at, ' HI) A TRIP F TO CALIFORNIA » *t) «r) *S) *^ m m m m «; *; *») *») *) m m m * *) v; *>) «•) v; *; V) Hi) M) «») *») m *; 4t; Hi} if) V) m m m m «! CALIFORNIA POPPIES *i)S««««««jis««j^«««««««j^««««j^«««j^j$««««j^j$««««Sjr^ COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA Copywrited IQOS by ROBERT C. WAGNER LlBrtARY of CONoKtSS! I wo OOBies rtecei»ei4 JUN ^19 laOB Oi^SSA AXc. No. I COPY B. TO OUR DEAR OXKS m HO were with us in s])irit thrDui^liout this trip, this description of "Our Tri]) to CaHfornia " is dechcated with much love. '!'() teh all we had seen and admired, would he to write a hook. We have omitted much we would like to have written, and ])erhaps written nuich we mi^ht have omited. hut our threat desire has heen that you mig'ht see what we have seen, even though in ])art. and as through a glass darklv. That you may sometime see. face to face, is the wish of vour I'Al'A AXD A[AM.M.\. m \\ received a l)()^tal of a Calit\)rnia residence street on I'el)ruarv 20th sayinj^": "Do come out here to this land of sunshine and flowers." We had loni^" seen California in a vision, and all at once it seemed borne in upon us that now was the accepted time for the vision to materialize; and slowly, but surely, day l)y day. the substance of thins^s ho]XHl for bct^an to apjiear, until all things necessary for our tri]) were in evidence. ( )ur hearts will ever be filled with gratitude to the Powers that be — that made possible this delightful trip. We bade s^ood-bye to Our Dear Ones at the I'lu'on .Station. Albany, at 12 m.. Tuesday, ^farch 17th. I<;c8. our drawing- room filled witli flowers and kind wishes for a pleasant journey and a safe return. As our train of fullmans started west over the ])erfect roadbed of America's i^reatest railroad. throu<^"h the beautiful valley of the Mohawk " the heart of the world," in one of the worst snow storms of the vear. we realized for the first that our virion was assumini^' tan!.^ible form. Wednesday, March 18. — W'e arrived at Chicago at 7 a. M. and went to the Hotel Kaiserhof. 1 wish I could describe th.e wonderful carving- and beauties of the dining room of tliis hotel. While Papa s])ent the day greeting the ofificials of tl;e Pullman Company I visited the public library and was much impressed with the inscri]Hions in the difTferent rooms. I copied this: " lie that loveth a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome c(nuisellor, a cheerful com- panion, an effectual comforter." 1 visited some of the largi'r de])artment stores which compare very favorably with the em])()riums of oiu- own Xew York City. Uncle Austin joined me in the afternoon and took me to see the Coliseum where oiu- next Republican President is to be ncjminated. and other places of interest. .\fter sending postals to ( )ur Dear ( )nes we started west again at ():io p. M. on the Santa I'e. and realized that the journey over- land had actnalh- begun. I'leasant friends had joined us at this part nf our iourne\- for tlieir first tri]) to California, and we found iheir conii)any most congenial. Thursday, March 19. — We had crossed the Father of Waters in the night and at ii a. m. we crossed the Missouri. We had taken our last breakfast of our trip west in a chninij car. and our first of the Harvey system of dining service of wliich I cannot say enough in their favor. From now on, these beautiful eating houses, built on the old mission style of cement instead of adobe, furnished so artistically and luxuriously, seemed to spring up like oasis in the desert — wherever needed and contributed to the inner man as some of our finest hotels would do well to imitate. Friday, March 20. — At io:io a. m. we crossed the high- est point on the Santa Fe at Raton Pass, 7,608 feet above sea level. In crossing over the hundreds of miles of sand and sage brush of New Mexico and Arizona, we saw so many quaintly garbed Hopi and Navajo Indians. These are, without exception, the most primitive Indians in our country. We saw so many " hogans," their low adobe huts, where they live in squallor, resisting to the last any form of civilization ; although at several places we had passed Indian reservations where our Government is doing all it can to civilize them. I must not forget to mention the wonderful growth of cacti and also the myriads of ground s(|uirrels : they contributed not a little to oiu- entertain- ment. Saturday, March 21. — At 12 m., we reached Williams. /Vrizona, and took the train for a three hours" ride directly north to the Grand Canyon. As we stood by the beautiful Hotel El T(war, 7,000 feet above sea level and close to the rim of the Grand Canyon, we looked down a perpen- dicular mile, from rim to the roaring Colorado river, which looks like a silvery thread so far below ; and across a dizzy thirteen miles to the opposite walls ; it is 200 miles in length. Stoled, indeed, is he who can view the awful scene without ]:)ated breath ; eluding all sense of ])erspective or dimension, one is overwhelmed by the ensemble of a stupendous panorama — a labyrinth of huge architectural forms, and painted with every color known to the pallet. As j. L. Stoddard has so graphically written : "An awful 54ult. within whose cavernous immensity the forests of the Adirondack's would appear like jackstraws, the Hudson Palisades would ])e an insii^nificant stratum. Niagara would he indiscernahle and cities could he tossed like pehbles." We were fortunate to see the clouds in the Canyon and its mysterious purple shadows as the sun sank in the west, also its spectral forms by moonlight reminding us, like the inscription over the entrance of the h'l Tovar : " Dreams of mountains as they brood on things eternal." Sunday. March 22. — We arose very early to see sunrise on the Canvon. Words fail me as 1 think of those noble amphitheatres and many colored galleries opening to our view, and I feel, indeed, that He who first made and painted the lily and the rose could have been the only artist or the architect. Tt was in truth like standing on some new Mount of Transfiguration, where language fails and descri])- tion becomes im])ossible. We must not leave this wonder- ful Canyon without jKiying our resj^jccts to the Hopi House. a stone building plastered with adobe, covering a space of f>o by ()0 feet, like an Indian pueblo. Here live the most primitive Indians in America doing all kinds of un-American things. We witnessed many of their ceremonies several centuries old. We saw many costly specimens of Indian liandiwork. a priceless collection of Xavajo blankets and Pomo basket exhibit — the finest of its kind in the world, a room filled with rare buffalo hide shields, and a sales- room containing the most interesting display of genuine Indian handiwork in the country. We reached Needles at 6.25 p. M.. after we had crossed the Colorado river, a muddy stream, but the first river bed containing water