Here’s a real throwback story regarding old Palmdale/Palmenthal, going back to March 1888, when it was reprinted in the “LA Times” from the “Lancaster Gazette”. “Palmdale—A Flourishing Two-Year-Old Settlement in Antelope Valley” The colony of Palmdale was established January 1, 1886 by M.L. Wicks, John J. Jones and Dr. V. Fink. Dr. Fink gave her the beautiful and poetical name of Palmdale. The colony is situated one and one miles northeast of Alpine Station, Southern Pacific Railroad, in the southeastern part of Antelope Valley. The first house was built two years ago, and at present we have a thriving settlement and new settlers are coming every day. We have many fine houses, a church, a general store, where the new settler will find all he wants, not only in dry goods and groceries, but furniture of every description, hardware, agricultural implements etc.; two shoe stores, one restaurant, a nursery, a lumber yard etc. The soil is first-class and wood is abundant. Three main avenues run through the colony. On the westside, Magnolia Avenue running one mile east of the railroad and parallel with the same; Yucca Avenue, two miles east of Magnolia Avenue and Palm Avenue 100 feet in width and six miles in length, running through the center of the colony. Water is brought to the colony for irrigation from Little Rock Creek, six miles distant. Our aqueduct cost us at present $18,000. A correspondent of the “Antelope Valley News” from Rosamond [note—which at this time was managed by Col. Thomas Spencer Harris, a famous newspaper man] said in that paper on July 9, 1887: “When you see the ditches and the work to develop the water for the purpose of irrigating the ranches in the colony, you can say truly that Palmdale has ‘struck it rich.’” Our settlers have planted this year already: Apple trees 1000; pears 2000; peach 500; apricots 500; nectarines 100; plums 150; almonds 50; French prunes 1000; cherries 1000; mulberries 25; Japanese plums 25; grave vines, mostly raisin, 60,000; figs, pomegranates, magnolias, roses etc. My notes: It appears that old Palmenthal was also called Palmdale by non-speaking Germans at this time. Palmenthal was originally located about three miles southeast of the present-day Palmdale Civic Center, near Avenue R-8 and 27th Street East. The 1889 ad is from my “Palmdale” book. The ad originally appeared in another early AV newspaper, the “Antelope Valley Times.”
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 23:52:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015