XIV. 



iJrom ho& eKngefex?) to i)an iJraneixiico. 





Ij^HE southern half of California was then but sparsely 

 populated; what few large settlements there were 

 being near the coast and from fifty to one hundred 

 miles apart. Among these Los Angeles ranked the largest, 

 and still stands highest in importance, both on account of its 

 size and age. One of the first colonies planted by the 

 Mexicans in California was located here, the site being chosen 

 on account of the climate and fertile soil. It grew fast and 

 became the capital of Upper California. It is built on the 

 shores of the Los Angeles Eiver, near the foot of a range of 

 mountains which extend in rugged outlines to the Pacific, 

 which at the port of San Pedro is thirty miles distant. The 

 architecture of the city is varied, ranging from one-story adobe 

 houses to large brick stores built by the invading Yankee. 

 At that time the place was distinctly Mexican, the American 

 and his style of building being exceptional. The streets 

 presented a strange appearance in the old part of the town. 

 The houses were of sun-dried bricks, and the common ones 

 roofed with reeds and grass, over which was poured a coating 

 of bitumen, from springs of that material near by. In hot 

 weather this melted, and running down the walls gave them a 

 variegated look. Some of the houses extended in large one- 

 story ranges, at intervals pierced by gateways opening to 



(197) 



