Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-03-03
But
| ~ California Has Mav
Attracted Settlers


8E . X
Romantic Eoyses California again has
some into prominence through the In
trOduc4iOn Id congress DC bin looking
% the purchase ok that unique penin-
sula.
sBaya" California. rejected By the
United States after the war with Mex.
leo as @the tall-end Of an earthquake
though recognized SIS rich In natural
resources, Ii least known. according 90
the few who have made O scientific
study Of the peninsula. Of any area Of
similar size III the western hemisphere.
Lower California. Economically
styled esthe mother of California" Inns
tagured III modern history for 900 years.
Ii wan iii 1897 that the Spanish captain
general, Fernando COFtex. sent one Of
Ealboa's veterans. Alyara de Saavedra,
from Tehuantepec. on the west coast
of Mexico, with instructions to try TO
6nd d strait supposed st that time so
form 4 link Ia route from Mexico, or
New Spain. 90 ie was then known, 60
tie newly discovered Spice islands
known to LATER generations as the Phil
lppineA
from COg4ex' tine down 60 the pres
ene ghere have passed ln review
through the pages of Lower CailfOrnIa's
history Spanish cOnquerors, Jesuits,
Dominicana and Franciscans. and
plnndeyess from many lands; United
states troops during the war With
Mexico; 6Itbusters, intent on setting
up an independent government. and
Lastly. the eontending factions for SUI
prernacy III Nfexico's national admins
grati0n since the overthrow Of pOr0riO
DGaz 40 president
Il wat pias who bestowed on Lower
California title Of ''pobre Baja Cali
gornia,v descriptive Of her condition to
recent years and which translated u
sspOOP Lower California.
Diaxs description 6ts the country Just
aa ven 40 to It's typographical aspect,
and in some other respects for Ii ID d
Jagged peninsula, roo miles long. vary
ing ia width from 80 To 80 miles, and
Eragersed throughout isa length BY an
irregular range Of barren mountains Of
volcanic origin. breaking or abruptly
on the gulf side and rambling on In q
series az low hills TO the Pacific coast.
Il has been described by It's most re-
cent explorer as "a land great Ia Its
past and lean in It's present. a land
where the rastIesnake and the side
winder, the tarantuIa and the scorpion
multiply. and where sickness II I'M
known aud five-scOre years no uncon1-
mon gpan o9 life. d land o1 strange
contradiction"
While territorial state C9 Mexico,
lt nowhere touches other Mexican soil,
being separated from the mainland BY
the waters oS the Colorado river and
the Guif az California. ID 1910 the
population Of the entire peninsula was
given as 62.244. There IL but one rail-
road In the country, aside from
swheaxys mine tramways. and that
one. grOm MexicaIi TO Yuma, but 68
nlles ID length. The ''caminos, or
roads Of the mission days, have fallen
into wretched state and In many
places have been practically cbllter-
ated.
me peninsula u rich In mineral
wealth, at least one og it, silver mines.
| III the southern district. having been
operated since 1748. Cold, silver. COP
per, Iron. coal, lead. gypsum and salt
| are found. and valuable marble for
| building ID every where abundant. Min
Ing experts agree that the mineral re.
aDurceg have hardly bean scratched