Imperial Valley press., 1926-10-14

Following is an address on FL Cen
tro, delivered today before the Cali
fornia Real Estate association con
ycntion at Del Monte, by Oscar
Sweeney, FL Centre rcaltor, who,
with W. S. Hancock, is attending
the convention as delegate from the
FL Centre realty board:
My home town, FL Centre, is the
center of over 100000 acres of the
finest, largest irrigated area in
America. Long ago this section was
an arm of the sea. but silt carried
down by the Colorado river cut off
the sea. In course Of time the sun s
powerful rays dried up the sea and
left desert.
Finally men with vision came. har-
messed the river, titled the soil and
converted the desert into the rich
est agricultural area in the world.
From nothing the population has
grown to $4,000 in - wears. In the
providence Of God, the same sun
dried up the sea, now draws from the
soil Il carload of products for every
man, woman and child of the pop
ulation annually. This area produces
the equal of the assessed valuation
of 50 100000 in "A wear. Yet we hay.
just ticklcd the soil little compared
with what We are capable of doing.
Ny home town, FL Centre, worthy
capital of such a county, was a bar
ley field 20 years ago. Now it is a
thriving city of 10000 population.
1t is built of sand, silt, cement and
people with-inSidcs in them.
Sightseeing Trip
Please close your eyes Il moment.
Now open them. Presto, change,
We are now aboard the Barbara
Worth bus for sight seeing trip
through my home town. Sec our
81. miles of paved streets. This
principal thoroughfarc is Main street
with over a mile of ornamental
street lighting under construction.
This imposing structure from
which we start is the Barbara Worth
hotel, named for that famous novel
by Harold Bell Wright, who came
Ia Imperial to run n ranch. He
ran the ranch with one hand and
wrote books with the other. He
was Il versatile man. Note the
beautiful lobby with gorgeous rugs
costing thousands Of dollars. 1t
took Buchanan and Nysckel year
to get the material and paint those
pictures, for which valley people
posed. Plenty of time to fall in
love and get married, which they
did. Hotel filled to capacity and
running over most of the time. That
is the reason for the great addition
YOU see to the left which Manager
Conway is hurrying to completion
for the winter guests.
This is our shopping district, good
enough for any community. Here
is the Consolidated and there the
Pioneer Title company, both rushed
with business. Here is the home of
the Elks, all good fellows. This
was formerly under 80 feet of sea.
Elks now gambol where fishes used
to swim.
In the center of the beautiful
lawn observe our new court house
costing 100000 and worth il. Built
in "A five acre tract 50 we can add
to it.
Industries
This pile of buildings costing half
a millino dollars in our high school,
and junior college, with over 400
pupils and 40 teachers. Our school
begins later and closes earlier than
ON the coast, eight months instead
of nine months. On account of the
exhiirating, growing influence Of
the climate, children learn much
faster here than elsewhere.
The "Bluc Moon" is one Of our
new hotels. Can't build them fast
enough to keep up with the busi
ness. Expect to have a string Of
them named for the planets.
Plenty of churches for all who
have time and inclination to 20.
Our Woman's Ten Thousand club
building. Now that that goal has
been reached the name should be
changed to the Woman 5 Ten Million
club.
Here is automobile row. Last year
5000 automobiles were sold iu the
valley at "A cost of $3,700,00o, We
have to get there ~ hurry aud