Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-11-28

Seeing is believing" but you can't
realize it in Southern California. A
comparatively short time ago, this ter
ritory was a sun-parched sandy desert.
Today it is filled with the OdOr of bios
SONS with the fresh verdure of grow
ing vegetables, grasses, grains, and
fruits in great variety abound. DWELL
ings, business houses and cities have
sprung up covering tillable acres with
a growth that you see but are unwill-
ing to accept Your mind is not pre-
pared to grasp it. Yet, such is the
situation and wonder how it can be
so and why.
Someone must have split some wa
ter on this land and been startled by
the result of the growth from the
soil, or the rains of winter sprOuted
the plants which bloomed and fruited
as the season advanced. Anyway,
when man came and applied water in
diligently to this soil it responded
with most astonishing growth. That
is one reason why Southern California
is so attractive.
AS evidence of its aridity, during
the six months from May to the pres
ent November there have been but
two showers and only about quarter
of an inch of rain fell. This, too, is
hard to realize, but it is a fact. Look
ing back over the rainfall chart of the
past fourteen years, l discover that
the lowest precipitation was in the
year 1923-1924 July 1 to June 80 en-
bracing the year,, when it was but
667 inches. The heaviest rainfall
during this fourteen-year-period was
in 1876, when it was 1892 inches.
For five years it was less than ten
inches, for five years lowering around
twelve inches, and the balance of the
time between fourteen and the high
point of 1876.
This is. country with light rain
fall What little does come is in the
winter or coolest part of the year
when the thermometer is around fifty
above. Upon rare occasions, though,
the thermometer goes as low as freez-
ing.
The building, the rapid increase of
ness amazes you. What is the cause
and how long will it continue? These
activities are not so brisk now as for
merly, yet it is difficult to really COM
prehend the situation today.
In 1910 Long Beach had a popula-
ton of 1850; ten years later, 55,593;
while in 1929 it is close to $4,000, a
growth of 100000 in less than ten
years.
In building operations, the attain
ment is no less marked. During this
month of October, the building per-
mits in Long Beach have reached a
total of $1,4O0,OO0, and for the year
to date $16,006,705. Certainly an
amount significant enough to attract
attention.
Within the environs of Long Beach
is Signal Hill where oil was discov-
cred some six years ago. The hill
range extends for miles from about
two miles north of Long Beach in an
easterly and southeasterly direction
until it reaches the ocean. At this
point wells have been drilled and are
in operation within few feet of the
water. Signal Hill proper is that por-
tion of the range within or bordering
on Long Beach. Here the derricks
standing over the wells are so thick
that as you look at them from a dis
lance it reminds you of tamarack
swamp. Fortunate for those who pur-
chased this land when it was consid-
erd to be of little value. They became
wealthy over night. Fortunate, too,
for the city of Long Beach. It's
streets and other property took in
some of the oil land, for it is esti-
mated today that the city's royalty
from its oil land this year will reach
approximately a million and a half