USA > California > San Luis Obispo County > A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future; with full-page steel portraits of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 23
USA > California > Santa Barbara County > A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future; with full-page steel portraits of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 23
USA > California > Ventura County > A memorial and biographical history of the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, California Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future; with full-page steel portraits of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also of prominent citizens of to-day > Part 23
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Hasbronck's .Rancho is located twenty-two miles from San Luis, on the main southern road to Steele's. The Santa Manuela grant of 16,955 acres crosses and occupies a wide extent of this valley. Between it and the Arroyo grant was a strip of a mile or more of Government land, now owned and occu- pied by well-to-do settlers. The Arroyo Grande grant, of about 4,500 acres of the Ranchita, embraces different branches of he stream for abont four miles, about 1,500 acres being arable. This was leased by the Steele Brothers to Mr. Hasbronck, who oc- cupied it for a number of years, brought a large area under cultivation, and finally, in 1883, purchased the land at the stated price of $27,000. In 1880, Mr. Hasbrouck had bought of A. C. McCleod, the Musick heirs and others, a large tract of excellent pastnrage similar to the Ranchita, where he has made his home. Here is the postoffice named Mu- sick. The dairy here is a mo lel institution, the building appointments being admirably adapted to their purpose. The dairy is mainly devoted to cheese-making, and sev- eral hundred cows are kept, each yielding an estimated product of $55.00 per annum. The
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grounds of Mr. Hasbrouck's rancho are splendidly kept, and are a noted show-place in this district. Two miles south of Musick rises Mt. Hasbronck, a cone-like bald moun- tain which is one of the highest peaks of the Santa Lucia range.
THE SOUTHERN BORDER.
The Santa Maria River, which in its upper part bears the name of Cuyama, forms the southern boundary of the eonnty, sepa- rating it from Santa Barbara. The Cuyama Valley is an extensive region, stretching like a division between two systems of geological formations from the Mojave Desert on the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west. The greater portion of the region is unoccupied or devoted to grazing, and its resources unknown and nndeveloped. It opens a feasible rail- road route from the high interior to the coast, and when such a road is constructed an un- doubtedly valuable section will be opened. A few streams run from the Santa Lucia to the Cuyama, as the Alamo, Huasna, Suey and others, and ou these are valuable ranches, the Huasna grant of five leagues and the Suey of the same, being of these, and with the Santa Margarita and the speeulative purchases the principal ones of the county not subdivided. North and east of these grants the land was all public, there being mueh yet remaining unsurveyed and unoccupied, yet very suitable for enlture and grazing. Upon the Suey, the property of Messrs. Newhall, of San Fran- eisco, large quantities of wheat are produced, and oranges, lemons and grapes are grown snecessfully.
THE SALINAS VALLEY.
Opposite the head of the Alamo, in the Santa Lucia range, is the source of the Salinas, which runs northwesterly through San Luis
Obispo and Monterey counties to the Bay of Monterey. This colleets the waters of the greater portion of the eastern section of the county. A large number of streams empty into the Salinas, making it a mighty torrent in seasons of heavy rains.
The region of the Salinas, or that east of the Santa Lucia range. comprises about 1,100,000 acres, of which fully two-thirds is vacant, held for speculation or occupied for nothing more than grazing purposes. It ap- pears almost incredible that such a vast area should, at this date, lie an unoccupied waste if it is susceptible of profitable cultivation. But such things have been in other parts of California, and the condition still exists in the southeastern part of San Luis Obispo County. Until within the last two or three years the same condition obtained in the northeastern part of the conuty, but this has been partly changed by the incoming of a large number of settlers on public lands, and the sub- division and sale of the great ranchos of Huer- Hnero, Eureka, Santa Ysabel and Paso Robles, influenced by the construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad in that quarter.
The writer has traversed a greater portion of this region, and noticed the uniform good character of the soil, the abundant herbage, the many large trees and density of chapparal, or the broad plains ready for the plow, and wondered at its laek of occupaney.
The chief reason, however, why it is not thickly settled is, undoubtedly, because of its distance from railroad communication. This lack will probably be supplied in the near future.
The principal valleys of this region are the San José, Santa Margarita and Salinas along the latter river; the Carriso, La Panza and San Juan along the last named stream, the Es- trella on the Estrella River, the Hner-Huero, Cholame, Pala Prieta and other smaller val-
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leys in the north, and the great plains of the Estrella and Elkhorn in the southeast.
