Year: 1873

A MINNESO rlAN IN CALIFORNIA.


The Austin Register publishes ex.
tracts from letter written to = friend
it that place by MI. Henry D. Austin.
The letter is dated Red Bluff, Califor.
MIA, May 22nd, 1878, aud gives the
writer's impressions concerning Califor.
MIA as follows:


II was never diappointed in State
as have been in this one. Let me
say that did not have my mind made
up to find it 4 land of milk and
honey, but I thought l would find it 4
little better than Minnesota. 7 must
say it is the other way. I have been
In northern California most of the time
and they claim that it Is the best
but if it is the best, deliver me from
the rest of it.


~ am stopping At present 10 Red
Bluff, and <hey call this one of tho
best towns ID, the State for business.
Now I will give you a description Of
this noted place. think it is noted
place for murders-:here have been only
"a Of them committed here in the
past seven years. This town is just
about such place as Lansing, Minn.,
aud puts me in mind of it very much.
1t lays on just about such ground, only
a great deal more sandy, and with not
nearly as GOOD. buildings. The buildings
are, most Of them, one story, and very
low at that :; and that is the way I 6od
all the towns in the State: outside of
San Francisco and Sacramento. Those
two are the only places in this State of
any account. The others are all little
places, and quite number of them
are kept up only by the mines around
them. When the mines give out the
town is dead. That's the way with
Oroyille it is completely played out.
You cannot give property away.


"Red Bluff is nothing but a saod
bar. wish l could have few Of my
Austin friends here to. day. think
they would be favorably impressed -
with sand and wind! l have lived in
Minnesota for about seven years, and
1 never saw the wiad blow aud sand fly
IS it does here to-day. They have
north wind here that just takes the life
right out Of . person, makes him feel
very languid, and is damaging to the
crops. They say they only have it
about three days At a time, but it has
been blowing now for over two weeks,
and increasing every day. The farm
ers feel pretty blue. It is the dryest
time they ever knew, Nearly every
thing in tho line of vegetation is dead.
Some of the wheat looks quite we'll,
but take it away from the river bot
toms, it is worth nothing. They are
cutting great deal Of 1t for hay.


~ went out IN the country yester.
day to look around, and went on to
what they Call the Star Ranch, and ev-
srytbiog was just drying up. They
were cutting their wheat for hay, and
of the sights ever saw, this surpasses
all. l had read about the army worm
below here doing q great deal of dam.
age, and yesterday l had chance to
see some of its work. [ went into
Que field where there were millions of
them, aud they just take everything
that CONES before them. They are do
ing great deal of harm around here,
and in the southern part Of the State
the grasshoppers are eating everything
up.


"When I was in San Francisco I
called on Rev. Nelson, the Methodist
minister that used to be IN Austin, aud
had long talk with him about busi-
ness and one thing and another. He
has been all over the State and is we'll
posted. He said he would not advise
any man to leave the States and come
to California; that is, person in busi.
ness, for he says they cannot do apy
better here than there. He told me
California had not so many Inhabitants
at the present time as it had years ago.
There is a great immigration here ev.
cry year, but he says there are just as
many going out.


II will have to tell you what kind
of society there is here, and then l will
stop.


'1t seems to me all the roughs of the
whole world were in California. In
this place it is nothing tor one man to
shoot another right 10 broad daylight.
was sitting IN front of the hotel on
Sunday, when couple OF fellows came
out of saloon across the road and be.
gan shooting at each other. One was
shot in the arm and fell down, when
the other one walked of just as though
nothing had happened. That is. an
everyday occurrence. They do not
think anything of it here. The stores
are all open on Sunday, just the same
as any ether day, and gambling in ev-
erv shana il carried m fnr hiv rtskoa