IHE PLAZA, LOS ANGELES. LAID OUT 1781 RESIDENCE ON 9th. S1REEI. A WINTER SCENE USH DAGGER IN BLOOM G-IANT CACTUS CALIFORNIA CACTUS - 9 \ CENTURY PLANT IN BLOOM. . / m CENTURY PLANT. TROPICAL PLANTS. EIGHT Macs FROM IQS AHGE L ES,FO UNDED 1776. M»l N STREET, LOS ANGELES, FOU ND ED \b£G SAN 3ABRIEL MISSION, MISSION CHURCH YUCCA TREE DATE PALM ■A*aeamm»: 4 ■ * * ^ MIS 3 I 0 N SAN JUAN CAPISTRAUS, -SG MILES SOUTH. FOUNDED 1776 . SAN LOUIS REYMISSIONAO MILES SOOTH, FOUNDED 1738 i f ■«! IIIJBIJ p®l 1 fi -■ ^ Hi ■ fei = 1 . ' rm, i; j i w* l A A T: j|f — J jJB j .1 : i; t .! i -- '^2L--- -—-3*3 - TROPICAL PLANTS & HISTORICAL BUILDIHSS. jpmm THE FLOWER FESTIVAL VINEYARD & RAISIN'DRYIN3. ORANGE PICKING & PACKING. ORANGE GROVE, CHINESE QUARTER. INTERIOR OF CHINESE TEMPLE. (JOSH HOUSE), los Angeles. STAR OIL WORKS, SAN FERNANDO DISTRICT AS SEEN FROM S. P. R. R. The old Mission, San Gabriel Established T771. -MIRROR LAKE BALDWIN'S RFSIOENCE IN SAN GABRIEL VALIEV, THIRTEEN MILES FROM LOS ANGELES. SANU MONICA BEACH. PACIFIC OCEAN. 14 MILES FROM LOS ANGELES. Dock at San Pedro. 20 MILES FROM LOS ANGELES. LONG BEACH HOTEL, LONG BEACH, 25 MILES FROM IOS ANGELES. The publisher herewith places before the public his valuable selection of Photographic Views of Los Angeles and vicinity, together with brief sketches of its recent wonderful growth, natural products, statistics, transportation facilities, etc., trusting it will leceive at their hands the approval which its preparation deserves. C. P. HEININGER, Publisher of View Albums and Guides of all Prin¬ cipal Pacife Coast Points. COPYRIGHT, 1888, BY C. P HEININGER, PUBLISHER, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. / - LOS + ANGELES, + CAL. % The City of Los Angeles, the metropolis of Southern California, and the second city in population of the State, is picturesquely situated in a beautiful valley 482 miles south of San Francisco, and fourteen miles from the Pacific Ocean, between the mountain ranges of Sierra Madre, Santa Monica and Santa Ana. Geographically, Los Angeles is situated at the most promising point to command the prospective trade of the southern counties, located as it is in the very center of the great valleys; to the north, San Fernando; east, San Gabriel; south and west, the grand Santa Ana, extending to the ocean shore. In addi¬ tion to its lovely location, it is the railroad center of Southern California, from whence the iron horse travels in all directions. The city has a population of fully 75,000, and the county about 200,000, which shows an increase of fully 180 per cent., or has doubled itself within the past three years. The city has a complete system of water works, a paid fire department and with paved streets, etc., etc., beautifully laid out, as will be seen by the accompanying bird’s-eye-view. From a small and semi-barba¬ rous settlement, it has with the progress of time, developed into one of the wealthiest and most promising cities of America. Its rapid growth is without a parallel, and it is to-day the commercial metropolis of Southern California. For style and elegance of architecture, the city of Los Angeles is not surpassed by any of her sister cities of the Union, and in many respects she stands the rival of many of the largest; her many elegant business and private houses are unsurpassed. Art and the sciences thrive in Los Angeles, and it is the center of vast wealth, civilization and refinement, many of her millionaires occupying fine mansions, principally on the high elevations, commanding views of the surrounding country and the ocean in the distance. There is no place un- d oubtedly wheie shrubbeiy and flowers grow more luxuriantly the year round. I 4 1 The city Is one Immense flo\ver bower, the effect being greatly enhanced by the magnificent growth of shade and fruit trees. Most of the residence streets are protected from the summer sun by a complete archway formed by the foliage of the trees on either side, and while people of other cities are suffering from the effects of the summer heat, those of Los Angeles are enjoying the luxuiy of cool, shaded avenues, fringed by beautiful gardens of flowers, whose perfume wafted in gentle breezes from the ocean fills the atmosphere. The beautiful drives through the shaded avenues of many miles, with ever chang- . 