Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1919-01-07
wnY wr GIVE los ANGELEs


says Ashland is not in Los Angeles
class. We admit it, but Los Angeles
has already done what Ashland may,
in a measure, do. Time within the
recollection of man now living Los
Angeles was smaller city than Ash
land now is. In fact, Mrs. Hargrove,
or Grandma Dunn might have been
there TO witness the raising OF the
first house built by white man on
the townsite Of Los Angeles. Had
she been present she might have OBJ
served n crude building, likely Of
DOLBY, set up fourteen miles from the
ocean beach, five hundred and fifty
miles from the nearest great cente.
of population and two thousand miles
from the next nearest, for Portland
and Seattle were then but village.
Chicago, Minneapolis. and st. Louis
were the nearest, save San Francisco.
That first simple hut was raised on n
bank OF what is called the Los An
geles river, an aurora without water
or foliage, in a desert country, sur
rounded only by sand dunes, cactus
and gTeasewood, with no summer
rains or means of irrigation. That
first citizen was surely of hardy
blood for he reared his home in an
environment of desert waste, isolat-
ed, where he had but coyotes and rat
tlesnakes for his neighbors. Results
indicate that those who followed him
were OF equal courage, faith, judg-
ment and persistence.
This all occurred after Long
Island, Saratoga, Coney Island, the
resorts OF New England, Virginia
and the Carolinas had been icng es-
tablished and favorably known and
Florida had world fame as a Mecca
for tourists. Yet, in one generation
Los Angeles has out stripped them
all-has overcome their great com
petition-and draws tourists past
them from beyond the seas. II is in
spring TO study what Los Angeles
has done and how she did 1t, when
contemplating what nature com
mands Ashland to do. With but lit
tie better winter and not so fine sum-
mer climate and with about one
twentieth the natural attractions
vouchsafed to Ashland in her enyl-
ronment, she hgs won. She grew
great by doing things in big way.
Great things are not accomplished
save by great faith and much effort
made effective by solid cooperation.
Indeed, that degree of faith which
reaches the purse strings and feels
full we'll that expenditure in intelli-
gently directed advertising is not do
nation, or waste, but exceedingly
profitable investment, and sticks
thru thick and thin, until The
goal is attained. The most profit
able investment Los Angeles ever
made was in publicity. AS the city
grew her attractions increased. Had
she waited first for greater attrac-
tions she no doubt would have been
waiting still. She advertised what
she had and constructed the rest
with the money supplied by the visi-
tation of tourists. All she had to
start was climate, on that she eX-
patiated widely long enough to at
tract tourists in sufficient numbers
to build more. Her first great task
was to convince those with money
and leisure that her climate was bet
ter than would be found in Florida,
the Catskill, the Adirondacks, the
Blue Mountains, or the Atlantic coast
resorts. At the time she was un-
known but she spread the fame Of
her climate broadcast and her peo-
pie worked conformity and nightly
until the world had her story. It
cost a deal OF expense in publicity,
but she voted more taxes and spent
the money boosting her climate.
What Los Angeles has accomplish
ed Ashland may, in measure, do
do II easier and with less expense
because she has vastly more to ad-
vertise to start.
1t is our common mind habit to
view Los Angeles as We see her now,
as tho she had always been that,
without going into her history to find
she started in a much smaller way
than Ashland is now starting, with
higher taxes, greater Isolation and
vastly less natural resources of re-
sort character, and has gained such
success as follows intelligent and
persistent effort along right lines;
the line along which concentrated ef-
fort could best overcome obstacles
over which she must climb on her
way TO success, with courage that
spurned the spiked fail of high tax
es, competition, isolation, sand storms
and drouth.
How inspiring to scan her history,
measure her beginnings and note
what handicaps she has overcome