Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1921-02-17

~~NNN 49,
they have said when they are
through.
Southern California is much no
ted for it's missions. A trip to the
old San Gabriel mission some days
ago was full of interest and instruc-
ton. The place is aptly called the
Old Spanish Settlement of the long
ago. 1t takes you back in mind TO
the year OF WI when the mission
was founded 5 years before the
Declaration of independence was
signed The building as it stands
today is over a hundred years old
and its qualntness makes it very
attractive. The pictures on the
walls were painted during the six
teenth and seventeenth centuries.
| was in a side room at the old
babtismal font where ten thousand
Indians have been babtized Saw
the first bible that was used at the
mission. 1t was printed in Latin
in the year 1899 three years before
Columbus discovered America.
Services are still held regularly each
Sunday. The pastor stands in the
same pulpit up on the side of the
wall and the old organ with its rich
melody would be welcomed in most
any church of today. The grave
yard and the RUNS back of the
mission give it a look of weirdness.
The mission holds within it's walls
one of the best collections Of relics
to be found in the west. 1t is built
of stone and has several bells up in
the tower, only one Of which is in
working order anymore / am told.
| went up on top of this building
and secured a piece of wood from
the bell beam aa souvenir. These
old missions grow more attractive
with age and they will always be
places Of interest to the slghtseer.
The oil wells of the surrounding
region are a matter of interest to
the new conner at least. In recent
visit to the oil wells / note the bust
ness is being pushed to the limit.
To those who have never visited
these places l would say as mat
ter of information that where they
wish to sink we'll, a huge derrick
is erected similar to our wooden
windmill towers, only of course very
large and strong, for the drilling re-
quires machinery Of wonderful
strength. After reaching Oil which
seems to be pretty sure thing here
the we'll is put in order, giant
pump is installed, same is connect
ed up with an engine or motor and
pumping begins. In the main field
we visited the wells were numerous
and | took notice that almost every
pump was working, which fact indi-
Gated that wells in this region were
alright and paying proposition.
! ! was hoping to see Greeley town
ship ornamented with oil derricks
next summer, but | note by the
! Audubon County papers that the
oil boom there seems to have col
lapsed.
The average rainfall here is about
ten inches and there has been about
! six inches to date. The barley
fields are green and look fine at
present. The reader will under.
stand that vegetables and truck
crops usually grow on level land OF
in such places as can be irrigated
while the barley crop is quite otter
on roughland and usually makes q
crop by the sainfall. In the lmpe.
rial valley south east Of here Farley
Is heading out now and alfalfa is
sometimes cut during ten months OF
the year. That is a great country
for hogs too. The rainfall there is
very slight and the weather hot
during the summer very unlike Long
Beach which has an equablc climate
that is almost perpetual summer.
| 4 here IL n WRIT pu collad - orac