that we had seen since crossing the Missouri, and we felt that henceforth our beautiful rivers would sjieak to us with a new meaning. Monday, March 23. — We were up early at San P>crnar- (lino, where our dear Mr. and Airs. Kingshury left our party for Redlands with many good wishes, and we knew we were at last in the heautiful land of sunshine and flowers. We arrived at Los Angeles at 9:20 a. m., one hour late in crossing the continent. After hidding other kind friends a God-speed we had breakfast at the Van Nuys, and after sending (_)ur Dear Ones California cards, we went to call on our dear Aunt Mary at beautiful Ilotel Leighton, where we received a most cordial welcome and heard of The Ange- lus where we located for our stay in Los Angeles and where we were made most comfortable. All the appointments are perfect, and it had a peculiar charm for me as it is named for Millet's beautiful painting of two peasants work- ing in the fields and hearing the Angelus in the distant city, bow their heads in silent prayer. A beautiful copy was hanging in the ladies' parlor and even the dishes were beautiful with the same design. We spent the afternoon in writing letters and in the evening were entertained at Tbe Leighton. Tuesday, March 24. — Wbile Papa was greeting railroad oftlcials. etc., I enjoyed a most perfect day at Santa Monica, nineteen miles from Los Angeles, in our dear aunt's com- pany, where we were delightfully entertained at the home of a friend in the dearest bungalow on a bluff overlooking the sea. As J caught the first glimpse of the Grand Pacific I remembered . the vivid description in my early history lessons of Balboa's wonderful discovery in 1513, we bad such a wonderful day of sight seeing, the olive groves, the beautiful date palms, magnolia, pepper, china berry, eucalyptus of so many varieties, acasias and umbrella trees, all so interesting. Wednesday. March 25. — We had a most enjoyable day's outini;-. We visited leii of the different beaches and eig-ht cities, a seventy-mile trij). twenty-eii^ht miles of which are directly aloni^" the ^rand Tacific Ocean. We ])assed tbroui^'h orange, lemon and hg' i^roves. We ]:)assed the old IMaza Mission built in 1761; near it we saw one of the l)ells marking- tbe El Camino Real, meanini^- the Kind's liiyhway, the road used by the Catholic missionaries travel- uv^ from one mission to the other. These bells are located at intervals alont;- tbis |)ath tbrout^hout California. We l)assed througii the oil district for not only the surface soil of California is rich but treasures of oil lie beneath. We \Vere informed that Rockefeller had recently purchased tbe Pacific Ocean. The beautiful suburbs of Los Angeles witli their attractive bung-alows and homes of Los Angeles business men. with their tro]^ical ])lants and flowers, is really a modern (iarden of l^den. Luscious strawberries grow here every month of the year. We visited the National .Soldiers" Home, most beautifully located on a s(|uare mile of arboreal and floral wealtb. where the}- provide for 3,000 men who fought the natiiai's battles. We visited beautiful (^cean Park where four of the Pacific tieet were anchored readv waiting to escort the war vessels in from Magdelena bay and beautiful X'enice, jjatterned after \'enice of sunny Italy. Stoi)])ing at Playa del Key where we had a fine view of the ocean and breakers while enjoying- a delicious fisb dinner. We visited Redondo lleach and the great Hotel Rcdondo and gardens, near which are the carnation gardens covering fourteen acres. At the time of President AlcKin- lev's visit to the Los .\ngeles Piesta 30,000 white carnations were sui)plied for tbe decorations of tbe presidential car- riage. We jiassed tbrougli many walnut orcliards. alfalla fields and - o nmcli of interest. Thursday, March 26. — We visited San Pedro, die port of Los Angeles, and saw the $3,000,000 Government break- water making; one of the finest harbors in the workl, and saw ships from all parts of the world, where we took a steamer for Santa Catalena an island three hours from Los Angeles, in the blue waters of the Pacific. The waters sur- rounding this magic isle are marvelously transparent. Through glass bottomed boats we saw plants growing in tropical luxuriance. Language fails to express the wonder- ful beauty of these strange plants, vines, and flowers of the most delicate tints, while among them move emerald fish and golden perch like beautiful song birds. Starfish, sea cucumbers, coral, beautiful shells, sponges, and many wonders of the deep hold one fascinated. We dined at the beautiful Metripole and visited the seal rocks where we were so interestd in seeing the seals partaking of a fish dinner while the sea gulls were partaking of the remnants. We purchased in one of the many curio stores a war vessel, not one of the fleet so anxiously expected by all California, but a smaller one for our little Robert. \\'e saw many flying fish on our trip home and experienced the roughest ocean trip of the year. It was good to be on land again and we were sure it was one of the days we would long remember. Friday, March 27. — We spent this day at Passadena. a suburb of forty thousand inbabitants, an idylic city of roses, which wealth and refinement have made a seeming paradise of verdure. We were the guests of our dear friend Mr. Lockwood at Hotel Raymond, on its great bloom incrusted hill. We were taken for a three hours' drive that we can never forget, through l)eautiful shaded streets, and residences set in miniature parks until our adjectives of delight were exhausted, out through blooming orchards, where we gath- ered quantities of the beautiful wild ])Oppy^the California State flower. We arrived at the old San Gabriel Mission founded in 1771. at 12 m.. just in time to hear the famous chime of six hells rhv^ the Anoelus. We were shown the records of the haptism of 6.000 infant Indians. We were so interested in the wonderful work of the h'ranciscian heathers in civilizini^- and Christianizing- the Indians. As we passed through the sleei)y old S])anish town of San ( iahriel we saw one of the larg'est s^rapevines in the world and the oldest orange gTove in southern California. Mr. r.ockwood conversed in Si)anish with some of the natives for our edification he said. We returned to the Raymond where we did. full justice to a most delicious luncheon and had such a ^-ood visit after admiring' the beautiful hotel and t^Tounds. We said g'ood-ljye, assuring- our dear friend that th.is had been tlie best of our galaxy of beautiful days. On our way home we visited the Cawston Ostrich farm, the olde.s^t and largest in America, in a garden spot beautified by semi-tropical verdure. There are 150 birds on exhibition. We saw them in all stages of development from the newly hatched chicks to the I^atriarchs of the fiock. We saw the male birds going on the nests for the