October 22, 1908
THE OSCEOLA DEMOCRAT
W. J. HAMILTON WRITES FROM WEST
Russell, Idaho, Oct. 5th. 1908, Editor Democrat:
In my last letter I was at Redlands. Cal , During our stay of three weeks there we went on excursions to Urbita Springs, picnic and pleasure grounds, hot and cold sulphur baths, large plunge baths, beautiful like row boats, fancy pavilions etc. This was Sept 7th. Labor Day, Jack Woods of London, England was speaker. He was a Socialist. Had a fine picnic dinner, a good time also on Sept. 18th at the same place had a fine picnic of Iowa people. Several hundred good dinners free. Coffee and lemonade, good speaking and a fine time. Sister Susan,s family went with us. Sept. 19th. We visited Arrowhead Hot Springs, the most delightful mountain resort in the world. Here boiling hot water comes pouring out of mountain and canon We boiled six eggs in it for dinner. People use it at a large hotel nearby for Rheumatism, nearby this is a cold water spring coming out of a mountain very cold and nice for drinking, we also visited our friend D. O. Glenn of Riverside, Cal. Found him, wife and little daughter well. Dick is foreman of a large water Co. here. They get a supply of water through cement canal from mountains fifteen miles away, also wells 550 feet deep pumped by electricity. Riverside,s a nice little city of 13,000. We took a drive out to an old Indian school supported by the United Stated. Four hundred and fifty enrolled in this school, didn,t commend until Oct. 1st. They all dress like white people, learn fast and teach them all kinds of labor.
D.O. Glenn is doing fine He gets $150.00 per month, good horse and buggy and two phones furnished free. I also met our good old friend and townsman, Ben Johnson there, Ben has done well in the West, been sherriff twelve years and is Chief of Police here now. This shows what Clarke Co. boys can do in the West. I was glad to see them prospering. My brother-in-law Mr. Isbell I took a drive 9 miles south of Redlands to a large ranch 80,000 acres, stocked with cattle and horses in a rich valley. We left Redlands Sept. 22nd. for Idaho by way of Los Angeles. arrived at 1 30 P.M. left at 2:30 P.M. on the S. P. R. R. for Frisco, saw them picking strawberries and plums, passed large pigeon ranch, looked to be thousands of them. Passed a large grain ranch 80,000 acres owned by one man, runs 200, 8 horse teams, plows 1,000 acres per day. This is a great bean country, they yield a ton to the acre and sell at 5cts per lb Raining first since came to Cal. Passed sugar factory. Beets manufacture 20,000 tons beets per day, 2,000 cattle fed here. Come to Ocean. Dark came at Santa Barbara, stopped 20 minutes for supper, still raining hard; saw light houses on the Ocean, day light at Gil Roy in the Santa Clara Valley. Very fine, great herds of cattle grazing in valley. Stopped at San Jose great for plums, cherries and apricots. Arrived at San Francisco at 8:15 A.M. Sept. 23 stopped one day here. Took sight seeing car all over city stopped 15 minutes at Golden Gate, Seal Rocks.
Here ship went down Feb. 22 1901 with one and one half million dollars in gold, has never been recovered. Passed Army Post saw gun that shoots 1,000 lb. Shell, Fine view of strawberry hill, Golden Gate Park, Grand Heights Passed by a burned district and earthquake district. U. S. post office badly damaged by quake. Building 45 new school houses at a cost of 7,000,000 dollars saw U. S. mint building. Got my new shoes blacked by electricity at the depot. Crossed the Bay on large boat. 2000 people aboard. land at Oakland 5:42. Trains daily out of here and Frisco. Leave on the S. P. R. R. at 8:50 P.M. padded Sacramento City at midnight. This is where my brother in law Jerry Rhodes drove five yoke oxen from Illinois in 1853 same year I came to Clarke Co. Ia. Time of gold excitement here. Go up Sacramento River daylight came to Red Bluffs, Cal. This is a mining country, gold and copper. Big fire in this town last night burning yet this morning. Passed Kenneth the largest smelting works in Northern Cal. on the Sacramento River stopped 10 minutes at Shasta Rock Soda Springs very fine, the greatest springs in the world. Mount Shasta all covered with snow. Great pine timber here. Mills are thick large lumber yards going up saw other range of mountains, two engines to our train. Ashland end of Div. Stop 20 minutes for supper over mountain going down Rogue River valley, fine farming country. Corn grows here, finest apples grow here in the world, peaches and pears. This rich valley is in Oregon. Dark at Grants passed, nice little city of 5,000. Arrived at Portland, Oregon 7:15 A.M. Sept. 15. Passed through another valley, grow wheat, hops and fruit.
Big frost at Portland. Cross Columbia River on large ferry boat. Train and engine all go over at once, cut train in two sections, river one mile wide. Cross at town called Goble Over river in Washington leave for Spokane at 10:30 a. m. Lots of timber ruined by forest fires. Old rail fences very common here. Saw mills not running, people say freight is to high to ship it. Greatest timber in the U. S. Going up Greer River over Caskade mountains go through a tunnel 2 miles long, Eagle Gorge.
Arrive at Spokane at 7:45 a. m. Sept. 26th fine city of 100,000 located on Spokane river. Lay over here two days, visit city Parks, Islands and Waterfalls. Leave for Greer at 4:15 a.m. Sept., 27, pass fine wheat belt, lots of fall plowing done. Pass Pullman State Normal school at Washington. Stop at Lewiston over night, arrive at Greer, Idaho at 9:15 a. m. Sept. 28. This little town is on the Clear Water river between the mountains, great grain shopping point, from 100 to 125 four to six horse teams come through daily loaded with 40 to 60 sacks of wheat and barley to the team. Two large warehouses there. There was three strings or droves of sheep, 6,000 each came down off the mountains last week in all 18,000, also a drove of cattle came down on the Wiepee Side.
Son Robt, wife and son Forrest are located here, 7 miles from Greer on the prairie, fine small grain country. Bob is in charge of a large general store for Erb Bros. They have three doing a good business here. A man sold three car loads of fat hogs at $6.75 per head, were fattened on wheat and barley, said they would weigh 300 lbs.
Bob has killed eight deers one lynex one bear and lots of grouse and peasants out here, and Floy his wife has killed two deers and any amount of small game. I like this country fine.
Very Respectfully,
W. J. HAMILTON
Thanks to Gail Meyer Kilgore for sharing this information.
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