Across the Santa Lucia to the eastward is the Carriso Plain, already described, in whose sontheastern part is one of the most interest- ing objects in California. This is the anti- quarian monument known as
THE PAINTED ROCK.
Conical in shape, it rises abruptly from the plain to a height of abont 140 feet, on one of whose sides is an opening twenty feet wide; extending to 120 feet on the inner side, where it expands to a length of 225 feet, forming a grand natural room or hall, open to the sky,-a veritable majestic temple of the wilderness.
It is evident that this great chamber was used by some pre-historic people for purposes of worship or of council, as is evinced by the strange paintings upon the inner face of the walls. These paintings are done in pigments of three colors, red, white and black, still dis- tinct after exposure to the weather through untold ages. The strange characters and figures there depicted with evident careful design somewhat remotely resemble the hieroglyphics of Egypt or the picture writings of Yucatan and other portions of Mexico, being homogeneous with the other aborig- inal paintings found in varions portions of Sonthern California. In other parts of this county, as in that of Santa Barbara, are found other "painted rocks," of similar origin, but none so grand or so interesting as this great natural temple of the Carriso Plain.
This plain is separated from the Tulare Valley by the Monte Diablo range of moun- tains, and from the San Juan Valley by a low ridge. The small valleys and rounded hills here are clothed in wild oats, alfilaria, and bunch-grass. This valley has been much settled up of late years.
THE MONTE DIABLO
range of mountains runs along the eastern boundary of the county, separating it fromn Kern County and the Tulare Valley. A range of uplifted sandstone divides the San Juan Valley from the Carriso Plain, and between the San Juan and the Salinas is the La Panza range, quite prominent mountains, with gold placers in many of its gulches, which are mined with fair remuneration. The greater portion of the country is of rolling hills, with scattering oaks, giving it a very pleasant and park-like appearance. The beauty and resources of this section cannot be fully described in the limits of this article.
Throughout the region, wherever tried, fruit in many varieties and of the finest quality is grown. At the recent connty fair held in the city of San Luis Obispo, peaches, apples, pears and grapes of superb appearance and quality, were on exhibition from the vicinity of Poza on the upper Salinas. This is an elevated region, and the production is an evidence that the very best of the most deli- cate and valuable fruits can be grown through every limit and extreme of the county.
CREEKS.
Southeastward from the old Mission of San Miguel, the valley of the Estrella Creek stretches toward the mountains dividing San Luis from Kern County. This large tract until very recently was unoccupied and useless, save as grazing ground for a few cattle and sheep. Up to the '70's it was regarded as a portion of some Mexican grant; then the dis- covery was made that this was Government land, open to settlement, and, while bare in appearance, of great fertility of soil, and well adapted to agriculture. Thus a rapid immi- gration set in, settlements were made, school- houses built, and a vast change effected. Good crops were had in 1876 and 1878, and
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by 1880 at least forty families had settled upon this wide and fertile tract. In 1887 the total acreage in wheat and barley, from Santa Margarita on the south to San Miguel on the north, and from Paso de Robles to Sheid's, was 8,625 acres, of which thirteen-sixteenths was wheat. The land here is a rich, sandy loam, sparsely covered with nutritious grasses, and with live-oak and white-oak trees scat- tered at intervals. Water is had at an aver- age depth of thirty feet.
Las Tablas Creek rises in the hills near the Hot Springs and flows northwesterly into the Nacimiento. The fertile tract along its val- ley supports a quite considerable population, chiefly engaged in grazing and farming. This region is somewhat elevated, its soil mostly a black adobe, very fruitful, and its grazing facilities excellent. Mining, too, has helped the various settlements in this dis- trict, as several important quicksilver mines have been located and worked hereabouts. Adelaide is the postoffice for this region, and the postal facilities are well maintained. In schools and churches, also, Las Tablas has taken an advanced position.
RANCHOS.
Between the Salinas and the Estrella are the ranchos Santa Y'sabel, Huer-Huero, and Eureka, aggregating about 70.000 acres.