night as they take their twru witli the female in hatching out their young. They mate when four years old and are most faithful partners. Divorces are wholly unknown. We saw^ the ])rocess of treating the feathers from being plucked until read\' ior market. Saturday, March 28. — Accompaniefl by .Aunt Mary we visited Redlands and Riverside. Redlands, is, in truth, the r)eauty Spot of the Pacific Coast. Here California officiallv welcoiued Presidents McKinley and Roosevelt. Mere we were entertained at the beautiful Casa Loma by our friends Mr. and Mrs. Kingsbiu\v. We were taken such a delightful drive through Canyon C'rest Park on Snu'ley Heights passing many beautiful homes and public bnildings. The ]mblic library, a gift to the city by Mr. .A.. K. .Smiley, is a l)eantiful building built on the old mission style con- taining 12.000 volumes. I'ordering the more than three miles of roadway in this park are ujiwards of twelve lunidred varieties of shrubs and ])lants. b^lowers are everywhere, a limitless wealth of color, fragrance and beauty. As we stood on the crest of the hill looking down, we saw Redlands like a g^reat ])ark with its 12.000 acres of oranges and perha])s a thousand acres of flowers, and looking" up. only a little way beyond, the grandest peaks of southern California's Sierra Madre, (mother of mountains), whose snow-capped summits rise to an elevation of more than 12,000 feet. After enjoying- a delicious luncheon we said g'ood-bye to our friends with President McKinley's words in our hearts, " We will carry away with us the ])erfume of your flowers, and more than that, we will carry away with us the memory of this beautiful reception and heart touch we have had from our g-ood friends." We went from here to Riverside, which has 12,000 population and the greatest of orange growing colonies. Here we saw tlie highest development of the orange industry as a money luaking business. Six thousand carloads of oranges are shipped hence each year. We visited one of the largest packing houses and saw the fruit being cleaned, sorted and packed for market. The machines for making the boxes are almost human, as you feed them with slats and nails and they give you whole boxes ready to be filled with the luscious fruit. We saw the two parent trees from which s])rang all the navel oranges that were ever eaten. No two trees probably ever fathered so much wealth. No one surely can look unmoved upon them. As tiny cuttings they were sent to Riverside by the Department of Agriculture in Washington, in 1874. We saw one, inclosed in an iron grating, on our twenty mile automobile ride down the beau- tiful \'ictoria and Magnolia avenue, and the other within a grating in the court yard c^f the beautiful Mission Inn. TJiis was replanted in its ])resent {position on May 8. 1903. by President Roosevelt. We saw the big golden fruit hanging from its boughs. 1 wish you could see Magnolia avenue, for ten miles stretch quadru])le rows of magnificent l)e])per trees, eucalyptus, grevellas, ])alms and the beautiful magnolias from which it takes its name, and such beautiful public buildings and homes. \Ve saw the Sherman Institute tor educating- the Indians. The Xew (ilenwood or Mission Inn had a peculiar charm for me. i'uilt after mission style with the massive beams, the iron chandeliers, which are mission bells adorned with massive chains, the doors locked with old fashioned iron latches, the guests called to meals with musical chimes of mission bells. The old spin- ning-wheel in the hallway recalls the picture of Ramona, while nearby lies the book. The images of patron saints niched here and there ])reserve the traditions of ancient days. We saw the cross on the summit of Rubidoux. erected April 26. 1907, to the memory of the grand old man Father Junipero vSerra, the ])ioneer mission builder of southern California. It stands on the spot where the cross was raised by Franciscian Fathers so many years ago, overlooking the vallev blessed by Father Serra. As we left this favored spot, passing through the greatest citrus fruit section of the world, the air redolent with orange blossoms, we felt tliat the cross was indeed an eternal benediction to those who dwell beneath its shadow. Sunday. March 29. — Papa went to Redlands again to see our friends as we were much worried about Mr. Kingsbury, Vi'hile I wrote letters to Our Dear Ones, then went to The Leighton, wh,ere we were invited to dinner with our Aunt Mary. We s]:)ent a very i:)leasant evening meeting many charming iieoi)le. We had enjoyed being with Aunt Mary so much. Monday, March 30. — We sjjent in saying good-bye to Los .\ngeles rightly christened for the Angels, for surely they are the guardians of its matcliless climate. It is the second city on the Pacific Coast, and the metropolis of southern California. It has had the most wonderful growth of any city in the world, having in 1880 a ])0])ulati(Mi of 11,000 and now a city of nearly 300.000 inhabitants. It is a city of fruit and flowers, of ])alms and pep])er trees, of century plants and tree geraniums, of roses climbing to the house to])s. of hedges of margueretes anrl of calla lilies, of mag- nificent public buildings, and vine covered homes — mansions, bungalows and cottages, surroimded with tropical plants in bloom from January to December. We had enjoyed our sojourn here so much and it was with much regret we started again Monday evening, on our trip by the Southern Pacific-El Camino Real, the old highway of the Mission Fathers, passing at night Camulos, ever dear to the lovers of literature as the home of " Ramona." Tuesday, March 31. — We found ourselves at Santa Bar- bara, one of the oldest in the chain of old Spanish towns. It has much of interest with its great ( )cean Boulevard, its artistic homes on slopes and terraces, with a background of ever blooming flowers ; and one of the oldest and best preserved of California's missions, founded in 1786. Prayers at its altars have been said unceasingly since it was established. Here we were shown around by I'rother Muygolino, the noted Cicerone, dressed in the ((uaint garb of the ancient order of Franciscians. We climbed the fifty-nine old stone steps where the two-story towers yet shelter the ancient chime of bells, where we could sec into the ■■ Sacred "' garden, into which no woman is allowed to enter, unless she be the wife of the President of the I'nited States, or a reigning Queen. Over lOO different kinds of flowers are cultivated here. We bought some beads made of seeds taken from this garden, called Job's Tears. We were taken into the small Campo Santo, entered from the church, where 4,000 Indians were buried in the Christian faith, also 2,000 white peoj^jle. We were so interested in all that now remains an emblem of the mighty jiast ; it is impossible not to feel the charm which these old structures add to the country. Twenty-one