The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926 Page: 209
330 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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From Texas to California in 1849
There are many ways of testing a mans honor friendship & worth,
but there is no situation in which a man can be placed, better cal-
culated to develope his true Character, than upon an expidition
like ours-Selfishness is I believe the ruling passion of Man,
but generally and in the ordinary persuits of life it is hidden by
acts of benevolence and made subservient to the laws of Society-
but place the individual "among Strangers in a Strange land" with
no interest in common with his fellows, no restraint upon his de-
sires, and no incentive to good, save an approving Conscience, and
then apply the good old maxim "Let works bear witness"-
Alas, how few will stand the test- I can mention one, Lew. B.
Harris. On the first day of December Mrs. Harris presented her
other half with an heir- they have determined to spend the
winter at the Mission of San Gabriel which is fifteen miles from
Los Angeles-
Dec 4th. We (Elkins, Swearengen, and myself) left Los An-
geles for the North-and traveled that day ten miles, the day was
rainy and disagreeable- the 5th & 6th made about twenty miles-
7th traveled eight miles, 8th fifteen miles- 9th twenty and the
10th six miles-passing through a country unsurpassed in rich-
ness of soil and beauty of landscape- Camped the evening of
the 10th at the Mission of San Beneventura which is situated im-
mediately on the Coast, and now the long wished for pleasure of
beholding the Pacific was gratified, and I truly felt that I had
reached the jumping off place. From San Beneventura our road
followed the Beach fifteen miles the Mountains approximating
almost to the waters edge- fifteen miles farther brought us to
the Port of Sante Barbary [Santa Barbara], a beautiful little
place, containing about one thousand inhabitants. At this place
I attended a Fandango, and was surprised and delighted at the
beauty & fashion that filled the room- I do not beleive there
is a village in the States that can produce among the same number
of girls-more beauty, modesty, and grace than the town of Santa
Barbary- Santa Barbary has not the natural facilities for a
place of much business, or sufficient back Country to support a
large town, but it affords many inducements as a place of resi-
dence. The information we obtain here respecting the Upper
country and the road thereto is contradictory and unreliable. I
have met with a gentleman who saw Scott & Lawrence in Stockton
three months ago- I can estimate what I have lost by what209
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926, periodical, 1926; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117141/m1/229/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.