Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-05-04

~ -
An automobile. paved country roads.
bright sunshine when 1t does not rain.
ana time to burn on q vacation make
touring southern California in January
rare delight It is the greatest pleas
ure that country affords altho one sees
golf grounds and tennis courts on all
sides and the farmer tourist enjoys his
favorite sport on many vacant lot
where crowds Of men in their shirt
sleeves are pitching horse shoes and
occasionally the older men have a
croquet ground maintained by rogue
club. The tourist is the big crop and
he Is out for fun. There are five large
country clubs or golf grounds in the
vicinity of Pasadena alone which has
q normal population about equal to
Cedar Rapids.
Most Of the paved roads run thru
the valleys amid the irrigated fields
and orchards and the winter tourist
sees very little Of the canyon drives for
a dirt road in California's rainy season
Is fully as impossible to motor vehicles
as any winter mud road in Iowa. The
local papers publish road bulletins is
sued by the automobile club which re-
port this and that road impossible
with frequent announcements OF
bridges being washed out. Five inches
Of rain often falls IN one day and
sometimes rain falls for four days at
time. Local banks and real estate Of
fees publish road maps to be circulated
free and there is very little trouble
getting about in Los Angeles county.
Outside of Los Angeles county it is diff
ferent just now. When this county is
sued it's $3,5OO,000 of bonds and paved
its country roads every county adj
joining soon held elections and voted
bonds but their work Of paving has
not yet been done. Two years or more
from now winter touring will be great
ly enlarged out there for not only have
the people of adjoining counties busted
themselves to pave their own roads but
the people of Los Angeles county who
failed to get their roads paved with
the bond money are now signing petit
tons offering to pay 70 per cent OF
the expense themselves and the petit
tions are coming in faster than nine
surveying gangs can prepare the pro-
files for the contractors to bid.
State Roads Not Vet Built.
Likewise with the state roads OF
concrete. California aas voted SIS
100000 in state bonds for paved roads
but the contractors are still engaged on
their sections of the work and few
state roads, as yet. offer continuous
passage. Another two years, however.
and one can motor from San Diego to
San Francisco on a continuous con-
crete pavement. a distance equal to
that from Marshalltown to Detroit. The
route will pass thru cities and sea
shore resorts, over mountains, along
the sea; thru redwood forests, down
valleys lined first with orange and
lemon trees and then with prune orch
ards. along hundreds of niles OF wheat,
bean and alfalfa fields, now in dairy
district and again In wilderness. This
road, $50 miles long, will eventually be
lighted with electroliers for a large
part of it's length. IN fact I saw some
of these electroliers along a paved
road miles and miles out into the
country with bonanza farms all around,
The first time I saw a blowing gang
consisting of eight teams with twelve
mules to the team blowing furrows
several miles long and alongside
paved road lined with electroliers
thought had embarked with Gnlliver
on one of his travels surely. But after
/
times il dawned upon me that those
California promoters were no fools
after all when they planned on this
boulevard being lined with fine country
homes thirty miles out Of Los Angeles.
Here was a continuous pavement all
Of the way. safe every day or night In
the year rain or shine, and one simply
could not keep an automobile down
h{y~<xp mil L,
The roads wound around the foothills
of mountain range high enough to
afford magnificent views Of the San
Fernando valley below and when I re-
membered a ride used to make for an
hour each way on cable car out State
street in Chicago going only eight
miles amid rows Of saloons and junk
wards it occurred to me that man
with his place of business in Los An
geles might very easily and comfort
ably live along this picturesque boule-
ward in this day Of the automobile.
A City Without People.
Then when / had reached the upper
end of the valley with nothing but vast
wheat fields in sight ! came upon the
works Of the California optimist. Out
in the fields thirty-on miles from the
big city stood long white building and
half a mile away stood another which
looked like public building but as one
surveyed the landscape there was not
house within many miles of 1t except
the railway station and lumber yard.
Curiosity led us to the place and as
we approached we suddenly drove down
paved city streets, lined with electro
liers, past the place laid out for park,
up to the first building which proved
to be solid block of stores newly built
from one street corner to the other and
all ready for business while half mile
away stood magnificent public school
located six blocks of from the business
street so as not to be Inconvenience