missions were founded by the Franciscian Fathers between 1769 and 1823. W'hile America, amid the smoke and roar of conflict was struggling for indejiendence (on the Atlantic Coast), tlie Franciscians were building these (juaint churches and training the Indian tribes in the arts f)f peace. Here you see faith in works. To the mission fathers honor: they wrought with high piu"- ])()sc' and well, s^uicled h}' as sublime a faith as ever led man from the fatherland out into the wilderness. We were delii^hted with 1 lotel 1 'otter, erected in 1902 at a cost of over $1,000,000. {'routing- on the Ocean IJoulevard, it stands in an immense flower garden, a mass of ])loom and more than an acre of beautiful calla lilies. We certainly echoed the kind wish of the pro])rietor that we mi^ht remain long'cr. W'e continued our journey at 1 i 140 a. m. on the Southern I'acific (alon^- El Camino Real) and spent a most delii>"htful day passin!2; throuj^h one of the richest and most varied section of California. The journey northward for nearly eighty miles, is along the cliffs of the Pacific, from fifty to 200 feet above the ocean. The road runs along the very edge of these clift's and the Pacific is unrolled as one great ])ictii,re. We were much interested in the wonderful oil fields and as])halt deposits, the olive groves and sugar beet factories, the walnut orchards and fields of mustard, like those described in " Ramona '" and in another Hook, where tlie birds mav rest in its branches. Near here is raised half the mustard used in the I'nited States. The Ijeautiful ])(^pj)}' transforms acre after acre into a field of the cloth of gold. After j^assing San Luis Obispo we climbed into the Santa Pucia range, passing over a remarkable inclined horse- shoe, which is very picturesque. We passed through Paso Robles, where are the far-famed thermal sj^rings, where Rear Admiral Evans is soon to come for treatment. Passing through a very fertile country of much interest, we reached Castroville, where we took a branch line, fifteen miles to Del Monte. 245 miles" journey from Santa Harbara. arriving at 9:00 I'. M.. where we enjoyed a most refreshing night's rest. Wednesday, April 1. — Was most enjoyable; Hotel Del Monte is beautiful; of Swiss (iothic architecture, with over 500 rooms, standing in the midst of a magnificent park of 139 acres of fiow^ers, trees and rare ])Iants, from all ])arts of the world. Xo description is adequate to give one any clear idea of its wonderful charms. The hotel and grounds are a part of a 7.000 acre reservation, on which the famotis seven- tcen-milc drive is located, helons^in^- to the I'acific fmprove- ment Company, which, through its large holdings, has turned the entire peninsula into a vast ])leasure park. Start- ing early with one of the very best livery teams and a most well-informed driver, over oiled roads, the counterpart of which cannot be found outside of California, we drove through these matchless grounds under evergreen oaks and huge ])ine trees, towering over lOO feet high, past the Arizona garden, with giant cacti, the Maze, with over a mile of hedged pathway, and so viuch of beauty, on through the (|uaint town of Monterey one mile distant ; along the shore two miles to Pacific Grove, passing the Presidio, one of the largest army posts in the country. Pacific Grove is most interesting, under the management of the P. I. C. The Stan- forrl University has a marine laboratory here, and here is the Chautauqua of the West. It is a charming health and educational resort. We had a magnificent view of ocean and bay from Point Pinos Light House, then back to Forest avenue, where we began the famous seventeen-mile drive, on which nature has cons]:)ired to produce forest and marine ])ictures such as no other country can ofl:"er. (_)ver a perfect roadbed, along high blufi^s, where waves dash high, we saw the troubled waters of Point Joe. The Seal Rocks, with their hundreds of diving inhabitants. Point Cypress, a weird, fan- tastic grove of " Cedars of Lebanon," the onlv one on the American continent, they have stood facing the storms of the Pacific for the past thousand years, along pebble beach on peaceful Carmel Pay and through a Chinese fishing vil- lage. Leaving the shore, we descend into a picturescjue can- yon, then rising to the highest i^oint of the drive, where we see Monterey and Del Monte, a ])an(M-ama of bay and shore, forest, town and hill. Monterey was California's first capi- tal. As we entered the city again from the south, winding- through its (|uaint crooked streets, we saw Colton Mall, where the first constitutional convention met in T849 and was California's first State cai:)itol. The old custom house was \ most inlcrcstiiii^', l)uilt in ])art l)y Spain in 1814. Mexico in [834 and the United States in 1846, whei-e the American ilai;" was first raised in C'ahl'ornia l)y order of John Drake Sloate. We saw many old linildinj^s and old adohe rnins. ancient landmarks of a vanished power. Monterey is one of the most pictnres(|ne of the historical cities of America. A hundred years hefore the Pilgrims landed at riymouth Rock, the shadows of a rude cross were reflected in the waters of Monterev I'.av. In 1770 on the same spot came h'ather junipero Serra. that strand old man who estah- lished all the famous missions of California, and here, on the heii^iits, just ahove the mouth of the little stream where the first mass was said, has heen erected a monument to his memory. It mav he seen for a long- distance, and is most >]:)icturesque ; it is a statue of Juni]:)ero Serra, clotherl in the vestments of his order, standini^' in a hoat, and is carved of .granite. ( )n the pedestal are engraved under the names and dates of the missions he founded, these words: 'A\s t'x' r.ord liveth, even what my i\n(\ saith that will I si)eak : 11 Chron., t8 chap., 13 verse." \lso: "This monument erected l)y Jane 1.. Stanford, in the year i8i;i, in memory of I'^ather Junipero Serra, a ])hilanthropist seeking- the wel- fare of tlie humhlest. a hero daring- and ready to sacrifice himself for the g-ood of his fellow heings. a faithful servant of his master." At the old Carniel mission, seven miles out, all that is niortal of this grand old man. lies in rei)ose, tmder the clnnxh altar, l)ut I was comforted with the thought that he ^till lives in th.e hear-ts of tourists from all i)arts of the world, as the\- see in these < ^Id missions, faith in works and are renewed in strength, as they journeyon in the King's highway. At 4:30 i>. m. we took the train for Santa Cruz at th.e northern cu<\ of Monterey l!ay arriving at C) 130 i'. m.. a distance of fortv-five nn'les where \\x' were made most comfortahle at the .St. ( leorge Motel. Thursday, April 2. — Was another dehghtful clay. We had stopped over specially to see the Big Trees, seven miles from here up the Santa Cruz mountains. One can