'icws, entertain the people of the city, and are enjoyed by all visitors. There is no city or county whose growth can be compared with that of Los Angeles and its rapid improvements. Thousands come to Southern California annually, simply to pay a visit, but many become so mystified with its wonder¬ ful climate and beautiful surroundings that they have concluded to remain permanently in this land of sunshine, flowers and fruits. This assertion is borne out by the showing which can be made of the large number of valuable business blocks and elegant residences that have been erected within the past year in the vicinity of Los Angeles, which can safely be placed at a grand t°tal of $10,000,000. It is very doubtful if any city of double its population in any other state can equal this record, of which every citizen in Los Angeles county may be proud. The educational facilities, public schools, universities, colleges and acade¬ mies, are numerous, while for the spiritual welfare, chuich accommodations of all denominations, social associations, and well preserved order are unsur¬ passed, and those who become familiar with them are not slow to take steps for making their residence in so charming a locality. The rapid growth and unprecedented prosperity, the manufacturing and commercial interests, aflfbrd unusual opportunities for banking operations, of which there are twelve in number with the highest reputation, and which have aided vastly in promoting the untold prosperity of the city and county of Los Angeles. To them is due in a great degree the credit of her high financial standing; their assets approximate over $20,000,000. With the many miles of street railway, by horse and cable systems, branching out in every direction, and the daily and weekly journals of the t 5 ] city, comparatively well equipped and with large circulations, it has every¬ thing necessary for a metropolitan center of business, and extensive rela¬ tions with distant markets. What progress has been made is clearly shown in the space of time by the rapid growth of the city and county, with their grea improvements, costly and mammoth structures, commercial and manufactur¬ ing enterprises not surpassed, with its many extended transportation facilities reaching in all directions by land and sea, showing at the present time great progress and prospective prosperity. NATURAL RESOURCES. Los Angeles county, the most important of the southern counties of Cali¬ fornia, is bounded on the north by Kern, west by Ventura, east by San Bernar¬ dino, and on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean, having within its bound¬ aries 4,8121^ square miles, and 90 miles of ocean front, composed of valleys and mountains, and the Mojave desert on the northeastern corner. Several ranges of importance are in this county—the Sierra de San Fernando, San Gabriel, Santa Suanna, Sierra de Santa Monica and the Sierra de Santa Ana. The peaks that are landmarks are mounts Pino, Parkinson and San Antonio (8,933 feet). The San Gabriel is 6,500 feet high; this precipitous mountain is sixty miles in length and five miles in breadth, standing between the fer¬ tile plains of the coast and the sterile regions of the eastern basin. Among these mountains and hills lie a great number of valleys, some hundreds of square miles in extent and of various sizes, from broad plains to little nooks in the mountains, all being easily irrigated and of great fertility and perfect love¬ liness, affording sites for vast numbers of quiet, happy and prosperous homes. In these valleys are situated many beautiful and thriving cities, as follows: Los Angeles, as the county seat; Pasadena, Santa Ana, Pomona, Florence, Newball, Orange, etc., and above all an ocean beach on which can be enjoyed a dip in the waves on almost any day in the year, and a climate that has no equal. [ 6 ] This most famous of the southern counties, .a the heart of the semi-tropical belt, having a populatson less than 50,000 in 1880, has increased to the enor¬ mous number of at least 200,000, having within its limits a great variety of soil, including some which to a large extent has no counterpart in any state. In the lower valleys the soil consists ol a rich alluvium deposited in past ages; some of this land is mingled with alkali and is unlit for agriculture until it has been reclaimed. The upper valleys possess all grades of this alluvium, and have in some places a black soil called adobe, which is largely composed of decayed vegetable matter. This is the material of which the natives build their adobe houses, and is