Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-10-24
L0RERs CALIFORNIA
wonderful Par. qi Mexico Bu'
Little Known.
U. S. his HAD IT TWICE

NJ -,
u. Is. HAS hm III 1HiGl
,,-s,., ..5,------,,A .. .,-------sS ,e,,n.
IN 80, 1A,,s.i.,ns tFh;nk ,Thfs Countr,
sLanja Il. ip,,r.t,ss.d for. An,ey;oa-
NJ. .f ~. Inh,hi.ant. arc Indian,
.Uhn oh;... a. iInt r,,aer.. .. 80 3.
..,,.R Recant s.ireestions that Tower Cali:
-tornia. be bought by the United state:
from. Mexicocprom pt eds, the Naiiona
Geoerapliic ,Society3toi issue a.sbuiletir
,,tconoerning an6area whioh Il, descrihct
by one senatorial advocate /. of such
purchase ais "the cerniiform, appendis
sof .Msxicosand tho, Archiiles' heel OF
the United States.s ) !, !.
,aIt may be unknown to many. thai
the United States or its citizens have
;. twice had scosnplete possession ;ot
Lower California. says the, bulletin
which ia based o., "a communication to
The Sodiefy bysEa VT. Nelson .af
-. During the Mexican War in ,1s47,
the forces OF the United, States occu-
uiod the principal points In the PENN
jt,ula and declared III American terri
tory hut. reiiliquished it at the CLOSE
Of ;hostibsies.l In lsss-54 twas again
;captnred;. and 10 government temporari.
IN organized by ,ibands of American
tiiibustersS dnsieh Walker, /. 3 This iil-
/, ,,aayisea venture lacked support and
o,,ie,av came. no a,aisastrous eno..:a
y ,,@I ever California iss&he long mar
Tow peninsula. that pro ojects, abontsiSD0
,amifes southeasterls fromatbe southsrn
border of{C California S It's width ,v6fies
from, ,aboat soto over 100 .miless aaId
us irregular cnastsline. over 1000
sniles lonE,gis bordered Tby, numerous
Islands. Being mainly a mountainous,
desert region, It is thinly peopTed and
presents many sharply, contrasting
conditions. corched, plains,
where death by THIRST awaits the uh-
wary,=trayeler5( lie close to the bases Of
s towering granite peaks beited with
.wayinr pine forests and capped in
winter by cleaning snow. }$
;aer ::,vasts sdesola.s piateaus; of ragged
black lava embosonf gem Hike valleys,
where yefdure Sbord dered streams, and
: the spreading ;fronds ,of date palms re-
cali the mtsterious hiddeh,w wales Of the
arabian Mghts." The western coast
lis bathedsby cool waters and abpnd-
ant. fcgs.swhile the eastern shore Is
S1aved: bg the waves OF q war warm iniana 70.
sea. sparkling under almost continuous
sunshine. ~; ~ q ~
~; ..Althohgh. }adjoining some Of FOUR
best known territory and with .ais re-
corded history which goes back almost
nfours centuries and, teens with vaSied
events, the peninsula SstiH remains one
tof the least known parts. Of North
America. The early chronicles tell of
+fts discovery .in<15sS by an expedition
sent out by Cortes In search Of a fabu-y
lousIy rich island said to have been
inhabited by sAmazons.h :" >.
;t.It has been estimated that at the
time of It's discovery the peninsula,
including many Of the bordering is
lands; was peopled by about $4,000
Indians. The Inhabitants vigorously
resented the intrusion OF newcomers.
and for. more than. century efforts to,
establish military colonies IN the new
land resuIted in disastrous failures.
as During one. period in its history the
southern shores of the peninsula
served as the lurking place of,Sir,
Francis Drake and other freebooters
: lying In wait for the treasure laden
Spanish galleons on their annual voyr.
= 8, "a fterwards, during the. first i two
thirds of the last century,. those shores
are, visited sby numerous. half.pirate
snnusrlers and by fleets Of ,whalers and
seaIers. drawn, there by the swarmins
!. abundance of whales. fur seal, sea !ele,
phantss ami sea. otter So. ruthless was
the, n,,rsuit of tbese animals that in a
few decades, thsv were! ON the, verge OF
extermina tion,. md the business ended,
apparently forever. = t.. s.
49, f.Duriny the last half century all
parts .of the peninsula have been visit
, ed, mainly by Americans, in search of
!. mines and other. natural resources, but
little ofsthe knowledre thus gained has