take a branch of the S. P. Railway to the Big Tree Station, lOO yards from the entrance. This road was a direct route to San Jose over the Santa Cruz mountains, but the earth- quake of 1906 put it out of commission, destroying three tunnels. It will soon be in operation again and must be a very picturesque route. We preferred the drive and found it a most wonderful, experience. Climbing steadily up the San Lorenzo Canyon, amid the redwood, madrone, laurel and pine, we could look down a dizzy 1,000 feet on the San Lorenzo river far below. The road in many places is on a sheer ledge where a misstep would be fatal. We were thankful for a careful driver, his only recommendation. W> saw one of the largest powder works in the world and immense lime works and teams of eight oxen far up in the mountain hauling wood for their consuming. Arriving at Big Trees we walked over the Swinging Bridge across the San Lorenzo far below. This grove belongs to a private estate and covers twenty acres. You pay an entrance fee and walk in among these monarchs of the forest, — the largest, the Grant, is 300 feet high. Many of them are from sixty to ninety feet in circumference with heights from 200 to 300 feet. It is impossible to see these great trees without emotion. A feeling of awe creeps over you, you s])eak low, as in a holy place and you feel indeed that " the Groves were God's First Temples." We were shown General Grant and General Sherman, McKinlcy and Roosevelt. I thought what an honor ! For thousands of years nature has been patiently erecting these beautiful monuments. We went inside the hollow tree where General Fremont camped in 1846 and were told fifty soldiers had been inside at once. The win- dows and chimney Opening he cut, have nearly grown closed, showing the wonderful life of these trees. There are two varieties of these trees, both evergreen, found only in Cali- fornia. The Sequoia Sempervirens, or redwood, grows only high up on the ocean side of the Coast Range, and the Se(|U()ia (iij^antea. is found only on the western slojic of the Sierra Nevada only at a hij^h elevation. Their ai^e no man knoweth. 'i'he President of Leland Stanford I'niversity says tliat the larj^est trees ma}' be 7.000 years old. They were here when history bes^an. They may be here when man has passed into oblivion. They are indeed as Words- worth has written : "A living" thin,^". Prodneed too slowly ever to deeay. Of form and as])ect too mai^niiieent, to be destroyed." Descendint^" tliis dizzy drive again we found Santa Cruz a most pietures(|nely located city. ( )n one side the ocean breaks furiously ag'ainst the hi^h cliil's forminj;- beautiful wave pictures, while on the bay side is the favorite bathintj;' beach of northern California. Santa Cruz is a summer resort open from June to ( )ctober. This was our first experience in beini^' out of season. We saw the beautiful Sea lieach Hotel and the i^'rand new $100,000 Casino and Tent city. We were shown the grand ball rc^om already decorated for the ex]iected lleet. Although a summer resort Santa Cruz is a typical California city with Japanese oranges, lemons and palm shaded streets, with flowers ever l)looming " of endless summer with no last rose." At 4:30 p. M. we took the San l^^rancisco ex]:)ress running into the main line at Pajaro. and were on our way up the beautiful Santa Clara N'alley ])assing tb.rough the largest continuous orchard area in the world, of j)rnne. peach, cl;err\-. almond and pear, dazzling in their l)rilliancy of bloom. W'c were just in time for nature's annual blossom fe-^tival of s])ring. We will never forget that beautiful sight. We ],'assed th.e famous Morse seed farms where we saw many Chinese working". They say they make splendid gar- deners. Hundreds of tons of garden flower seed are shipped east and to Euro])e. At San Jose we would like to have visited Lick Observatory, on Moimt llann'lton, a drive of twenty-eight miles; and at Palo Alto, tlie Leland .Stanford, Ir. I'niversitv. the largest endowed university in the world. These were the onlv regrets in our itinerary. We arrived at San I'^rancisco at 1^:45 i*. m.. eighty miles from .Santa Cruz and 400 miles from Los Angeles, and were whirled throug-h its streets in a cab to the Grand, where we found our trunk and were made most comfortable. We slept soundly in our pleasant room in the new steel and tile hotel, one of the most centrally located and popular hotels of San Francisco, for we had read that Dr. Omori, professor of seismology of the Imperial University of Japan, said : " Earthquakes that remove a great unstability in the earth's crust never ha])pen successively at one and the same place." Friday, April 3. — After preparing for our homeward trip by donning warmer clothing and reading our dear letters from the east, we were taken under the kindly wing of Mr. Lincoln, the efficient Pullman representative at San Francisco. We were taken to The Fairmont, with its 500 rooms, its banquet, cafe and ball rooms, enclosed gar- dens and conservatories, one of the many palatial phoenix hotels of San Francisco, which has risen from its ashes. It crowns the highest elevation in San Francisco, and commands a magnificent panoramic sweep of the city. bay, the fortified islands and the distant snow-capped moun- tains. From here we looked down upon the finest and richest section of San Francisco that had been swept bare at the fire horror of April, 1906. Here you realize what real loss — real disaster — means standing beside the ash heaps of this great city. We saw remarkable escapes from that wall of fire. The X'ictory Monument in Union Square and the Stevenson Monument in Portsmouth S(|uare stands unscathed and south of Market street stands the ignited States Mint and the old Mission Dolores, now doulily ])recious, ])rotected as it must have been by the saints. It Vvas difficult to believe that the business section had been completely annihilated, for new buildings and better are going up on every side, l)ut amid it all you see the evidences of destruction and you cannot overcome a feeling of depression. Fastern conservatism advised tiu'ning tlie unstable jXMiin- siila int(i a park, but not so the victims of this colossal disaster. They had learned a truth, many centuries old ; tliat buildins^s founded on a rock will stand, and on these ])rincii)les her people are relniildins^-, and with wliat mai;"- nificent eneri^y and triumphant courat^e. The Cliff House, one of California's famous attractions, escaped, only to be consumed by fire last June. (lolden Gate I 'ark. where was pitched the refuL;e camps for the thousands of homeless and unfortunate ones who liad been stripped of every earthly possession, is a beautiful si)ot covering" more than a thousand acres with its myriad of flowers and trees, its Japanese tea oarden and new stadium, a wonder of all beholders. We bade good-bye to this wonderful phoenix city at 4^:20 p. M. , X'isiting' the sjKicious Pullman offices at the h'erry r'uildino;. which Mr. Lincoln exhibited with much pride. As we passed out of the water gate of the great city of San Francisco and stood on the deck of the com- modious steamer crossing its beautiful l)ay, we saw a multitude of vessels floating the flags of all nations, and the (iolden Gate, like an open door, to what our country wills. We bade good-bye to Mr. Lincoln at Oakland, the beautiful citv of homes, thanking him for a most ]:)leasant and interesting day and started, homeward bound, on the Southern Pacific. We retired after passing Sacramento. Saturday, April 4. — When we awoke we had passed Summit. 