AND PACIFIC COAST GUIDE.

 
 

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per, the Zimes and Gazette. Stages leave
daily for Seareville, seven miles ; La Honda,
16 miles, and Pescadero, 30 miles.

Passing Farr Oaks, a small station in
the midst of beautiful residences, sur-
rounded with parks, gardens, orchards and
moss-drooping oaks, we come to

Mernio Parx—near which reside a score
or more of millionaires, including Ex-
Gov. Stanfurd, Milton 8. Latham, J. C.
Flood, Albert Grand, Faxon Atherton,
Maj. Rathbone, M. D. Sweney, Col. Eyre,
and many others. Menlo Park Hotel is
situated on the right, and is embowered in
trees, vines, and flowers. On the left,
leaving the station, is “Thurlow Lodge,” a
palatial residence, situated in the center of
princely grounds, with the most costly sur-
roundings, consisting of deer park, trees,
gardens, orchards and shrubbery. A little
further, on the right, comes the 500-acre
farm of Ex-Gov. Stanford, President of the
Central Pacific railroad. Here is the home
of “Occident,” and some of the finest
blooded stock on the Pacific coast.

MayFIELpD—a town of 1,000 inhabitants,
34.9 miles from San Francisco, is situated
in the widest part of Santa Clara Valley,
embowered in “ blue gum ” oaks, and other
trees. It is 4.2% miles from Mountain
Vizw—a small station, so named from the
extended view which it affords of the
Coast Range on the west, the Contra Costa,
on the east, as well as the whole surround-
ing country.

The greatoaks add an indescribable beauty
to this country, and grow in great pro-
fusion, particularly on the Murphy Grant,
through which we are now passing. This
grant originally covered some thousands of
acres, in this, the richest portion of the
Santa Clara Valley. Murpuy’s Statron—
for the accommodation of the grant—is lo-
cated near its center.

We are now opposite the head of San
Francisco Bay—on the east—and the little
town of Alviso, which is noted for its
strawberries and fruit, as well as being a
point from which immense quantities of
produce are shipped on the boats that land
at its ample wharf.

We pass on through a section, where
every foot of land is in a high state of cul-
tivation, for two miles, and come to
LAWRENCE—a small place 3.5 miles from
the beautiful

Santa Crara—This is a beautiful and
quiet old town of about 4,000 inhabitants,
originally founded by the Jesuits, in 1774.

It is situated near the center of Santa Clara
Valley, one of the loveliest in the world,
possessing a soil of surpassing richness.
It is celebrated for the salubrity of its cli-
mate, and the excellence and variety of its
fruits; is thickly settled, and as a wheat-
growing valley it has no superior. In
point of improvements, good farm-houses,
orchards, vineyards, etc., it has few, if any,
equals.

Churches and schools are numerous;
Santa Clara and San Jose—three miles
apart—are both noted for their educational
institutions, where some of the finest in
the State are located. The convent of
Notre Dame, the San Jose Institute, the
State Normal School, and the new building
of the University of the Pacific, Methodist,
Female Seminary, and the Catholic Col-
legiate Institute, stand as monuments to
attest a people’s integrity and worth.

There are two weekly papers published
at Santa Clara—the Index and News.
Stages leave daily for Los Gatos, seven
miles; Lexington, ten miles; and the Con-
gress Springs, thirteen miles; fare, ten
cents per mile. These springs are resorted
to by those suffering with pulmonary
complaints.

The Bay Coast narrow gauge railroad,
now building from Alameda, opposite San
Francisco, to Santa Cruz, distance ‘6
miles, passes through Alvarado, quite a
manufacturing town on the east side of
the bay, about ten miles west of Niles to
Santa Clara. The road from Santa Clara
will soon be in running order; 30 miles
further to

Santa Cruz, situated on an arm of
Monterey Bay, and is often called the
“Newport” of California, being anoted sum-
mer resort for sea bathers, who find good
accommodations in the shape of hotels,
bathing houses, etc. It is the county seat
of Santa Cruz county, population, 3,000;
connected by rail with the Southern Pa-
cific at Pajaro 21 miles and, with Fulton
eight miles; and by stage, with all adjoin-
ing towns up and down the coast, and by
steamer to San Francisco.

Returning to Santa Clara, we can, if
we choose, step into the horse-cars, or take
a carriage for San Jose, and ride over the
beautiful ALAMEDA AVENUE, which is
bordered on each’ side with two rows of
poplar and willow trees, planted by the
early Jesuit missionaries nearly 100 years

ago.
Behind these trees are elegant cottages,

 

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