weil adapted to grain, but not suitable for many kinds of fruit. On the mesas is largely found a soil composed of debris washed from the mountains, mixed with vegetable accumulation. This makes an excellent fruit soil. There is also some sandy clay soil on the mesas, and a very large are'a Is composed of a rich sandy ioam, with water ten feet from the surface. By thorough cultivation the water wiii remain near the surface all the year round, and is weii adapted to orange culture. It will readily be understood that with such a variety of soil and temperate climate, the products which can be raised in Los Angeles county are very numerous. Almost every variety of grain, vegetable, fruit and nuts produced in temperate or semi- tropical climates will grow to perfection. Bees do weil in the foothills. The flue stock in the dairy line has won the admiration of the world. It must not be supposed that all products flourish equally well in every section of the county. Citrus fruits will not succed in the low, moist lands where nuts, berries and alfalfa yield largely. There are only small portions of the county containing alkali, where some of the products are not perfectly at home. New comers or settlers must suit their products to the soil, or select a soil suitable to the character of product they wish to raise. One feature which strikes the new comer is ttie manner in which fruits and vegetables mature all the year round. In the markets can be found from January to December the most delicate products of the country. Los Angeles county is pre-eminently a fruit growing section. A careful estimate gives the acreage of orchards and vineyards in the county to be 45,675 acres, devoted to horticulture, which is on the increase. This is not a one- fifth part of the land that can be cultivated. The orange takes the front rank m [ 7 ] among the products, followed by grapes, lemons, apples, peaches, pears, and the olive. From appearances and experiments already made, it is more than likely that olive culture is to be one of the leading industries of this section. The success already attained is of sufficient evidence of the Importance to which it will reach in the future. TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES. The situation of Los Angeles is remarkable, as demonstrated in the network of railroads it possesses, being in that respect better supplied than any other city on the coast, and the additional lines already assured and projected jus¬ tify to the fullest extent that it will always retain its supremacy as a railroad center. The gigantic systems of roads have already perfected arrangements for reaching this desirable field, and have assisted in the development of re¬ sources, population and wealth. The vast and rapidly increasing business transacted at this point and its port, Han Pedro, demonstrates clearly the ad¬ vantages of Los Angeles for maritime commerce. This is strongly empha¬ sised by the facts that the routes from San Pedro, as a seaport, across the con¬ tinent, are the shortest and have the easiest grade of all trans-continental rail¬ roads. What changes have been wrought during the past few years by the extension of the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe systems, are demonstra'ed better than pen can portray. Branches spread in every direction, opening up a new country with easy access for new settlers. The phenomenal growth and success of these companies is one of the marvels of the age. The fully 1,000 miles of new roads built during the past three years have proved the best investments made by any corporation. The improvements of San Pedro, Ballona, Santa Monica, Newport and other harbors adjacent to Los Angeles, now in progress, insures competition in maritime transportation, which can* [ 8 ] mot, fail to redound to the advantage of the great valleys of Southern California am Los Angeles, being directly on the highway of travel to and from the East and the center of the most productive and densely populated portion of South¬ ern California. It is clear to every intelligent observer that the Angel City is unquestionably destined to become one of the great cities of the United States, and that too before the end of the present century. REAL ESTATE AND ITS FUTURE. It is a well established fact that this branch of business is one of the most important in this locality, as it is all over Southern California. It is done to a great extent by The Arts