wn
without irrigation, while in the near foot-hills the orange and the vine
flourish by the aid of irrigation. Artesian-wells abound in the San
Bernardino plain, but the mountains are the great and unfailing source
of water supply. The Bear Valley Dam is a most daring and gigantic
construction. A solid wall of masonry, 300 feet long and 60 feet high,
curving towards the reservoir, creates an inland lake in the mountains
holding water enough to irrigate 20,000 acres of land. This is conveyed
to distributing reservoirs in the east end of the valley. On a terrace
in the foot-hills a few miles to the north, 2000 feet above the sea, are
the Arrow-head Hot Springs (named from the figure of a gigantic
"arrow-head" on the mountain above), already a favorite resort for
health and pleasure. The views from the plain of the picturesque
foot-hills and the snow-peaks of the San Bernardino range are
exceedingly fine. The marvellous beauty of the purple and deep violet of
the giant hills at sunset, with spotless snow, lingers in the memory.

Perhaps the settlement of Redlands, ten miles by rail east of San
Bernardino, is as good an illustration as any of rapid development and
great promise. It is devoted to the orange and the grape. As late as
1875 much of it was Government land, considered valueless. It had a few
settlers, but the town, which counts now about 2000 people, was only
begun in 1887. It has many solid brick edifices and many pretty cottages
on its gentle slopes and rounded hills, overlooked by the great
mountains. The view from any point of vantage of orchards and vineyards
and semi-tropical gardens, with the wide sky-line of noble and snow-clad
hills, is exceedingly attractive. The region is watered by the Santa Ana
River and Mill Creek, but the main irrigating streams, which make every
hill-top to bloom with vegetation, come from the Bear Valley Reservoir.
On a hill to the south of the town the Smiley Brothers, of Catskill
fame, are building fine residences, and planting their 125 acres with
fruit-trees and vines, evergreens, flowers, and semi-tropic shrubbery in
a style of landscape-gardening that in three years at the furthest will
make this spot one of the few great showplaces of the country. Behind
their ridge is the San Mateo Canon, through which the Southern Pacific
Railway runs, while in front are the splendid sloping plains, valleys,
and orange groves, and the great sweep of mountains from San Jacinto
round to th