Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-04-21
The Golden Spell 81 Cart ornIa,
tBy D. W. Norris1

est asset InaI same pOPUAliOu Az
Gated anywhere else would make theil
locality famous. ! have said that
valued the roads Of southern Californis
above its. climate but the people o.
California built the roads and they
| have made with their own hands about
everything that makes California ia
nous. And what is more they have @
boosters club of nearly 100000 mem
bers coextensive with the population OF
the state which never rests. You feel
yourself suddenly surrounded by con-
spiracy Of attraction the moment you
land among them and even the Ca
nadians gladly recognize the situation
in their posters hanging above their
marvellous fruit exhibit in the Canadian
building at San Francisco. California
has the sun-kissed oranges reads one
poster "but Canada has the snow
kissed and frost-kissed trees which
give flavor to it's fruits" and Thanks
to California which has taught us how
to advertise we now admit that Canada
has been growing the finest fruit in the
world for the last 100 years"
1t must be remembered that south
ern California was a desert when man
acquired title from Nature. Nine
months dry and three months rain left
its hills and valleys barren of trees or
Of grass that was of very much value,
but it possessed twelve months Of
growing season when water was ap-
piled by man and snow and ice were
unknown. The things that have made
it country of great charm and inter-
est have been put there by its people.
the beautiful homes with their lawns
and the orange groves interlaced with
streets of palms, pepper trees and
roses. Most of this beauty and inter-
est, however is due to the millionaires
from the middle west. The swollen
fortunes of the great Mississippi VAL
ley have found an outlet in southern
California and their flow over sandy
wastes has brought forth gardens OF
beauty in lawn, foliage, flowers and
architecture which has made the coun-
try a sightseers paradise as well as a
nations winter playground. Without
the millionaire from the east California
would be reduced to the commonplace.
He has east his spell over the retired
farmer from Iowa and Illinois until the
things they will do in alifornia and the
willingness with which they will loosen
up and spend for the luxuries Of life jim
California willAcause their old neighbors
back east to stand aghast.
Commonplace Without Millionaires.
Riverside is one Of the older towns
in q rich orange belt. 1t was founded
before the recent era of great fortunes
which We may say dates back twenty
FIVE years. When compared to the
newer settlements around Los Angeles
Riverside looks more like an Iowa or
Illinois town of it's own time and gen.
Grafton. The Aladdin like hand Of the
millionaire has not transformed River
side, but Pasadena Hollywood, West
Los Angeles and even parts OF the
coast towns show at once the trans
formation and hold the sightseers in
terest. The one street Of Orange Grove
avenue in Pasadena, about two miles
long is said to be the one street Of
greatest wealth in the United States
and 1t looks as tho it were the most
beautiful It is lined on both sides
With the winter homes OF n2nltcnaires,
most of whom have national reputa-
tions, and their places represent OUT
lays from $4,000 to 100000. The
sticky fly paper man owns one home,
Wrig!ey, of the spearmint chewing
gum another, one OF the Standard Oil
crowd another, Williams, os the shay-
ing soap another, Busch, Of Anheuser-
Busch, another, and Colgate, Of the
perfumes and powders and WHY'S. Of
the Overland automobile, Joined the
colony this winter paying s150000 for
an old place of eight acres and pro-
ceeding to tear down magnificent
residence so as to erect a new one to
suit him at an expenditure of another
$4,000 or Whereabouts.
Two former Marshalltown residents
who removed to Pasadena at very
early day before the millionaires came
discovered this street for the old man
sion of Delos Arnold stands in the first
block and one block beyond him still
stands the old home Of Fred Woodbury..
Between these old residences with their
cupolas characteristic OF architecture
forty years out of date is located the
elaborate Italian sunken gardens Of a
Mr.. Merritt many times a millionaire
and beyond and all around are the
beautiful homes of other millionaires
leaving the old places of the Marshall
town men looking like last years bird
nests torn and weatherbeaten by the
winds. There are other districts, nota-
bly, the Oak Knoll district In the vicin-
ity of the H. E, Huntington home and
others where the millionaires Of dozen
Mississippi valley states have gath
cred to create places of marvellous
beauty and magnidcence, but one sell
dom sees the millionaires them
selves. Quite generally these wonder
full grounds repose in the hands OF
their caretakers while the families OF
the owners enjoy scenes in other lands
and in many cases the owner has not
seen his California home for several
years. The Standard Oil man who
owns the beautiful place at the head OF
the street has not been in Pasadena for
three years but the lawn Is as closely
cropped and the flowers bloom as lux
uriantiy in the flower beds as tho he
were there every minute. The rubber
neck wagons stop on their daily rounds
while the tourist enjoys for q moment
a glimpse Of tropical verdure and
beauty for which the tourist pays no fee
while the Standard Oil check has to
come with regularity and in no small
denomination for maintenance OF the
place.
MiiIionairss Make che Sights.
This is true turnout the scenic part
cf sc..herc California Busch rho
dead thru the fortune left to his heirs,
still maintains beautiful gardens where
are grown every rare flower and vine
known to a tropical climate and no
tourist fails to see the celebrated Busch
gardens of Pasadena. have seen tho
gardens of the Thompson estate in
Canandaxua. N. r., which were more