7.017 feet elevation, our highest ])oint of the Sierra Nevada, but its granite ])eaks rose all around us to an elevation of T 0,000 feet. We had passed through fort\" miles of snow sheds and were thankful that good management had caused us to pass them at night. We soon crossed the State Line and were in the great Nevada desert at an elevation all day of 5,000 feet, — the most uninteresting day of our tri]), and such dust: it seemed to penetrate to the innermost ])arts of everything, but we were unmindul. W'e were thinking of California; its wonderful ])ossiI)ilities, her area which would contain New York. Ohio, Xew Jersey and all of the Xew England States within its boundary lines, her more than i.ooo miles of ocean front, her dustless oiled rail and carriage roads, her matchless climate, her snow-capped mountains and vitalizing sunshine, her (larden of Eden valleys of fruit, and more than all else, her delightfully ideal homes and everywhere the warm fragrance of flowers, and we said in our hearts, it was good to have been here. Sunday, April 5. — When we awoke we had ]jassed over the (ireat Salt Desert and were on the Great Salt Lake, a new line known as the Og'den-Lucin " Cut off." This "Cut Off " is I02 miles in length, seventy-two miles on land and thirty miles on trestle work and fill-ins over the waters of Great Salt Lake, and is most interesting. We soon arrived at Ogden where our car was transferred to the Denver & Rio Grand R. R.. enroute to Salt Lake City, a distance of thirty-six miles directly south, arriving at 8:15 A. M. Utah's history beg"ins with the advent of Brig-ham Young in 1847. We had heard much of Mor- manism. Reed Smoot, etc.. but Salt Lake City was a reve- lation to us in many ways. It is the capital of L^tah and a beautiful city of 75.000 inhabitants, with an altitude of 4.200 feet above sea level, nestling at the very base of the Wasateh moimtains. which rear their snow-capped peaks 7,000 to 8,000 feet above, with streets 132 feet wide, along- each side of which is a clear cold stream of water from the mountain canyons, with beautiful shade trees of locust, box, elder, catalpa and fruit orchards and gardens, giving the city an appearance of comfort and repose on this ])eaceful Sabbath day. We were naturally interested in the part that all tourists are and were directed to Temple IJlock — here are situated the great ecclesiastical buildings of the Mormon Church — in the center of the city. It is forty rods s(|uare and surrounded by a high adobe wall, containing- ten acres laid out artistically and ornamented with beautiful shrubs and flowers. Tt contains the Tenij^le, Tabernacle, .Vssemblv Hall and I'm-can of InfcM-mation. 1 lore we were received most courteously and informed that it was the time of General Conference (held twice a year), and services would be held at lo A. M. to which all would be welcome. We had time to visit the Temple, a wonderful building' of white granite, forty years in l)uil(lini^, at a cost of $10,000,000. It is closed to the general public, only the b'aithful are allowed to enter for sacred ^atherini^s. On the s(|uare near Temple lUock is an im])osin_si" monu- ment of Urit^ham Youn^-. Ou the adjoining- block is Lion House and l'>ee-l five House and Amelia Palace, the home of I)rii»ham Younj^'s favorite wife. Near is Eai^le Gate, the entrance to what was formerly the private grounds of the late president, P>righam Youn.^-. and the home of his twenty-six wives and fifty-six children. One block north of Eagle (iate. on First street, is his tomb, surrounded by an iron grating, he rests alone, as the city for sanitary reasons, oblige the family to be buried in the cemetery. He died in 1877. Since then the government and public opinion has eliminated the objectionable part of their peculiar faith. We attended services in the Tabernacle, a most wonderful building, oblong in shape, T50 by 250 feet and eighty feet high. The roof is one unbroken arch, without any centre sup])ort — sustained on forty-six columns of sandstone. It has twenty doors, most of which open out and are nine feet wide. It has a seating capacity of 13,000, and was crowded with worshippers and many outside unable to enter. We were most fortunate in securing the best of seats. The services were most im])ressive. During the invoca- tion by the President Joseph F. Smith, we thought how unusual to have some one repeat so in unison every word of his prayer : but was told it was the effect of the build- ing's wonderful acoustic pro])erties, which are so perfect a whisper can be heard 200 feet. It was indeed a privilege to hear the organ, the second largest, and has been con- ceded by visiting musicians to be the finest in the world. It has 5,000 ])ii)es and four key boards, in addition to the ])e(lals. It is blown bv a ten-horse power electric motor. The choir lias 550 enrolled sint^ers and is divided into ei, a heautitiil contrast, rise above the track, formin;:^- a narrow gateway, throui^ii which the Price River and the raih'oad. liave barely room to i^ass. Monday. April 6. — We arose at 5:00 a. m.. just ])eforc reaching" (denwood Springs, elevation 5.758 feet, beginning" the day on the Scenic Line of the World. Here we saw the lieautiful Hotel Colorado, at this health and ])leasnre resort, famous for its marvelous hot springs. This is the ])oint from which President Roosevelt makes his vacation tri])s into tlie big game country. Just after leaving here we ])ass through a tunnel T.331 feet in length and enter the wonder- ful canyon of the Grand River. It is indeed one of Crea- tion's miracles. For sixteen miles we pass aiuong and through these massive bulwarks of this gigantic range, of the most brilliant coloring, and rising in many places to an almost perpendicidar heighth of 2,500 feet. The color- ings of these vast bastions of granite are not overdrawn. It was like a kaleidoscope in its ever changing forms and colors, as we were whirled up the canyon with our two enormous engines in front, and one in the rear, with barely room in some places for the railroad and river. We had seen this turbulent stream, after it had mingled its waters with the green, far down in the (irand Canyon of Arizona. .Vbout two hours' ride farther up the niountain we enter another of the great passes of the Rocky Mountains, the Eagle River Canyon. Here are not only the miraculous works of nature, but the wonders of human handiwork. On the sides and summits of this canyon. 