The Santa Ysabel consists of 20,200 acres, adjoining the Rancho Paso de Robles at the northeast. For ten miles the Southern Paci- fic Railway runs along and within one-fourth mile of its boundary. It is covered with white and live-oak timber, although less thickly. than the Paso de Robles. There are, sub- stantially, 16,000 acres of plow land, the rest fruit and grazing land. The soil is rich and deep, and will produce wheat of the finest, barley, oats, corn, all fruits and vines, and olives. Wine and raisin-making will,
no doubt, be important industries of this sec- tion. On this rancho are twenty miles of run- ning water, besides numerous living springs- Well water is had at ten to forty feet deep.
The Huer-Huero adjoins the Santa Ysabel and the Enreka ou the east. It comprises 8,000 acres of valley, 23,000 acres of level and rolling farming lands, and 15,000 acres of hill grazing lands. In two years, 34,000 acres were sold to settlers, mostly of wealth and position, and the region is thickly settled. Wheat, olives, fruit and vines have been planted. About 12,000 acres of this rancho are still unsold.
The Eureka Rancho adjoins Santa Ysabel on the south, and Paso de Robles on the east, comprising about 11,000 acres, of which some 9,500 acres are plow land, and 1,500 grazing. This rancho has a rich, deep soil, and is well watered, and wooded with white and live oak.
These three ranchos last-named were pur- chased two or three years since by the West Coast Land Company, and have been sub- divided and put upon the market by this company, which already has founded the promising town of Templeton, and settled up a great deal of country hitherto unoccupied.
In the extreme northeastern part of the county is the great Cholame Rancho, com- prising 26,622 acres, long the property of Messrs. R. E. Jack and Frederick Adams, who have used it mainly as a sheep range. It is similar in its features to the region just described, and is a valuable property. It ex- tends over the boundary line into Monterey County.
As an evidence of progress, the develop- ment of the Huer-Huero may be cited. This tract of land, comprising about 48,000 acres, was regarded as an exhausted sheep range, and less than four years ago was sold at $3 an acre. Mr. J. V. Webster, an experienced
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horticulturist of Alameda County, purchased a large area and soon commenced its cultiva- tion. At the county fair, in the middle of October, 1888, he exhibited from the land grapes of the most choice varieties in large bunches. Also fig and peach trees of six feet growth in the last six months; samples of amber sugar cane, yielding at the rate of 144,000 pounds per acre, and sorghum at the rate of 175,000 pounds per acre. He also exhibited hops of exceedingly thrifty and rich growth, flax of good quality, melons, squashes and a great variety of products grown without irrigation, but with good cultivation.
This detail could be carried on to a tedious extent, and is only introduced to illustrate what can be done on lands called a desert, simply because it was the stupid custom to follow the expression of some very stupid man.
In this region is the little village of Cres- ton with two stores, hotel, school, postoffice, shops, saloons, and residences, with many thrifty farms in the vicinity, all where four years since existed only a wilderness.
RESOURCES.
AGRICULTURE.
San Luis Obispo County with over 2,000,- 000 acres of land, offers to the farmer un- equaled inducements to pursue his calling within its domains, as at least three-fourths of that number of acres is adapted to general farming, and is particularly suited for the raising of grain; as in other places there are certain portions of the county especially desirable for grain; in the northern portion, and east of the Santa Lucia range, fully 200,000 to 300,000 acres of land will bring to the cultivator thereof a rich return, the soil being rich and deep, and though in parts mountainous, is mainly composed of good
rolling and valley lands, embraced within the districts known as the San José Valley, the Cholame, and the Ranchos Eureka and Santa Ysabel, Paso Robles, Hner-Huero and Santa Margarita and Salinas Townshps.
The country surrounding the city of San Luis Obispo, north and south, in the Osos Valley, is also a rich, grain-producing region, comprising many thousand acres. The aver- age yield of wheat is forty-five bushels to the acre and of oats 150 bushels to the acre.
Around Arroyo Grande and Nipomo, is found, probably, as rich land as lies in any other portion of the county, and possibly the best soil is in these portions. That at Arroyo Grande is particularly fine for beans, a very remunerative and easily handled product, and an industry constantly increasing, the yield being in 1886 nearly 105,000 bushels, and in 1887 in advance of any yield heretofore had; the average yield of beans being forty bushels to the acre.
