The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1922-04-15
John B.S|aterTeNS
About California


glide down the backbone of long
ridge almost fifty miles from the
summit into a wide, rolling country.
Across the map of this country is
written "Los Angeles" and this
means everything. Once on the level
the road passes numerous villages
which grow larger on the 20mile
stretch away from the hills, and
before one realizes it he is hurtling
through the streets of the most in
teresting city in the world. Los
Angeles is a great sprawling col
lection of big cities of which it is
the center from whence all others
spread out
Los Angeles is unlike ony other
city, and its institutions are unlike
any excepting as human spirit en-
ergiZes the pact. A retrospect of the
history of the city is lost in the trails
of the missionaries who introduced
civilization by the establishment of
a mission here nearly $50 years ago.
Since then the country has passed
under three flags, and l.. A., or Los,
as it is familiarly designated locally,
has grown from an isolated desert
trading post of a few hundred souls
to a city of three quarters of mil
lion people within 40 years. When
one thinks of California he includes
| Los Angeles in the same thought,
and when he goes to California he
buys his ticket for Los Angeles. If
one judges it's future from it's past,
it will be the largest city in the
world within the present century.
Naturally we wonder what makes
Los Angeles the city that it is.
Everybody contributed, but there
must have been some unseen nerve
force in the system which fairly
| jerked chaotic nature into mechani'
| cal order 1t is a city grown out of
| vision; that much is true, but while
we trace the reason for the estab-
lishment or growth of other cities
where no cities grew before, we look
about for the advantages contributed
| by nature, and we find the reason
not so much human, but divine in
the natural order of things. Money
in banks has done a big part, the
| professions have contributed some,
science and mechanics have given
help, political influences have not
| been remiss in the scheme of prog
ress of the great city; but the all
| directing head in the marshaling of
the forces that have made for es-
tablishment and growth of all of the
things that go between has been, and
is, and will be the realtor. The real
estate man has not only made Los,
but he has made California. His
dreams at night have grown into
accomplishment the next day. His
is a profession needed by every COM
munity that would emulate the fine
quality of growth of all southern
California cities.
Some say that the water made the
crusted deserts of Los Angeles
smile with flowers and flourish in
forests of fruits. Sure! But the
realtor saw it first, and his dream
came true when an aqueduct $50
miles in length and so large that a
man on horseback on lope can ride
through it, without touching the top,
capable of developing quarter of
million horsepower and of watering
millions of acres of the richest land,
grew into reality. This aqueduct
carries the pure waters from lakes
and streams far back in the Sierras.
Furthermore, this aqueduct has given
impetus to the growth of manufac-
tured products of l.. A. which rose
from $15,O00,000 in 1900 to $750,000,-
900 in 1921. There are over 250 de-
hydrating and canning plants en-
ploying over $4,000 workers with a
weekly payroll of more than $5O0,OOO.
The much maligned realtor has done
all this and more. He has thrown
the gates of industry open to almost
1,250,000 people who now live in Los
Angeles county.
The poetic side of Los Angeles is
the dream of more than one hundred
million people in America. The
practical side is born out of their
applause in real action which may be
summarized with the following facts:
Los Angeles, once country vii
lage rs miles from the open sea, has
now spread to the tide sands Of the
Pacific where, at an expense of $685.
100000 it has built harbor with
20 miles of waterfront where YES
sells of nearly so organizations en-
gagged in international trade enter
and clear $9O,O00,O00 imports and
$70,0O0,000 exports annually. During
1920 the tonnage that passed through
this harbor was 3,528,000 tons valued
at $154,O00,OO0. $50 vessels are en-
A