THE SAN GABEIEL VALLEY ^ 



The sun valley of San Gabriel is one of the 

 brightest spots to be found in all our bright 

 land, and most of its brightness is wildness — ■ 

 wild south sunshine in a basin rimmed about 

 with mountains and hills. Cultivation is not 

 wholly wanting, for here are the choicest of all 

 the Los Angeles orange groves, but its glorious 

 abundance of ripe sun and soil is only beginning 

 to be coined into fruit. The drowsy bits of 

 cultivation accomplished by the old mission- 

 aries and the more recent efforts of restless 

 Americans are scarce as yet visible, and when 

 comprehended in general views form nothing 

 more than mere freckles on the smooth brown 

 bosom of the Valley. 



I entered the sunny south half a month ago, 

 coming down along the cool sea, and landing 

 at Santa Monica. An hour's ride over stretches 

 of bare, brown plain, and through cornfields 

 and orange groves, brought me to the hand- 

 some, conceited httle town of Los Angeles, 

 where one finds Spanish adobes and Yankee 

 shingles meeting and overlapping in very curi- 



» Letter dated "September 1, 1877." [Editor.] 

 136 