The county possesses one advantage over other southern counties which an eastern man will appreciate; we refer to the immense water facilities, and moreover the fact that irrigation is never needed; from north to south on an average of every six or seven miles, perennial streams flow to the ocean. With the advent of the railroad easy and ac- cessible shipping points are had; the towns of San Miguel, Paso Robles and Templeton on the Southern Pacific Railroad are the centers for large agricultural districts, and their shipping points for San Francisco.
San Luis Obispo receives from the sur- rounding country, shipments by the Pacific Coast Railway, which also brings the products of Nipomo and Arroyo Grande and the south- ern portion of the county to Port Harford, where the Pacific Coast Steamship Company receives for both north and south. A grow- ing industry is the raising of alfalfa, which
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requires a moist, rieh soil. Alfalfa is being raised all over the county; it requires to be cut five times during the year, averaging two tons to the acre at each cutting. All grasses for feed and general use are raised in abund- ance; timothy, elover, etc., are found in many portions of the county and grow as luxuri- antly as in any portion of the East.
Potatoes yield abundantly, averaging over 200 bushels to the acre, equal to the finest grown in Utah, varying in price from 80 eents to $2 per 100 pounds, according to the season. They are of large size, white, mealy and delicious.
All kinds of garden vegetables, such as beets, peas, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, tur- nips, onions, etc., are successfully and pro- fitably cultivated, the crop is enormous, the quality good, and the market for all that is not needed at home is sure and at paying prices.
Nearly every farmer has his garden well stocked with all kinds of vegetables.
Cabbages are raised weighing ninety pounds per head; and sweet eorn, sorghum, lettuee, melons, radishes, egg plant, etc., are notice- ably thrifty and superior. The market is a consideration not to be overlooked by intend- ing settlers, since abundant crops would be of little value if no market at remunerative rates was to be had close at home, or within easy reach by rail.
HORTICULTURE AND VITICULTURE.
While San Luis Obispo County has a wide reputation for its dairying interests, its large · cattle interests, and capabilities as a grain county, it stands second to none in adapta- bility for fruit-raising. A fruit-raiser is not confined to any one particular kind of fruit, but if that is his ambition, may raise nearly every known species, peculiar to either north- ern or southern California, the soil, climate
and topography of the county combining advantages which few counties or other coun- tries possess. The finest qualities of apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, prunes, olives, figs and oranges, and all kinds of nuts,-in fact all fruits, as well as berries of all varieties, grow in abundance with but ordinary care.
East of the Santa Lucia Range, a large section of the country is specially suited to fruit culture; notably around Creston, Tem- pleton, Paso Robles and in fact all of the Salinas basin and the San José Valley.
In the valley around the city of San Luis Obispo, the fruit-raiser reaps a riel reward for his labors, especially with unts, oranges, lemons, figs and olives, the latter being a very remunerative fruit and growing luxuri- antly. The southern portion of the county is well adapted to all fruits; especially must the valley of the Arroyo Grande be named, and it would be hard to say that one portion of the county is better than another for gen- eral fruit-raising.
There is a large market for the fruit- grower, both at home and abroad, and now that the railroad traverses the county the Eastern market opens its doors for the recep- tion of our fruits.
With a full-grown, bearing orehard, the profits are sure and large, fruit always being in demand, and. the finer the quality, the greater the return.
Within three years after setting out the orehard, the grower will commence to reap his reward, increasing of course as the years roll around. With olives, walnuts and oranges, it takes somewhat longer, it being about seven years before the walnut is in full bear- ing, about six for the orange, and from five to seven years for the olive.
There is one never failing, ever inereasing market for the raiser of fruit; namely, the
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canning industries growing continually on this coast, which are making the raising of fruit a very profitable industry.
At no far distant day this county will assuredly take a high rank as a grape and wine producing section of the State; a large area of the hill land of the county is peculiar- ly adapted for the grape, favored with soil and climate for every species of this luscious fruit. Heretofore the mission grape has been more largely cultivated than any other and the success attained with that variety has induced local viticulturists to try the other, favorite species and with marked success; Black Prince, Flame Tokay, Muscat, Black Hamburg, Black Morocco, Zinfandel, Riesl- ing and Frontignan flourishing wherever planted. The raisin and wine industries are rapidly increasing, and, the profits being large, they are bound to increase still more, as there is much room for settlers who wish to engage in this pleasant and profitable business. The principal home market for wines is of course San Francisco, where there is a heavy demand by the large houses which supply the East with California wines, so rapidly growing in favor.