and Sciences, and strangers should not “bite” at first sight, as many know not what they are offering you. It is a fact that some people who are possessed of an average intelligence and observation, sneer at the wonderful growth and prospects of Los Angeles and vicinity, as well as the entire state of California, attributing the phenome¬ nal growth to a so-called climate, and that real estate would soon fall from i's present value. If one can judge from the constant sales and advance in prices of p-operty, both in number and volume, there is certainly no indica¬ tion of the predicted collapse, and it may be safely stated that such a theory exists only in imagination. Will there not be a large traffic in real estate when thousands of home seekers are coming to the state of California an¬ nually, and are offered for sale the glorious soil of the lands. No one can make a mistake who buys land: the price which you pay makes little difference' in the cities and counties, as long as one keeps out of the “wild cat” schemes, which may never appear except as on paper. Subdividing large land hold¬ ings is offering inducements to the large immigration coming to this coast. The records of Los Angeles county closed for 1887 with the grand total of $98,064,162. This enormous amount has not been excelled by any individual county, and yet there has only been a slight falling off in daily transfers for 1888. Like every other enterprise of the State this is on a sound and substan¬ tial business basis. The greatest climate in the universe, as this state possesses, the richest and most inexhaustible soil, and the vast amount of valuable land in and around Los Angeles county, it is no wonder that the present condition is so prosperous. It may be stated that the abused word climate has doubtless been a powerful factor in producing grand r^ults. The fact is that hundreds of those who were deemed hopeless invalids on their arrival here are to-day en¬ terprising, energetic and successful capitalists, merchants, manufacturers and ranchers—the effects of this health-renovating climate on the human system, and so long as there are any sufferers from life-destroying elements east of the Rocky mountains, so long will Southern and the entire state of California con¬ tinue to receive thousands of the best citizens of the Republic annually, until It becomes the most densely populated portion of the Union. HISTORICAL. It was the intention of the writer to include in this work a history of the early settlements of this locality, by the self sacrificing and noble brotherhood of Saint Francis, establishing a chain of missions in 1769, and bringing civiliz¬ ing influences to an untutored people. Those who come here now look for what Los Angeles is to-day and its prospects are for the future, and what the resources are that the new comers can utilize for their welfare. 1542 California discovered by Jose R. Cabrillo. 1579 Sir Francis Drake took possession of California in the name of Queen Elizabeth. 1769 The first permanent white settlement (Spanish,) 1771 San Gabriel Mission founded, 1781 I.os Angeles founded. 1822 Mexico ruled California from 1822 until 1846. 1825 The first American entered California, J. S. Smith. 1834 The first orange tree planted by Loni.s Vignes. 1846 American conquest of California, July 7th, 1846 Los Angeles taken possession of by Commodore Stockton, August 15th. 1847 The first newspaper published January 9th, at San Francisco. 1848 California formally ceded to the United States, 1848 Gold discovered by James W. Marshall, January 19th. 1819 First steamer arrived from New York, February 28th, 1850 California admitted into the Union as a state, September 9th. 1850 Society ol Californa Pioneers organized. 1850-51 The dryest season, only 7^ inches of rain. 1858 First overland stage arrived in Los Angeles. 1869 U. & C. Railroads completed across the continent. 1876 Southern Pacific Railroad completed to Los Angeles from San Fran¬ cisco. 1881 Southern Pacific Railroad completed through Arizona. 1885 Sahta Fe Railroad effected an entrance to Los Angeies, November 30th. PUBLISHED BY J-'UJrSLJSlriliU BY ^ ^ C. P. HEININGER, Publisher of View Albums, Historical References & Guiles ©-OF ALL THE_© rincipal 4- Points 4 on4 the 4 laGifiG 4 ioasf. Special Designs of Albums and Business Cards to Order. MANUFACTURER OF- Walking Canes and Fancy Novelties, NATIVE WOODS AND BIG TREE BARK. ' San Francisco, Cal.*