2.000 feet above the track, resembling eyries of eagles, are the shaft houses and dwellings of gold miners. The tramways and endless steel ropes by which the precious metal was conveyed to the track, 2.000 feet below, was most interesting. A little further on we enter Red Cliff Canyon, a very interesting" gorge, when we soon see the famed Mount of the Floly Cross, rising to an elevation of 14.176 feet, bearing on its bosom the snow white banner of the Christian faith, formed liy transverse canyons of immense (le])th. filled with t'ternal snow. A few miles further up we reach the Tennessee Pass, on the Great Continental Divide, passing through this great granite mountain in one of the highest tunnels in North America, nearly one mile in length, at an elevation of 10.240 feet. I'Vom here we see Fremont Pass, the highest railroad ])ass in the world, at an elevation of 11,540 feet, named for General Fremont on his memorable trip across the Rockies in 1842. We soon see Leadville, with its famous gold and silver mines, the highest city in the world. 10,200 feet elevation. Passing Salida. v\diere this scenic road's lines radiate in all directions we enter the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas, through which the river makes its way to the plains. Words cannot depict the grandeur of this eight-mile ride. About midwav in the canyon is the world-famed Royal (iorge: here the walls of the canyon rise to a perpendicular height of over half a mile, and is not wide enough for the railroad and river. A long bridge has been constructed suspended in mid-air over the seething cauldron of the rushing Arkansas River, forming one of the most wonderful pieces of scenery on tliis great trans- continental route. We soon reach Pueblo — called the Pitts-, burg of the West, on account of its great manufacturing- industries. After an hour's ride northward we arrived at Colorado Springs at 4:20 r. m. It had been indeed, as has been said, a day that bankru])ts the Fnglish language, a day never to lie forgotten. We went to the Alamo and found it all it had been represented. Our hearts were made glad with letters from (^ur Dear Ones, and after attending to our daily pleasure of " sending postals." we were glad to rest after our strenuous day of sightseeing. Tuesday, April 7. — Was wonderfully bright and clear. We started early with fine horses and open carriage and a well informed guide. Colorado Springs is a health resort and a beautiful city of 35,000 inhabitants and an elevation of 6.000 feet. Wg found broad avenues, shady streets and splendid buildings. We i)articularly noticed the man\' beautiful and costlv churches and were told this is a temperance town. Such beautiful private residences. We were told the t^reater proportion of the wealth of the Cripple Creek gold field is centered here. We saw the beautiful home of Mrs. Hayes, daughter of Jefferson Davis I if Civil War fame. We saw with much interest the home of banker W. S. Jackson, and in the cemetery just outside the city the grave of his wife Helen Hunt, the author of Ramona. She died sixteen years ago and already " Time's unpitying fingers " are beginning to obliterate the memory of one who wrote so graphically of Indian wrongs and spoliations. It is the inevitable law ; as well might the sand dune struggle against the sea, as we, with the insistent blur and effacement of the implacable years. We drove five miles on the mesa road to the beautiful home of General P^almer at Glen Eyrie, situated in a great confusion of enormous pillars of exquisitely tinted pink sandstone erected and carved by nature into myriads of fantastic shapes, forming with its thickly growing native shrubbery a most unique park. We saw an eagle's nest perched high up on one of these brilliant hued moneliths. We were much interested to hear that General Palmer entertained last June 250 war veterans from his native State, Penn- sylvania, paying all their expenses there and back and giving them a good time and each a gold brick of $100 value to take home. We visited the famous (iarden of the (iods. The i)ortals of this famed gateway are 330 feet high, two enormous masses of deep red sandstone. I wish I could describe the wealth of gorgeous color or the noble view which this gateway frames. Its wondrous feats of architecture and strange freaks of sculpture. The mind is kept busy as you drive among them and the figures of birds and animals, men and women, cathedral si)ires. Statue of Liberty, Kissing Camels and many quaint and grotesque suggestions of living forms are pointed out, and all in the most exquisite coloring of red, pink, cream and pure white. The charm of this matchless scene is due partly, to the wonderful contrasts of color, but you have a strange wierd feeling as of something su])ernatural. as though tliis might he the sacred shrine of long liuried gods. We saw the I'alanced Rock said to weigh 500 tons. Near here is a heautifnl curio store through which we passed and up steps cut into the gorgeous colored sand- stone ship, and saw the summit of Pike's Peak through a telescope almost as though we stood thereon. We visited Maniton, the Saratoga of the West, a summer resort noted for its mineral springs and many heautifnl hotels. We partook of its waters and visited some of the curio stores. Maniton is a heautifnl city, although out of season, as was the wonderful cog road up Pike's Peak. We saw its station. This road, reaching an elevation of 14.147 feet, is a marvel of engineering skill, as are many of the railroads in these renowned mountains of the Rock- ies. We were told there were similar roads in foreign countries, hut the greatest stops short hy 700 feet of altitude. The history of Pike's Peak dates from 1806 when Major Pike with a party of L^nited States soldiers, saw for the first its whitened crest. On our way hack to the hotel we passed through Colorado City, once the capital of Colorado when a territory. The old courthouse which was used as the capitol huilding still remains as an ancient landmark. We heard much ahout gold mining and saw three immense smelting plants where 1,350 tons of gold ore hrought from Cri])ple Creek, are treated and the gold extracted each day. We returned to the hotel more than ])leased with our four hours' drive over most excellent roads. We left Colorado .Springs at 4:25 i'. m. and arrived at Denver at ^>:55 p. m.. a trip directly north of seventy-five miles. ( )n our way we experienced the first unpleasant weather since leaving Chicago. Wc had for- gotten that it could rain. On arriving at Denver our hearts were cheered, on coming out of the Cnion Station, hy an enormous arch, six stories high, hlazing with myriad electric lights, the word " Welcome." We were made most com- fortahle at the heautifnl Motel .