To show what success San Luis Obispo County vineyards have attained we quote the following from an article on the subject pre- pared by Mr. P. II. Dallidet, Jr., entitled "Specific Instances: "
" From the information acquired through that and other sources in the last twenty years in the county, I am of the opinion that the wealth of San Luis Obispo County can and will be greatly increased by the planting of vineyards, because of the certainty and abund- ance of their returns. I will endeavor to give facts in a few cases of people living at con- siderable distances from each other in the county, and any one desiring the full parti- enlars can write to them for further informa-
tion, and I have no doubt that they will be pleased to give it. Mr. W. N. Short, in the neighborhood of Temblor Ranch on the eastern border of the county, has a young vineyard which surprised him by the num- bers of bunches each vine yielded on the fourth year, the bunches filling well and berries growing to perfection. On the Temblor and Cuyama ranches, fifty miles apart on the same belt, there may be found trees and vines growing without attention that do wonders in the way of yield. Mr. Gillis, near Ade- laide, told me three years ago, that his two- year-old vines, Muscats, and wine grapes, bore from ten to thirty pounds each, berries very large and sweet, with a beautiful bloom on them. His place is thirty miles from San Luis Obispo in a northerly direction. On W. S. Hinkle's farm some three miles from this city are some ten vines in arbor form, that were literally purple with grapes of the Mission variety every year from the year 1860 to 1882, yielding three to five tons of grapes annually. Mr. Dolores Herrera, near Pozo, planted some vines near his house that have borne very well, but said Mr. Her- rera, ' I had a few cuttings left over after planting my vineyard; so I thought I would experiment, and I therefore set them ont on a dry-looking hill about half a mile away from the house, and left them there to live or die as they chose. After some months I saw they grew nicely: so I pulled up some of them and left the others till the next year. When my grapes were ripening, I thought of the hill vines and went to see if they were yet alive, when imagine my surprise on finding from three to five bunches on each little vine, each bunch weighing from a half to three-quarters of a pound of tlie finest white grapes I ever tasted.' Pozo is thirty miles east of us and forty miles from the ocean. Mr. E. W. Howe, near Morro, has a very nice little vine-
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yard which yields good crops of thirty pounds and upwards to the vine.
" F. Guillemin, just over the mountain to the east of us, has a small vineyard set out after the manner of his country, that is, the vines from two to four feet apart, which bear from five to fifteen pounds each, and of part of his crop he makes a light wine which con- noisseurs pronounce to be equal to the famous petit vin dn Jurat of France.
" Mr. Hasbrouck has some twenty acres or more of vines at the Ranchita which are growing very nicely. Mr. Henry Ditmas, of Musick, has some boxes of raisins made by him on his place that were equal in point of size, color and taste to the best San Bernar- dino raisins.
" Mr. P. H. Dallidet, Sr., has a vineyard from four to twenty years of age, and he has taken from his oldest vines, which at seven years of age had had good care, as high as twenty pounds to the vine, and out of eight acres of grapes made one season 6,300 gal- lons of wine.
" Hon. Frank McCoppin, Dr. W. W. Hays, E. W. and:Hon. George Steele, J. P. Andrews, Goldtree Bros., W. H. Taylor and E. A. At- wood, all have fine young vineyards and or- chards. Besides these gentlemen who are large.y interested, there are a great number of persons who have from one acre and np- wards in full bearing who all say that vines are a success with only moderate attention. Out of perhaps 150 persons who have vine- yards, I know of but two that irrigate, and that because they have an abundance of water which would otherwise be entirely wasted. As it is, they get a good growth of wood, whether at the expense of quantity in fruit is a question, but certainly, at the ex- pense of quality. Of the persons named above only Mr. Guillemin irrigates.
" Having observed closely the yield of
grapes for a number of years past, I can say without fear of exaggeration that vines of full bearing age will yield an average one year with another of thirty pounds to the vine."'
MINERAL RESOURCES.
The following account is partly extracted from the report of the State Mineralogist:
Gold, silver, lead, copper, quicksilver, chromite, gypsum, onyx, silica, salt, lime, coal, and petroleum have been found in the mountains of this county. Some of these have been found in sufficient quantities to pay for working, and it is quite likely that a careful investigation of the remote mountain regions would result in additions to the min- eral resources. *
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