
by Bret Harte in the "Luck of Roar
ing Camp" The marvellous work an
also the suffering of the staunch oil
fathers is told of in many ways
EMISSION Tales in the Days of tn
Dons" by Forbes; "In and Out of Oh
Missions" by James; California, It
History and Romance" by John S. Nc
Groarty, whose mission play has he'll
/ thousands of men and women en-
!. thralled during it's presentation at Sal
:, Gabriel mission. All of these vol
:, umes are filled with real stories an