\lhanv. Wednesday. April 8. — Was a beautiful day. as Denver had redeemed her reputation of hein^- the " City of Sun- sliine." It is also known as the " Queen City of the Plains," and ■' Denver the Ileautiful." VVc thout^ht it was all this and more. It is the eapital of the State of Colorado, with a population of 195,000 and an elevation of one mile. Den- ver is beautifully situated on the banks of the historic Platte, within the shadow of the majestic Pike's Peak Ranye and that historic beacon sumnn't which guided the earl\- explorers across the (ireat IMains. l'"rom nearly every part of the city you have a magnificent view of more than 200 miles of these majestic snow-clad peaks. It is the !j;'eo!^ra])hical, commercial, i)olitical, social and railroad centre, not only of Colorado, but of the entire Rocky Afountain re^gion. Sixteen railroads centre here in a line Cnion Station and radiate to all parts of the Cnited States. We spent two Ikmu's of genuine pleasure on a seeing Denver car with a most entertaining guide. 1 lere adjectives had ceased to be of xalue. nearl\- evervthing being described as being the first or best " on the face of the globe." and Denxer is indeed, worth the attention and admiration of all who behold it. We saw the magnificent State capilol occupying three entire blocks and having cost neai"]\' $3,000,000. We were annised at hearing of an eastern landscape gardener whose only inipro\enient was covering the beautiful grounds with dandelions that took three men some long time to eradicate. We thought of our beautiful ca|)itol ])ark. in the s])ring with its lawn of gold, but did not protest. Their beautiful and costly school buildings and free |)ublic librarv of 100,000 volumes, were pointed out with much pride and their costlv clul) I>tiildings — a woman's club with over 1.000 members. We saw the Auditorium now under construction, which will ha\e a seating cai)acit\ of 20,000. where the Democratic convention is to be held in July, 1 90S. We were told that the city can care for 100,000 visitors in their forty-nine hotels, many of them palatial in size and appointments. W'e drank- its pure \\ater taken from artesian wells 380 to I.i6f) feet beneath the city. We saw tlieir beautiful |)arks of 2.000 acres, and boulevards, and in the residence districts, beautiful shade trees with a wide strij) of lawn on each side of the centre of the street. We visited the shopping- district where they challenge even Alarshel Field in size and com- pleteness. We were charmed with the beautiful homes of both the rich and poor, and, were told that the laboring class nearly all own their own homes ; one of the most obvious sig-ns of the perfect and ideal conditions which are found in Colorado's capital. I paid my respects to Mrs. Sarah Piatt Decker, the charming president of the ( General Fed- eration of Women's Clubs, at her beautiful home in the aristocratic precincts of Capitol Hill, and was most cordially received. She told me the messag^e she will take to the General Convention in June, at I'oston. that she had visited forty-four State Conventions of Woman's Clubs and had never seen any discord, any ill feeling, any gossip. All had been harmony and good will. A wonderful messag'e. We said good-bye to the Albany with much regret, glad that we had not " missed " Famous Bohemia, and started again homeward at 9:50 p. m. on the Cnion Tacific. We had seen " Denver the Beautiful " and the " City of Sunshine." but why the "Queen City of the Plains?" and I remembered that here women too are citizens The mothers, wives and daughters have the right to express their convictions in the only effectual manner, at the polls. The Mayor of Denver says: "Woman suffrage has been an im|)ortant factor for morality and better government in this State." and Professor Kelley of Colorado, says : " ( )ur women voters are mainly interested in (|uestions aft'ecting education, i)ul)lic cleanlines. i)ublic morality, civic beauty, charities and correction, i)ublic health, jjublic libraries and such subiects as more intimately affect home life, and conduce to the i)rosi)erity of the family," and J'udge Ben 1"). Lindsev, of the Denver juvenile CoiU't, says: "Woman suffrage in Colorado, for over ten years has more than demonstrated its justice. Many good laws have been obtained in Colorado which would not have been secured but for the jiower and inlhience of women." Thursday. April 9.— We bci^an the day at North I'latte. Xebraska. the silver-toii^ned orator's State and spent a most enjoyable day, on the trail of the old emigrant wag'on road, across the (ireat Plains. We thoui^ht as we were whirled alon^- in onr palatial Pnllman, of the It^ni^" trains of o-old seekers wendini;- their way over the plains, when the country was filled with hostile Indians and herds of buffalo. We were in si^ht of the historic Platte river most of the day. and were much interested in the lar^e cattle ranches and stock yards, and tlie splendid ar^icultural country, wf-il developed and very ])roductive. arrivim;- at Omaha, th.e metropoHs of Xebraska. and po])ulation of 135,000, about 6 p. Ai. It has a l)eautiful l^nion Station and the larg;'est s'old reduction jilants in the world. We crossed the mi.qhty Missouri over a mat^niticent steel bridge of eleven spans, seventy-five feet above the water, to Council Bluffs on the opposite shore, the terminus of the I'nion Pacific Raih'oad. our train runnini;' on to the " Chicai^o and Xorth Western " and that ni^lit were whirled aloni;- at a most wouderful rate across hiwa and the ( Ireat I'^ather of Waters and Illinois. Friday. April 10. — We arrived at Chicago on time, 8:30 A. M.. where we found thoughtful messenj^ers from ( )ur Dear Ones as we had at every sto])-over on our trip. We were soon on our homeward way a^ain at 10:30 a. m. on the Lake Shore, on one of the luxurious trains of the Xew \'ork Central lines, and we felt at home once more. The remainder of our journey was most pleasant but uneventful. Saturday, April 11. — As we saw agaia the peaceful Mdhawk flowing gently through its beautiful placid valley, it seemed to speak to us kind words of welcome, and we were home ag'ain at 9:20 a. m. with "Our Dear Ones" to greet us ; and all was well. We had covered nearly 8.000 miles and had made good our " Itinerary '" each day, as we had planned from the beginning" and as a string" of pearls, we count them over, every one apart. All Perfect Days. Returning thanks for a " pleasant journey and safe return," knowing this '' Except the Lord keep the city, the watch- man waketh but in vain." rress of Kafirehi, All'avy, N. Y. L^^fii LIBRARY OF CONGRESS I iHiii iiiii Hii iiui mil mil Hill mil iiiii imi iiiti iiii mi